Jay wrote:
> I have no idea what the conditions are for producing fair trade bananas.

You also have no idea about conditions for any other bananas.

> I've never seen them in my grocery store, either, though. Might be worth
> looking into. If you find anything, be sure to post it here. I do love
> bananas =)

The way to support banana workers is to eat their products, not to avoid
them.

> By the way, I have no way of verifying my sources since I've never been to a
> banana plantation,

Aha. Figures.

> but everything I've heard

Is possibly bullshit? Yeah. It is.

> suggests that the way they
> 'control pests' is by spraying pesticides over the crop workers and crops
> alike - pesticides which then get into the local water table.

And Iraqi soldier are *still* tossing babies on bayonets.

Did you know organic food is also treated with pesticides? Some of the
organic pesticides have longer halflives than synthetic ones.

> That can't be safe.

The question isn't about safety, but of truth. I walked and biked in the
banana plantation. I was never sprayed. I didn't even see a single airplane.

> Also, much like any crop product, the pay for workers is dismal

The pay for ANY unskilled or semi-skilled labor is low regardless of
locale. As noted in my previous post, the pay for labor at the
plantation I visited was higher than that of similarly skilled work in
the cities. Go figure, huh.

> and local economies are so completely dependant on crop production

Not entirely true. Local economies in third world nations, which most
banana producers are, are very much tied to agriculture and products and
services which don't require much sophistication in training or
infrastructure. This also includes mining, which is usually more
deleterious to the environment and may be deemed even harsher than crop
work. The exportation of agriculture and mining products from these
nations is a major portion of their GDP.

The way to support those economies so they can grow and diversify is to
buy the product(s) they have, not to boycott them.

> that to remove the product would surely cause much poverty and
> even worse conditions.

Such is the result of boycotts and withdrawls from the market, as you
have chosen. How do you sleep at night?

> I don't know which is better. Kind of a sucky situation.

No, your conscience is guided by ignorance. I hope my replies help you
so you can enjoy a food you like AND help people you think you care about.

> I'm sure some companies are working to change conditions but I honestly
> don't know which ones, nor have I done any research into the subject lately.

So you smear the whole industry based on your lack of knowledge and hope
others act on your ignorance and false conscience?

> Unlike the fair trade movement with coffee and the like, bananas are not
> nearly as often talked about amongst people looking to consume ethically.

Most "ethical" consumption is based on faulty premises (like your
ignorance of banana plantations) and/or a poor understanding of
economics (which you alluded to above; namely, that withdrawing from the
market only makes conditions worse for others rather than causing
improvement). Either way, "ethics" is never served; it's just lipservice
and posturing. One is not moral by abstaining from bananas, and one is
not immoral by eating them.

> Thought it might be worth mentioning here.

Thanks for muddying the water with your admission of ignorance. I'm sure
you really helped others with your lack of insight.

> "Unlike you, I have no problem spanking men." -Angel

Where do you draw the line at compassion and ethics: eating bananas,
spanking men?