Divorce.
It could happen the month before Christmas.
Some people look the other way when something’s wrong. I don’t. A relationship should feel good, this one doesn’t.
Who am I about to divorce and why?
The CCP. The Chinese Communist Party.
The truth hit like a ton of bricks while shopping at a national retailer.
Could I reconcile? Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m struggling with this relationship, are you?
Moseying around a store and finding the perfect gift especially at Christmas is a thrill. No more. The hand-sanitizing stations and masks warn of a much deeper issue. I used to love seeing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah merchandise on the shelves. The thrill, as I scrutinize product labels, is gone. I pick up a Halloween gnome. Cute. Made in China. Look! A Thanksgiving pilgrim. So adorable. Made in China. I put it back. All of it. Nine out of ten products were, made in Communist China. Masked shoppers came into sobering focus. The wider aisles with one-way arrows began to irk me. What in hell am I doing?
Communist China is the reason for the masks, hand sanitizer, one-way aisles, limited occupancy and stores that were ordered closed for months. Yes. Wuhan coronavirus is real. The consequence to my Christmas gift shopping is real.
Why should I continue buying products made in Communist China, as the coronavirus death toll nears a million people worldwide. Businesses permanently closed. Others are on life support. Jobs decimated. Vacant schools. Isolation. Depression and suicide rising. Heartbreaking. Consequences. The global wounds are red raw for millions of people.
I’m not a phobe, isolationist or culturally insensitive. I don’t fault the people of China. They’re controlled by a tyrannical government. Uighurs imprisoned in slave labor camps, may have made your famous sneakers. Will this be a widespread divorce? Time will tell. But I’ll rethink spending my money on products made in Communist China. Could I buy products made in dozens of other countries? Yes of course. Later. This Christmas I’ll buy USA made products, I found tons on www.usalovelist.com.
National retailers and product inventors, the iron’s hot. Strike it. Consider championing American manufacturing. Reshoring U.S. production to empower independence makes an old relationship obsolete.
Me? I am doing my part. There are countless ways to give without buying stuff made in a Marxist country. Restaurants have taken a beating. Family and friends will get restaurant gift cards this Christmas. Buying local helps eateries, your town’s economy and the neighbor next door. Food is still love. Spread some. Home baked or hand-crafted goods say, the thought still counts.
Communist China, maybe you did something you should never have done. Or you didn’t do what you should have done. But I choose the consequence of your actions. This relationship doesn’t feel good. Divorce. It’s personal. So, Christmas 2020 in our family will change. No made in China products under our tree. I’ll cite, irreconcilable differences. It isn’t business, it’s personal.
(C) 2020 Paula M. Parker
Originally published
