Sunday, January 27, 2008
Blood Diamonds
Growing up I never really thought about the diamonds, not in romantic context, not in any context. I have never imagined receiving a diamond, but I must admit I have imagined giving a diamond, at some point I almost bought one even. After reading all the material on the conflict diamonds, I will think twice before buying one. The popular texts like “Blood Diamond” and “A Long Way Gone” were good enough to convince me not to contribute to the “blood diamond” business; however my point of view was neutral to start with. I would imagine it would be much harder to convince someone who is “addicted” to diamonds and will try to get as many as they can and as cheap as they can. I think practice of counter-story telling like the remake of “Diamonds Forever” from James Bond movie into “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” by Kanye West is somewhat effective. It will not affect people who are “a long way gone”, I do not think. In the modern world however I do not think it is possible to avoid diamonds completely. If I were to give or own a diamond though I would definitely want to know if it was a conflict diamond or not.
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3 comments:
I agree with you on the issue of buying diamonds after reading this book and watching "Blood Diamond". Honestly, if I were to buy one, I would want to know if it were conflict-free though, but with the ones I already have (not many, but a few), I would not want to know if they came from conflict-areas. I would feel horribly, if I knew that I was wearing a pair of earrings that cost someone his or her fingers, hand, or life.
I really liked how you said that people who are "a long way gone" will not be as affected. If a person has bought or received diamonds during his/her entire life then they are "a long way gone" and won't want to separate from their diamonds. I believe that a person who really loves diamonds and feels the need to have diamonds will buy a diamond even if it is a conflict diamond.
I don't think I would want to know if it was a conflict diamond or not, especially if I was to get it for really cheap. But if I did know that it was a blood diamond that would make reconsider buying it.
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