Wednesday, June 30, 2010

can you hear me now?

matt refuses to get rid of his cell phone.

i make fun of him all the time for it, because he has had it for 6 years and it is (literally) falling apart.

as in, every time it happens to drop 2 inches it breaks into multiple pieces.

as in, the keys have been worn down so much that there are no numbers or letters on any of the buttons.

i hate using his phone because the buttons are kind of janky and it is hard to push them so they'll actually work.

but still, he refuses to upgrade. it may seem silly or stubborn when he could walk into a verizon store and walk out with a "free" phone, but the reason he refuses is because each one of our little cell phones (as well as our laptops, etc etc) contain minerals and metals that are likely from war torn congo. we get new gadgets that we like for about 5 seconds, and our gadgets help fuel their bloody conflict. so he is waiting for a phone that is certified conflict-free. i don't think one exists yet.

it seems pretty ridiculous that as consumers our voices could impact a deadly conflict that has claimed so many lives. obviously this would not erase the issues in the congo, but it could drastically reduce the funds that contribute to this ongoing bloodshed. it is pretty sobering to me to see the huge long lines for new iphones and realize the connection our hunger for new technology inadvertently has on human beings lives.

read this great article or watch this video for more information:

5 comments:

  1. hey did you see that video posted on the Call + Response facebook page?! cause we put it up there this weekend. great post.

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  2. why are Will from West Wing and Larry Olson hanging out?

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  3. what a husband you've got! thanks for letting me visit today...i am coming again soon and with my kids!

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  4. Oh, Will from West Wing! I *knew* I recognized him, but couldn't place him. Great video, and you might as well just put the link to the petition right on your blog because I can't imagine anyone watching the video and *not* signing the petition.

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  5. Hmm good thoughts. Why doesn't he buy a used phone like off of Craigslist?

    I feel like used is the best way to go in these situations. Obviously the phone he has now isn't conflict-free and if he bought a used phone as compared to a new one at least he would be saving it from sitting in a landfill.

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