why do women carry fake bags? it's actually quite easy: because nobody is perfect, and nobody is "morally" pure. 99% of schoolteachers would illegally make copies of worksheets from textbooks to give to their students without express written permission from the publisher. 99% of people have once speeded in their life, or stole something, or parked on the wrong side of the road. Most teenagers copy music or ideas from the internet, even if unknowingly. Many of them even drink underage or do drugs! the truth is that nobody is morally pure and that's all that it comes down to. people think that it's a small crime, as $20 in the pocket of a street vender isn't going to affect the economy or contribute to terrorism in a noticeable way to them. it would probably make less of a difference to the world than speeding down your local road would be, as you could very likely hit a pedestrian and kill someone. in the large scale of illegal things that are commonly done, this one just seems to have very little of a real impact. so much so that the government doesn't not even do much to enforce or make a big deal out of it. and before you all accuse others of being morally unsound because they buy fake bags, just know that you yourself are probably doing many immoral things. wearing leather for one can be considered very immoral. i don't see anyone getting all riled up about the cruel and painful slaughter of reptiles for your exotic purses? a lot of the type of animal killings for fashion would be considered illegal and immoral in the United States. (wikipedia vivisection, which is pretty much what is done to snakes and reptiles in order to provide for an exotic purse.) but we gladly look the other way because it fits our preferences. In response to the person who says it's sad that someone feels that they can selectively chose laws to follow, it's also sad that a person can selectively chose standards of morality to follow and then turn around and accuse others of being morally unsound.
Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
- Thread starter uber-chic
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but what i'm saying is that there is inherent hypocrisy in some of these arguments. i applaud the person who spends time to research where their money goes before choosing whether or not they want to support a specific company. i'm all for educated consumerism, but i could sit here and voice my strong opposition to fakes primarily employing the labor angle and be an absolute hypocrite because i do buy clothes from the gap, i do wear nike shoes, i very well may drink non-fair trade coffee, so, no, i'm afraid i can't take the moral high ground there.
my main reason for not supporting the counterfeit trade is because it is intellectual property theft, and i do respect the designer's work where knowingly buying a fake is stealing from him/her. there are other terrible side effects of this industry to be sure, but i'm personally not comfortable strongly ascribing to the labor argument because i'm not a responsible consumer in other aspects of my life. that's not to say that others can't nor that this changes what is reality and what are the cold hard facts, just my personal pov. i hope i'm saying what i mean to here.
Tell that to the U.S. You be surprised how many underage, underpaid workers are living in the U.S. How many companies have businesses overseas so that they can produce their goods via exploiting people. Yes, the U.S.
no one is denying that
But that is only a small part of why people shouldn't support the counterfeit trade, there's a plethora of reasons. No one is trying to defend GAP, Nike, etc. . . I'm merely trying to keep this thread on topic by reminding people that it's not about Gap's work conditions. It's about why people can justify carrying/purchasing illegal counterfeits.
How many reasons do you need to not support the counterfeit trade?
Most people just need one. The ones who need several reasons are usually the ones who cannot be convinced anyway.
I totally understand what you are saying, and I am not a perfect consumer either, but I do make an effort every single day. As a result, I have not only improved my purchasing habits, but I actually have a lot more money left over because I am not constantly throwing it away on items that are "disposable" but were not technically made to be disposable, such as clothing from discount stores to be worn a few times before it becomes pilled beyond recognition and thrown away.
My efforts to be a more responsible consumer have also resulted in a host of other benefits such as having a less-cluttered or messy house, as well as improved health from buying better food and eco-friendly products.
Not to mention the obvious fashion benefits of having classic & classy designer items, which in most cases, truly ARE better quality than their fake counterparts and last longer, also.
no one is denying that
But that is only a small part of why people shouldn't support the counterfeit trade, there's a plethora of reasons. No one is trying to defend GAP, Nike, etc. . . I'm merely trying to keep this thread on topic by reminding people that it's not about Gap's work conditions. It's about why people can justify carrying/purchasing illegal counterfeits.
of course no one here is denying it. i think we're all pretty well informed on the topic. i do think that's one of the reasons how someone can justify carrying a fake when confronted with the child labor/labor violations dilemma. it's easier to dismiss it when it's more or less acceptable for corporations to disregard it themselves. it's not right, but it happens. i mean, this is assuming these replica owners are thinking that deeply into the issue in the first place.
no one is denying that
But that is only a small part of why people shouldn't support the counterfeit trade, there's a plethora of reasons. No one is trying to defend GAP, Nike, etc. . . I'm merely trying to keep this thread on topic by reminding people that it's not about Gap's work conditions. It's about why people can justify carrying/purchasing illegal counterfeits.
I truly understand where you are coming from, but the bottom line is where you are strong at, others can be weak. Are you strong on all levels? Are you on the up and up on all levels? Or is it just people buying fake bags that drives you nuts. Where you say people are morally wrong in purchasing fake bags, how about just picking up stuff that doesn't belong to you. For instance, that pen from work that you placed in your pocketbook, or using paper from the job for personal stuff. I am not saying you per se, but we must look at everything in our own lives, in order to point a finger at someone else.
Look, if someone wants to buy a fake purse, why not? If someone wants to pluck down rent money on a pocketbook, why not? It is an individual thing. Where you may see something as morally wrong, someone who knows you could see something in you and say, you know that is wrong!
ηαя¢ιςςα;11639211 said:
Actually the whole point of my post was that people do have differing standards of morality. Some people feel its OK to support counterfeiting as long as they don't get caught. Counterfeiting appeals to such people.
Everyone can, in fact, selectively choose their own standards of morality to follow. But to expect to have no consequences from those choices, either positive or negative, depending on the choices, is ridiculous.
How many reasons do you need to not support the counterfeit trade?
Most people just need one. The ones who need several reasons are usually the ones who cannot be convinced anyway.
I totally understand what you are saying, and I am not a perfect consumer either, but I do make an effort every single day. As a result, I have not only improved my purchasing habits, but I actually have a lot more money left over because I am not constantly throwing it away on items that are "disposable" but were not technically made to be disposable, such as clothing from discount stores to be worn a few times before it becomes pilled beyond recognition and thrown away.
My efforts to be a more responsible consumer have also resulted in a host of other benefits such as having a less-cluttered or messy house, as well as improved health from buying better food and eco-friendly products.
Not to mention the obvious fashion benefits of having classic & classy designer items, which in most cases, truly ARE better quality than their fake counterparts and last longer, also.
good for you. we should all strive for some level of accountability where our buying habits are concerned. i've never encountered a situation where the fake has ever surpassed the real deal, but at the same time, i don't expect anyone else to prioritize in the way, which i have either: real, which costs a lot of money over fake, which costs a whole lot less. furthermore, i don't feel comfortable equating fake bag = fake person.
could not agree with you more
this is a very immature and incomplete assesment of any one's personality.
I wish a people could be so easily assecced and their personalities so easily summed up by just one fake bag or for that reason with just one fault or just one wrong doing but its not so. no one is that black and white.
no one is denying that
But that is only a small part of why people shouldn't support the counterfeit trade, there's a plethora of reasons. No one is trying to defend GAP, Nike, etc. . . I'm merely trying to keep this thread on topic by reminding people that it's not about Gap's work conditions. It's about why people can justify carrying/purchasing illegal counterfeits.
I think it's relevant because the reasoning is tied together, if you really want to discuss why people can justify carrying/purchasing illegal counterfeits it's important to listen to the rest as well. What's the purpose of the discussion, just venting or to try and make a change? If it's just venting then I can see not wanting to bring anything else into it but if you're looking to actually change minds you're going to have to go a little further and have the full discussion. IMHO you're not going to be successful by just telling people buying counterfeits is bad because of this and that and without talking them through the rest of it. In order for us to really get behind something it has to make sense to us intellectually, sometimes the only way to do this is to look at things from all angles.
JMHO Swanky, respectfully.
Linda
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree
I think the GAP is irrelevant when discussing illegally counterfeited goods; can't help it, it's just how my brain is working
I guess because *my* main issues against counterfeits aren't the same issues people have w/ the Gap or other CO's.
It's like to fake boobs - fake purse comparison. . . it doesn't for me personally
And I agree that people who decide that if you carry a fake, you must be a fake person. I'd guess that at least half the people sporting fakes today have no idea.
I think the GAP is irrelevant when discussing illegally counterfeited goods; can't help it, it's just how my brain is working
I guess because *my* main issues against counterfeits aren't the same issues people have w/ the Gap or other CO's.It's like to fake boobs - fake purse comparison. . . it doesn't for me personally
And I agree that people who decide that if you carry a fake, you must be a fake person. I'd guess that at least half the people sporting fakes today have no idea.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree
I think the GAP is irrelevant when discussing illegally counterfeited goods; can't help it, it's just how my brain is working
It's like to fake boobs - fake purse comparison. . . it doesn't for me personally
And I agree that people who decide that if you carry a fake, you must be a fake person. I'd guess that at least half the people sporting fakes today have no idea.
Do you mean they have no idea that they're fake or what people think of them? I bet about half probably don't realize they're counterfeits and have been fed some BS line by whomever was selling them, or duped on Ebay. I doubt I could tell the difference but luckily I'm not drawn to the brands that are most wildly faked. Before TPF, I doubt I would have even cared.
Linda
If people have been duped into buying fake bags, then they are a victim of a crime.
If they have been educated about them but still knowingly buy them and don't care that they are helping criminals and supporting the evil causes that the money goes to, then they are an accessory to a crime.
Wow! This thread is still going! Kudos to Swanky and the rest of you who are sticking with this 