My recent post on the “Out of a Job Yet? Keep Buying Foreign” bumper stickers caused a bit of controversy, as I expected. As somewhat of a follow-up to that post, I’d like to pose the question, does buying locally really matter to people?
I ask this because on my way home for lunch last week I saw a van pull in front of me with a bumper sticker that read “Made in Canada Matters.” A little better than the “Out of a Job Yet?” stickers, but still somewhat annoying, I wondered whether or not the people promoting these stickers were true to buying local. As if the universe were answering my question, the van pulled into a parking lot… and not just any parking lot.
“No way,” I said to myself, “He won’t.” As he pulled in, the driver could either turn right and go to Harvey’s or turn left and go to Dollarama. Sure enough, he turned left, parked, and walked into Dollarama, the epitome of all things “Made in China.” I couldn’t resist this photo op so I turned into the next entrance, parked, and snapped a quick shot of the ironic moment.
So, assuming that this guy wasn’t driving his friend’s car (I’m sure someone would have brought up the possibility), it seems fair to say that either 1) The guy honestly doesn’t know that the vast majority of things in Dollarama are made in China or 2) He just isn’t really bothered to think about/care about it. Since you would have to live under a rock to fit scenario #1, I’m thinking that “Made in Canada” doesn’t really matter in this case.
What do you think? Are people toting these bumper stickers because they really care whether their products are made locally, or are they doing it because they’re upset that their industry is hurting due to the recession? Does “Made in Canada” (or the USA) really effect peoples’ daily life decisions?
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4 Comments
Haha irony – most people want to jump on the bandwagon and follow the popular belief, or some are just hypocritical by preaching to the rest of about their cause but not taking the necessary steps to help it themselves (except for preaching)
I agree with you. Some are really insincere and they just lecturing without taking any wise decision.
Do you have any idea where I can get one of these stickers? I really, really, really, really want to slap it on my Toyota Matrix (made in Cambridge)!
lol, sorry I couldn’t seem to find any on ebay or kijiji. I’m not sure where you could get one. Good idea though!