With all the reports in the news lately of poisonous toothpaste and contaminated pet food being linked back to Chinese manufacturers, I recently decided to stop buying any products made in China. I hadn't told anyone about this until now, but have decided I must share my thoughts about it. Why? Because today I had a personal ethical and shopping crisis.

I say that half in jest, but the truth of the matter is, I had some real moments of struggle today as I looked to fill a few holes in my wardrobe. First, at one of my favorite department stores, I found a pair of dressy shorts that are perfect for casual business meetings here in the steamy South. I really liked the style, but was immediately conflicted about buying them when I read "Made in China" on the tag. "Oh well," I thought. "I'll try them on anyway and just hope they don't fit." Sort of an odd kind of thought, but it was my lucky day and the contraband shorts did not fit. Instead I bought some pricier Made in the USA shorts that looked great.

Next I was off to a high-brow discount department store to look for some shoes. Earlier in the day I had scored a pair of black slide sandals that I literally had searched the Internet for a week or two ago. After buying a pair of these shoes in a different color, I decided I must have them in black too but couldn't find them anywhere. Until today. My lucky day. One hole filled...but I still needed to find some beachy looking sandals for some casual outfits. So off I went into the discount department store in search of one more pair of shoes and some "foundation" garments.

Once in this store, I found a two pairs of shoes I liked. Both were comfortable, attractive and reasonably priced. But, one was "Made in China" so I quickly put them back, later deciding I didn't really like the second pair either. Next I hit the "foundations" section and tried on several items. Unbelieveably I found the brand and style I really like in my size and was just about to head to the check out when I thought, "This couldn't be made in China, could it?" I looked at the tag and BLAST IT...there were the words I was dreading. Another M.I.C.  Reluctantly I put my find back and slowly made my way out of the store with nothing, feeling a bit frustrated and wishing I could forget the vow I'd made. 

But at least I got my black shoes, right? As I was almost out to the car I thought about how lucky I was to find those, when all of a sudden I realized I'd never looked at their tag. What if they were MIC too? As soon as I opened the door, I ripped open their shiny pink box and there it was on the leather of each shoe. MADE IN CHINA. They had won. I instantly felt like a traitor.

So what am I going to do about the new shoes? Well, to be honest I'm not sure. Maybe I will count them as my final purchase from the Republic. Maybe I will wear them like the emperor wears his new clothes, proudly yet knowing that the people know the truth about them. Or maybe I'll take them back and write a letter to the shoe company telling them they lost my future business because of where their shoes are made. Whatever the case, I am still taking a stand and saying no to adding any more MICs to my closet and life, at least until some trade agreements are put in place to guarantee the safety of MIC products. I can make a difference...and so can you.