Ram pointed out a very sobering photo essay about the diamond industry from the September 2005 issue of Foreign Policy magazine. It contrasts the fields of Angola and the factories of India to the lavish part of diamonds that we see. What actually scared me was that I kinda forgot about the dark side of this industry. It’s funny how powerful the forces of positive reinforcement can be. Many of my friends have gotten engaged in the last year and I’ve seen how happy diamonds make people. It really does scare me how easily humans (or at least me) can be anaesthetized to the sheer misery we cause others.
On a related topic, the photographer of the series, Kadir Van Lohuizen, has some other stunning photos on his website. It includes essays from several war zones and a couple photos from Bhopal that I wish I hadn’t seen. But the photos that I find truly remarkable are from Hurricane Katrina, in the aftermath and five months afterward. With the 1-year anniversary of Katrina upon us, i’m left dumbfounded to think that the richest and most powerful country in the world didn’t have the will to make this right and why Kayne ever stopped saying that George Bush hates black people.
Heart of Darkness forever solidified my stance against diamonds; Conrad was a true swami (English was his third language!). Besides, Kanye filmed the video for Diamonds in Prague.
Diamonds are forever tyler.
Remember, you can buy socially responsible diamonds. I think they are called Polar Bear diamonds or something. Worth checking out.
Buying Canadian diamonds is better, since they are polished here in Canada, rather than by some little Indian boy or girl (or man or woman). Matt got one for Kathleen; they have a bear etched in them. They’re cool.
Nevertheless, buying a “clean” diamond still props up the whole industry, keeping prices for diamonds artificially high. This makes it worthwhile for paramilitaries to try and sell diamonds as well. Unless you are a 100% convinced African paramilitary groups can’t sell their wares anywhere, which I don’t think is true, Canadian diamonds aren’t really helping all that much.
But really, there is no point worrying about diamonds over anything else. As you say, living in the West makes us complicit in all sorts of suffering all over the world. (Everything I am wearing right now was probably made by someone very poor.) I think the key is just to come to terms with that, and move on. I don’t think there is any point in feeling guilty about where you were born, just like people shouldn’t feel like it was some sort of accomplishment that their lives are so great thanks to where they were born.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
Gandhi is awesome.