Fair trade is ethical shopping that has a global impact. It is a way for farmers and artisans in third world countries to rise above poverty by having consistent and sustainable work. To be considered fair trade, organizations must have fair working conditions, have a guaranteed minimum price for their worker’s wages, be environmentally sustainable and have a community development aspect. These principles give opportunities to the workers as well as their communities to grow and succeed beyond what is expected. Citizens are becoming more socially and economically aware in their purchases. Because of that, there has been a rise in fair trade companies and products. The Internet has made shopping ethically affordable and easy. Fair Trade USA states that their certified products are available in tens of thousands retail locations and online stores. I was introduced to fair trade when I started interning for a local nonprofit called Hands Producing Hope. They are a fair trade nonprofit organization that works with women in Costa Rica and Rwanda. I, by no means, am a poster child for eco friendly living, but I do think differently about purchases. If I have the option to choose between a long lasting piece of clothing or home décor item with a cause over something that is cheaper and mass produced, I will normally choose the higher priced item. Here are four reasons why everyone should shop fair trade:
Sources: https://www.fairtradecertified.org/frequently-asked-questions#what-is-fair-trade https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade/our-global-model http://www.fairtraderesource.org/downloads/top_10_reasons_to_support_ft.pdf http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/shoppingethically/whybuyethical/whybuyfairtrade.aspx http://www.handsproducinghope.org/ -Peyton Short
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![]() The first part of ad critique is very easy as it is just looking for the base information of the ad itself. Firstly, one must find the source of the ad. In this case the source is the UN Women Organization. Secondly, the audience must be considered. The audience is everyone, but the ad will mostly appeal to women – and in this instance, Muslim women since the women displayed has on a hijab. It will also appeal greatly to Feminists since they want the sexes to be treated equally. Next, ask what is the medium? The medium is digital media. Then we need to examine the message the ad is trying to convey. The message is that the constant claims of what women “need to do” are misogynistic and that women should be seen and treated as equals to men. Then the critique becomes more in depth when asked whether the ad is designed to encourage central- or peripheral-route processing? In this case the chosen ad is designed to encourage central-route processing. This is evident due to certain features that the ad has. The ad features a search bar with recommended searches below it which will draw the audience’s attention. The recommended searches are also things that are said to demean women and it makes the audience think about: how can this be ok; why are women treated like this but not men; there should be equal treatment of the sexes; and so on. The ad is designed to speak to people and get them to think about the inequality women face – which can be a contentious topic. Afterwards, look at whether the ad agency thinks that the audience has high or low motivation. In this case the ad agency probably thought that the audience had a high motivation as this is a considerable issue that a vast percentage of the human population deals with. Furthermore, see whether the ad agency thinks that the audience had high or low ability. The ad agency likely thought the general public would not have a high ability to read graphs about inequality but they knew that people would be able to read and some even relate to the statements they used. The last question in ad critique, is whether the person critiquing sees the ad as persuasive. This is a subjective question and will change with each person who sees the ad. Personally, I found the ad to be persuasive because it made me think about the ways that women are treated negatively around the world. The ad also made me think about how other people actually believe these negative thoughts about women and it makes me want to work against this misogyny. I also identify as a Feminist, so the ad will have a stronger appeal to someone like me. -GP- |