We create atrocities through consumption

This is going to ruin your day.

Your iPod and cellphone were made by a slave who was raped so that she'd stay submissive (source).

I'm not talking about the factory worker who put the thing together, or anyone working for Apple, but about someone remotely connected to them—the mining slaves that dug up vital metals needed to make our gadgets.

You may wish to ignore this, so that you can remain happy buying stuff, unaware of where it comes from. But we are guilty for this. We are guilty that we haven't demanded more transparency from the companies that make our stuff.
"At present, it is virtually impossible for us to know the economic history or the ecological cost of the products we buy; the origins of the products are typically too distant and too scattered and the processes of trade, manufacture, transportation, and marketing too complicated. There are, moreover, too many good reasons for the industrial suppliers of these products not to want their histories to be known." (Wendell Berry, The Whole Horse)

I want to know this. The history of our stuff, where it came from, who made each component, what conditions they worked in, how much they were paid. I want to know all of it. Where would they put all of this information? They could print it on the receipt. I bought two things today and I had to fold the receipt in thirds to fit it into my wallet. And on the back of the receipt they could say where the paper and ink for the receipt came from.

This kind of transparency may be impossible with our world economy, which is why it is so important to buy locally. Meet the guy who makes your stuff. Give him the money he deserves for a well-made product. And just because a Wal-Mart is down the street doesn't mean it's local. Was it made in your community? Will the profits stay in the community? Does the owner live in your community?

Watch the Story of Stuff.