Donald J. Boudreaux – September 1, 2023
A friend recently asked me to assess the stylistic merits of a short essay that his college-age daughter wrote during her competition to become a columnist for a campus newspaper. I did so, and was happy to report to my friend and his daughter – who I’ll call “Sarah” – that this young woman’s flair for writing is enviable. Her language is clear, active, and vivid, with not a word wasted or wanted. If her essay is any guide, Sarah already writes better than do some seasoned columnists for major newspapers.
Fortunately, I wasn’t asked to assess the essay’s substance. Offering such an assessment would have required me to be uncomfortably critical.
With her essay, Sarah describes the surprisingly difficult challenges encountered by an attentive “socially conscious” person – such as herself – who insists on patronizing only businesses that are truly committed to cleaning the environment, furthering workers’ rights, and promoting social justice. Sarah’s disappointment is palpable as she tells of her unfolding realization that labels and advertising slogans often mislead. A bag of coffee beans labeled “Fair Trade Certified” doesn’t guarantee that all workers on that grower’s coffee plantation are paid wages that Sarah and her classmates regard as fair. And just because a brand-name sounds eco-friendly and is accompanied by a boast of its owner’s deep devotion to sustainability and “combating climate change” doesn’t ensure that that brand’s parent company isn’t a gigantic, heartless, wasteful, polluting multinational corporation seeking only maximum lucre for its shareholders...........To Read More...
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