By Brian Kalkbrenner
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 13, 1997

Students should boycott Nike, McDonald's for good of humanity

Editor:

There exist many problems in the world, very few of which any of us, as individuals, can help to change. That is why when an opportunity arises in which each one of us can contribute- however little-to the elimination of an injustice, that opportunity should be taken. Our recent campus news has been laced with stories of two such injustices; one being the sponsorship of our sports programs by Nike, the other being the recent opening of McDonald's on campus.

It has by now been well documented that Nike repeatedly abuses overseas factory workers, offering them low pay, poor working conditions, and punishing workers who try to form labor unions. Yet while these evils have been reported, the abuses still continue. This is your chance to make a difference. How? STOP BUYING NIKE PRODUCTS! I realize that it may be fashionable to sport Nike attire, but is it so hip that you're willing to support human rights abuses by purchasing their product? The swoosh on your hat and the shoes on your feet are soaked in the blood and sweat of broken souls. Is this small sacrifice so hard to make? If so, I hope your conscience allows you to sleep at night, while the less fortunate starve.

As for McDonald's: Are their hamburgers so good that you're willing to support the deforestation of tropical rain forests? Well, by purchasing their food, that's exactly what you're doing. The price of your convenience is the destruction of our environment. Though the individual's contribution to such a large empire is minuscule, when enough individuals stop supporting that empire, it is bound to be noticed.

These are two very small sacrifices to make for the benefit of humanity (pardon the cliche) at large, and this is a wonderful opportunity to help those who didn't have the dumb luck (like most of us) to be born into a wealthy nation.

Brian Kalkbrenner
Creative Writing/American Literature Sophomore