My Thoughts
When was the last time you read a label? Any label: box, can, package, clothing, linen, book, tool, furniture, statue, painting; everything has a label these days. Labels are as ubiquitous as the coronavirus, perhaps more so since not everyone has the virus but nearly everything else has a label … or two … or three. But do you ever bother to read what is on the label, really read what is printed there?
Labels are a short read, they truly are; never more than a glance required to get the gist of most of it, a few seconds more to read in its entirety; easy too, even a child can follow the prose. Sometimes, you may find an interesting fact or two, something to cause you pause. It may be you find yourself sneaking a peek before you purchase or use what that pasted, glued, attached, or sewn label or tag discloses. At least I hope you do; it may change your purchase habits.
This past weekend as I was waiting in the sacristy, I found myself looking among the shelves, not for anything in particular, just “browsing” through the clutter, and I began reading labels. On a box of masks: “Made in China.” On a bottle of hand-sanitizer: “Made in China.” On two large boxes containing statues of Joseph and Mary: “Made in China.” At home, I began to read the labels on anything I could find: Book Scanner: “Made in China”; Printer toner cartridges: “Made in China”; George Foreman Grilling Machine: “Made in China”; Humidifiers: “Made in China”; Piano: “Made in China”; Drills, grills, saws, tools of every shape and size: “Made in China”; Jackets, jeans, shirts, underwear, you guessed it: “Made in China.” I could go on and on, but why bother. It is more difficult to find something, anything NOT made in China; even the current virus: “Made in China.”
This is not a bad case of xenophobia, folks. It seems more a severe case of America-phobia and that just ain’t kumbaya kosher. Seems to me, it is time for some serious searching for tags and labels that say “Made in America” and leave “Made in China” in China for China. After all, I’m certain more than a few citizens of China would appreciate being able to buy their own products. Wake up America.
Just my thoughts for a Monday, for what it is worth.
