Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Diamonds Simply Aren't a Girl's Best Friend
Ever since my trip to Tanzania and rooming with my dear friend Kim, I have become very convicted about diamonds. Blood diamonds. Conflict diamonds. Diamonds in general. They're so...artificial to me. We've created this equation that says man+diamond=happily ever after. The sad fact is that in many diamond producing countries man+diamond=death, starvation, relocation, or suffering. I know that I would not want to walk around with something on my finger (especially not if I live in Africa someday) that symbolizes generations of pain and suffering and white domination. Not to mention the fact that diamonds are not even that rare or that valuable. Debeers just holds back their stock to drive the price up. If you've ever had any doubts on the issue just check out this article on allafrica.com. You can find out more about the movie at its official site. You can also get more info from Amnesty International (just type conflict diamonds into the search bar on this site and you'll get even more results) and Global Witness. Law & Order even touched on this issue in last season's "Solider of Fortune" episode. This is truly a human rights issue that affects every one of our lives. We do have the ability to make a change in people's lives. I know it's a lot of links but click them! Do the research. Be informed. Make a stand. Whatever you decide to do, don't be content with ignorance.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I had a friend once - actually, we both did, you know this guy - who was thinking about getting engaged, but talked to his fiance about maybe diamonds weren't the best idea, seeing as there were so many inhumane events that transpired to bring diamonds over to the States.
She said no, he was getting her a two-carat ring and that was that.
They aren't together anymore.
So Wyman pointed me to your site, I read your post, and I, as almost always, have something to say. I broke a relationship off in part because of this issue about a year ago. I had brought it up, and the issue got completely dismissed. Frankly, I thought that a bit ridiculous as it was something I was going to be wearing on my finger. I came to the conclusion that anyone who couldn't/didn't want to understand the issues and/or grieve intensely over them probably was not right for me. It's funny, because that was actually the first tip off I had that something wasn't right, and it led me on a train of thought that ended in me ending what I would later realize was a very bad relationship. All that's to say that now when I see stuff about diamonds, there's an odd part of me that feels a lot of peace and thankful to the whole issue for pointing me in the right direction. I guess there are just people who think about this stuff and people who don't and while you can be friends with those who don't, well, you probably shouldn't marry them ;-). Alright, soap box done.
Post a Comment