“Wealth is often attained at the expense of justice — America has often been a land of opportunity for the dispossessed and a beacon of equality and freedom for the oppressed of the world. But we should be careful about assuming that our high standard of living is free of guilt. The hamburger we ate for lunch may have come at the expense of South American rain forests that are cleared to satisfy the ravenous American appetite for beef. the diamond and gold engagement ring we gave our loved one may have been made from products sold to support civil wars in Sudan, Liberia, or other African nations. The shirts we wear and the shoes we play in are often produced by sweatshop workers, child laborers, or underpaid immigrants. And with less than 5% of the world’s population, Americans use 25% of the world’s natural resources …are we not guilty of greed when we demand an ever-higher standard of living while neglecting millions of children who are starving to death each year?”
How should we respond to such an indictment and what does it have to do with ethics?
