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Introduction to Consumerism W e buy all kinds of products every day, but we rarely stop to think about how those products reached the stores or what hidden costs they might contain. The following story is about someone working in India’s car- pet industry. The carpets made there are sold to stores in Europe and the United States. One of them may have even ended up on your floor. . . . Rajendra’s Story Rajendra is 14. He is a carpet weaver in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northeastern India. He works on a loom for 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, with only a short break for lunch. For this, he is paid 10 rupees (22 cents) per day by the loom owner. At noon, he is given two roti (pieces of bread) with salt,

These neon ads in New York City’s Times Square reflect the desire of companies to push their products 24 hours a day, even after most people have gone to bed!

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