"The truth is that all of us have a hand in slavery through the things that we buy. The basic reality that we have to grapple with as consumers and businesses is that a lot of commodities and products have a little bit of slavery in them. (p181)"

The chapter that this quote was in was about ending the product chain that causes slaveholders to not let go of their slaves in order to earn the most profits. On page 211, Bales gives a number of ways that we, as normal citizens and consumers can do to help the fight against slavery. I feel shameful to say this, but even after reading the advice, I know I won't follow what it says. I would not go up to a store manager and tell him that I do not want to buy slave made goods. First of all, no one that I know does that. Also, I don't even know whether the employees or manager know whether the goods are from slaves; they could be deceived like everyone else too.

It is so sad that even though that products are made from slave of child labor it is still being sold out in the market for so much more than the cost needed to produce it. Yet despite the expensive costs, lots of people still buy those things. Everyone is fueling the global slave trade unknowingly. One of the things that require slave input is cocoa. Some of the biggest chocolate companies, such as Hershey, Mars, and Nestle have had slavery in their product chain. It is ironic that something that takes so sweet and good originated from the tears and pain of other people.

When I think about it, when I look at tags for the clothes and other things that I buy, all of them say that they are made in poor countries. If only slaveholders would stop being so selfish and be happy with what they have slavery wouldn't exist. But I guess that is impossible because humans are fallen beings and we are sinful no matter how hard we try not to be. I think that there are people that are also told about slavery, but they choose to not believe it because it is too hard to look carefully at products and to feel guilty whenever you guy something.