ABC News Series: Made in America - Are You Watching?
The series continues this week and I'm looking forward to it. It amazed me that so many people were surprised that most items in their homes were not made in America. It's been such a huge issue for many years.
Hopefully this special will get more people thinking about products that they buy. Other countries are doing what's necessary to get more work for their people. We Americans can't fault them for that. Everyone in the world is trying to make a living.
But it is our fault as Americans if we don't notice that we aren't supporting American companies and buying their products. That's one of the reasons why there are less jobs here. I'm certainly no economist, but there must be some correlation between the two.
I read an article criticizing the series for focusing on consumers not buying American products, when they should focus on major corporations, like Disney, who aren't buying American products. I agree with that criticism also. When we visit a Disney store or their website and want to purchase products, it should be easy to purchase something that was made in America. According to another article, when the writer checked the Disney store website, the first 40 items that he looked at were all imported. It's something to think about.
Maybe ABC won't mention the big corporations. I don't know. But we the people can start making different choices individually.
The series at least has people talking and the website lists many different companies where we can purchase American products. It's a start. For all those people getting ready to make big purchases, if they intentionally buy American, it can help create and keep jobs here.
If enough of us start really small, it can make a difference too. While we may not purchase something big every week, we do buy food on a regular basis.
I needed some new spices and bought some Bell's Seasoning, which is made in Massachusetts. While the spices used to make it are imported, it's manufactured and distributed by Brady Enterprises, which is located in Weymouth. The seasoning is usually for Thanksgiving turkeys, but I'm sure that I can use it for something else. Maybe turkey burgers!
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| Photo courtesy of The Makers Project and Jennifer Causey |
Simply Photo blogger, Jennifer Causey has a new project called The Makers. Each week she interviews the people who make products for their small businesses in Brooklyn, New York.
Finding local artisans and crafters is a great way to buy American. If they're making the items at the shop around the corner, then buying from them is helping to support our local and national economy.
One of my favorite Makers from the project is the Perfumer. MCMC Fragrances is a small company founded in 2009, dedicated to creating original perfumes made with the highest quality ingredients. Each fragrance is formulated by Anne McClain and carefully crafted in small batches and bottled by hand in Anne’s studio. I would love to try some of these fragrances.
Now I'm certainly not advocating that we stop importing all products or cease buying anything not made in America. That's not the answer and would be rather boring actually. I like some variety. But we Americans do have a responsibility to support each other and help keep the American Dream alive.
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