I didn't misspeak. And I don't believe that slaves should be grateful for anything. But people will submit to a lot when starvation is the alternative. Look at our own migrant workers here in the US for an example of the kinds of slave worker conditions people voluntarily submit to in order to survive. It's a really difficult situation. Personally, I think that if enough people practice conscious consumerism, employers who treat their employees like slaves would go out of business. Eventually, we will get there, but it will take more time than we would like it to, for sure.

Unfortunately, during tough economic times like these, a lot of people will have to choose not to buy some things at all, like cashews, for instance, because the products that come from socially responsible sources are not affordable. I don't know whether or not that will make it more difficult for programs encouraging people to buy socially responsible products to succeed. In my case, I'm just going to have to stop buying cashews.