Dorthy Day: Carrying her Cross

Jesus declared that those who follow him must "take up the cross." (Mt 10:38) What is Dorothy's cross in baptizing her daughter and joining the church?

    From the beginning of her involvement with the church, Dorothy was always questioned as to why she needed religion in her life. Many of her friends couldn't understand how she could put someone faith into something that see couldn't "see". But Dorothy did see God in the people who needed her help and her love. When Dorothy wanted to get her daughter baptized, the child's father, Forster, was not happy about it. Forster told Dorothy that he believed he things he could feel, touch, and see. He didn't see the point in religion and certainly didn't understand why a Baptism was important.
     To Dorothy, baptizing her daughter was important. She wanted her daughter to be a part of the Church and grow up knowing God. Her love for Forster was great, but greater still was her love for her child-and for God. After baptizing Tamar, Forster went away and was not involved with raising her. Dorothy carried the cross of being a single mother and being alone.
     Dorothy Day's life and beliefs were also unconventional. Many did not feel like she could fit the picture of a highly regarded religious woman. She had an abortion and had a child out of wedlock. She was a pacifist in an era of "the Good War". She came to state-sponsored birth control and abortion as part of the genocidal war against the poor. Despite the negativity, Dorothy Day carried her crosses, lived as Jesus did, and through her work started a revolution.

Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful?

       Wal-Mart without question is one of the biggest corporations in the world bringing in 421 billion dollars a year. Wal-Mart is considered a bellwether for consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy in the U.S. The retailer brings in nearly 10 percent of all nonautomotive retail dollars spent in the U.S. Every week, 138 million shoppers visit Wal-Mart's 4,750 stores worldwide and last year 82% of American households made at least one purchase at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has over 500 stores in the U.S. and greatly impacts the world economy. What many people are asking is does Wal-Mart have too much power? 

       I don't think that Wal-Mart is all bad. Throughout history, it is leaders and innovators in industry that bring about change and increase the standard of living among millions. Nations do not protest their way to prosperity. Wal-Mart has found ways to make industry more productive and distribution more efficient. This allows the today's poor to afford things that never would have been available years ago. Wal-Mart makes shopping convenient. When someone goes to Wal-Mart, they can purchase everything they would ever need there. Wal-Mart is frequently referred to as teh "big box" retailer.

       The convenience and low prices at Wal-Mart don't come without a different kind of cost. The cost of human lives. On multiple occasions Wal-Mart has been accused of purchasing their goods from sweatshops both internationally and within the U.S. Wal-Mart employs more people than any other company in the United States outside of the Federal government, yet the majority of its employees with children live below the poverty line. I think that Wal-Mart is a monopoly and has too much power compared to other companies. Overall, I feel like Wal-Mart negative aspects and moral corruption outweigh its benefits. 

        Wal-Mart’s policies go against everything the 7 principles of Catholic Social teaching stand for.
1 &2. Life and Dignity of the Human Person / The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers – Wal-Mart does not treat their workers with the respect, rights, and liberties they are guaranteed.
3. Call to Family, Community, and Participation – Even though Wal-Mart claims to care for their workers families, majority of its workers with children live below the poverty line.
4. Rights and Responsibilities – Wal-Mart ignores the rights of Wal-Mart employees because of the monopoly they hold over other stores. Wal-Mart ignores the requests of its workers in order to earn as much profit as possible by underpaying their employees.
5. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable – Employment at Wal-Mart seems like it would be a step in the right direction for someone looking to make money and increase their standard of living, but Wal-Mart allows their workers to stay poor by paying low wages and not paying for more than 40 hours a week.
6. Solidarity – Employees try to create a union but Wal-Mart won’t allow them. Many times management mistreats their workers and nothing is done about it.
7. Care for God's Creation – On multiple occasions Wal-Mart has violated health and safety regulations but does little to change their ways if it means making less profit.

       After watching the documentary, I will definitely think twice about shopping at Wal-Mart and consider taking my business to family run stores, farmers markets, etc. Wal-Mart is creating problems within the global economy that will result in years of working to restore. 

Minaj's Grammy Performance: True "Vision" or Publicity Stunt?

     This past weekend at the 54th Grammy Awards, one performance in particular has caused a lot of controversy. Nicki Minaj arrived to the award show in a red-hooded cape along with a man dressed up as the "pope" to accompany her. But that was only the beginning. Later, Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit followed by a clip of a mock exorcism. The stage had stained glass in the background and she appeared on stage with choice boys and monks dancing. At one point during the performance, barely clothed female dancers were stretched backwards while altar boys knelt between their legs in prayer. To end the performance, "Come All Ye Faithful" was sung while a man dressed as a bishop walked on stage.
    Upsetting a lot of people, Nicki Minaj tried to defend her performance by saying she was playing one of her alter egos, a man named Roman, and that she had been writing the story of this particular alter ego for two years. The religious figure is there because he was called on by Roman's mom to rehabilitate him. She wanted him to be exorcised, but people around him telling him he's not good enough, that hes not normal and fitting in. Minaj says she wanted to show Roman is "amazing and confident, but he's never going to be exorcised and when they throw the holy water on him, he rises above it."
    The Catholic Church has condemned the performance and expressed its disappointment at the the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy who allowed the performance to air. I understand Nicki Minaj's concept of a misunderstood character and the people around him trying to "cure" him. What I don't understand is why the Catholic church needed to be not only represented but mocked during the performance. It is frustrating as a Catholic because had the performance mocked and insulted Judaism or Islam, it wouldn't have aired. What I find most upsetting is Minaj's dismissive response and lack of apologize to those who were offended by her performance.
    As much as Minaj may claim the performance was her true vision, I think she knew it would cause a huge controversy and what better time to cause a scandal than when her new single was released today and her new album is coming out later this year.

Demand for New Technology: Who's Really Paying for It

   After reading the New York Times article about the working conditions in Apple factories, I thought about all the Apple products I use everyday and where they are really coming from. The workers are expected to produce products like machines. Exploited, over worked, and underpaid, the factory workers are treated inhumanely. The idea of sweatshops and human slavery to me feels like a foreign idea. Even though majority of these factories are overseas, the products being made are products almost everyone in our country uses.
    About a month after the new iPhone 4GS came out, my phone contract was up and I was able to upgrade my phone. I went to three stores looking for the new iPhone and every store was sold out. At the time, I was upset and wondered why they didn't make more. It is the high demand and instant gratification society in developed countries that leads to the slavery in factories in undeveloped countries. We want it and we want it now. The factories cannot keep up with the demand. To make as much profit as possible, the factories exploit their workers to poor conditions, low wages, 12 hours shifts, and extreme 98 hours of overtime a month.
    According to theguardian.com, Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, said last month he had never turned a blind eye to working conditions. Apple produced annual audits of its factories but last month appointed an independent group, the Fair Labour Association, to take over inspections.
    Foxconn produced its first iPad at Chengdu last November and expects to produce 100m a year by 2013. Last year Apple sold more than 15m iPads worldwide and has already sold close to five million this year. The new iPad 3 is expected to release in March and the iPhone 5 model is expected to release later this year. Ultimately, I believe it is up to Apple to step up and stop the injustice going on in their factories by setting up stricter regulations and threatening to immediately shut down a factory if any regulation is broken.
    As consumers, we need to let Apple know that ethically created products are in demand. We want to buy Apple products and know that it is not at the cost of human suffering. I signed the two petitions for Apple to make an ethical iPhone 5 and treat their workers fairly.