The December Movie
***Caution***Spoilers for upcoming movie****
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© 2008 Independent Television Service (ITVS).
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When you dropped of that bag of t-shirts, outdated suitcoats, and jeans you are never going to fit in again, at the local clothing drop off, did you wonder where it might end up?Â
 Did you ever think it would be Zambia?
I dropped stuff off at the Salvation Army this morning. I never considered that I was doing anything but cleaning out my closet and helping someone who might need skinnier jeans or my old Kurt Cobain t-shirt,
“T-Shirt Travels” is an eye-opening look into what happens when we think we are doing something good for us and and good for the world. But like everything else, it is more complicated than that. The Director / producer Shantha Bloemen says she made “T-Shirt Travels to make people rethink, or at least question our assumptions.” When you donated that “I danced at Elijah’s Barmizfa, 1986″ T-shirt you may  have helped employee illigal aliens, you may have helped support sweat shop conditions, and you have helped destroy the textile industry in Zambia.Â
You also may have helped a child graduate from high school. You might have helped a family of five survive. You have certainly clothed people who may have been unable to wear anything but rags.Â
But, like everything, it is complicated.Â
So come to the movie and let’s talk about your old Elvis Costello T-shirt and it’s travels from you dropping it off at the Salvation Army to it’s part in destroying textile industry in a thrid world country.Â
Or let’s talk about it here.
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 If you go:
What: “T-Shirt Travels” a film by Shantha Bloemen
When: Showing on the last Monday of the month
Where: On the Big Screen at the Elks.
Why: To provoke thought about complicated subjects in a complicated world .
How much:Â Tickets are available at the door for 5$.
Tags: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.h, T-shirt Travels
December 18th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Wow, I never knew there could be a bad side to donating items. I am very interested to see this film. It is already thought provoking and I haven’t even seen it yet. Did you really donate a Kurt Cobain shirt? I would have kept it. And don’t even joke about giving away Elvis Costello merch! That would be a crime. I read a book written by someone in the Peace Corps in Africa and one thing they talked about was the t-shirt or sweatshirt surprises they had on a daily basis. He said he was once missing American food, especially Mac and Cheese, and some kid rode by on his bike with a Kraft shirt on. Surreal! See you at the movies! ~C
December 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Silly girl!
There is a bad side to everything. As big as a thing’s front, the shadow is as big. Depending on where the sun is, of course.
I did donate a Kurt Cobain shirt after he killed himself. I was mad.
My last child is about to grow out of the last of the old Elvis Costello t-shirts that all my kids have worn as jammies. Then what to do with it?
Maybe I will make a quilt out of all of the old Elvis T shirts.
Thanks for adding your Voice!
January 5th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Did you see the movie, Caitlin Rose?
If you did what did you think?
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