A picture of a banner on the front page of The Daily Collegian struck me as it read, "Make Penn State apparel sweatshop free!" I went on to read the article, "Group pushes ethical sweatshop conduct," March 2, and was impressed by the cause. I went through the article feeling positive until the very end. There was a quote from Birjoo Vaishnav, who was supposed to raise some other angle from which to understand sweatshop labor. He said, "For some people, some employment is better than no employment. Sure it's bad, but at the same time, it pays for their food." Unfortunately, this rationale is completely irrelevant as any kind of counterpoint against what the United Students Against Sweatshops are fighting for. This fight is not to terminate the sweatshops and the jobs they offer, but to hold the owners to higher standards for how they treat their laborers.

It is really easy and convenient for apathetic consumers to think, "something is better than nothing," rather than recognize everything else these laborers deserve. It is ignorant and lazy for people to think that these sweatshop laborers are, in any way, fortunate for their positions. They deserve better, and this begins with consumers having a greater appreciation and understanding of these issues.