Is Fair Trade Rock and Roll?
Provinssirock festival, Seinäjoki, Finland, June 16, 2007 Credit: Beni Köhler
We recently had a retail store call to cancel an order. The reason? They said they were a “hipster, rock and roll store and they didn’t think Fair Trade was rock and roll.” What??? In my mind, Fair Trade is completely rock and roll! It’s about rebellion and going against the grain – an anti-big corporation kind of movement! It’s all about leveling the playing field, and providing opportunities to those unable to stand up for themselves!
They must not have known that top rockers like Bono, Paul McCartney, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Annie Lennox have donated their time and celebrity status to give media attention and credibility to Fair Trade. Other celebrities like Colin Firth have actually started a Eco/Fair Trade business, while stars like Harry Potter’s Emma Watson are lending their names and design talents to established Fair Trade clothing companies like People Tree UK.
But does that make Fair Trade rock and roll?
Fair Trade itself makes a statement against traditional trade. Where large corporations benefit from huge profits gotten from factory workers paid low wages, Fair Trade was set up to throw change in the face of conventional trade. It is meant to give the workers a voice and equalize the path from the first world to the developing one.
Muse just produced a thought-provoking video for their song “Some Things Cost More Than You Realise” available on MTV’s Exit channel. Our Fair Trade products were on tour with The Cure during their summer 2008 tour thanks to our friends at Pacha World, and Lollapalooza has had eco/Fair Trade sections at their last few annual events as well.
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders sings about “Boots of Chinese Plastic” in their 2008 single of the same name. But it has been an uphill battle in a landscape where getting a good deal at Wal-Mart often trumps compassionate purchasing.
Others have eagerly jumped on the eco bandwagon. Willie Nelson’s tour bus runs on cooking oil supplied by diners’ enroute, and Dave Mathews and Sheryl Crow have contributed to green efforts and also use biodiesel fuel. So why haven’t more rockers aligned themselves with Fair Trade? Does Fair Trade inherently go against the excesses of a rock and roll lifestyle?
Rock music has certainly provided the soundtrack to a number of social movements in recent history. The first was probably the Age of Aquarius “free love” movement in the late sixties, filled with counter-culture lyrics and calls of change. This led to the late sixties/early seventies Neil Young anti-Vietnam War protest songs. Margaret Thatcher’s depressed 1970’s England sparked the original punk rock movement. So why not a soundtrack to the Fair Trade movement?
One would think the last few years of economic hardships would have spawned more protests and uprisings in general. Do things need to get worse, or does the information need to be more pervasive in order for economic inequalities to become the catalyst for a new movement? Maybe we just need more activists to bring the movement together and ignite rockers of all genres to climb on the Fair Trade movement.
Patti Smith, Provinssirock festival, Seinäjoki, Finland, June 16, 2007 Credit: Beni Köhler
Perhaps Patti Smith said it best – People Have the Power – and we just need to remember it’s up to us to change the system by seeking out and purchasing Fair Trade whenever possible.
And if that isn’t rock and roll, I’m not sure what is?
Kelly Weinberger, Founder, WorldFinds Fair Trade, is just as passionate about her music as she is about Fair Trade!
Kelly Weinberger
I knew some of these celebs were advocates of fair trade but I never really thought of fair trade and rock and roll in the same sentence. But it totally makes sense. If you think about it, rockers and celebs have the unique privilege of traveling all over the world to share their art. Granted, most of those trips are not exactly to developing countries but they do get the chance to see that part of the world through some of their travels or involvement in charities they support. The exciting thing is that when they speak up on issues like fair trade, many people listen. Or, at the very least, will learn a little bit more about the subject.
I’m sorry the store canceled their order. It seems their vision is a little short sighted and what a shame they didn’t use this opportunity to showcase how cool and fashion-forward fair trade products can be and ARE. I hope they’ll come around. And, if not, there are plenty other hipster, rock & rollers out there who would love to carry more fashionable fair trade items!
-Megy
I wonder how the artisan in India (or any other country) would respond to this topic?
“Fair trade is completely rock ‘n roll” … does it even matter? And which genre of rock ‘n roll are we talking about — ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s…. or are all the genres rebellious?
Rock and roll has actually been big business for a long time. Very corporate, very big money. The “rebellion” aspect is for the most part a superficial facade that helps sell more product to targeted consumers.
The problem with the canceled order is all about your typical psychographic variables. And until businesses make fair trade about people-to-people, and not about some institution/product titled Fair Trade, there will continually be rejections like this.
Rock ‘n roll music came out of multiple other music types, including Appalachian folk music, i.e. music created by people that could easily be termed … artisan. Additionally, many of the instruments rock ‘n roll artists use are based on instruments developed by artisans. I’d say that, far more than songs that become sound tracks for a social movement, or a shout out on support of one, one could say, no artisan no rock ‘n roll.
Which kind of sounds like rock ‘n roll owes artisans some payback.
How about this for a protest/uprising … boycott rock ‘n roll music until those that produce it really support the worldwide artisan redevelopment movement.
— Joseph