Before this class, our group had never really thought about where our clothes came from. According to all four of us, our clothes came from the store and that was the end of the chain. All of us shop at the mall. Malls make it easy to believe that clothes are made in a huge factory in America and shipped to all of the stores. We never really thought that they came from different countries.

After we were given this assignment, we sat down to talk about what we were going to write about, and what our stance was on the entire issue. Nikki stated, "I don't care where my clothes came from, honestly." But then we all started discussing where our clothes were actually made and what people, mostly children, went through to give us our name-brand expensive clothing that we have the privilege to wear every day.

The use of sweat shops is a complex issue. It is arguable that sweat shops are saving children. This idea says that without the small amount of money each person makes in a sweat shop, children will be starving. Without sweat shops many women and children will lose their jobs; therefore, causing an even greater issue. While our group acknowledges that sweat shops are unfair and hard on workers, they still provide a small amount of money that may feed a family for a week. This makes the issue of sweat shops complicated. You cannot say sweat shops are bad and we need to get rid of them if you do not allow for a way to supply jobs to all of the people that work in these factories.

Our group was surprised to find that these factories are not only located in many third world countries, but also in the United States itself. We learned that sweat shops are also located in California. While it can be easier to ignore problems that are on the other side of the world, something that is happening in the United States hits home and his much harder to ignore. The people in California earn meager amounts of money making things that they could not afford to purchase at their local mall. One of our favorite stores, Forever 21, is notorious for abusing workers rights and buying cheaply made clothes.

Invisible Knapsacks

There are many "invisible knapsacks" that give specific groups of people different privileges. The McIntosh piece demonstrated "white privilege." In her piece she listed reasons that show how Caucasian people are privileged. These reasons make up an "indivisible knapsack." Another issue that has it's own set of privileges is religion. Some examples of Christian privilege in the United States may include:

1. Most state and federal holidays coincide with Christian beliefs; therefore, not affecting one's work or education.
2. An individual can speak openly about his/her religious beliefs without concern of other people's reactions.
3. A Christian may have a better chance of being elected into political office.
4. One may assume that "Merry Christmas" is a proper holiday greeting over "Happy Holidays."
5. Parents have the opportunity to send their children to parochial schools and children are less likely to be criticized for their beliefs.

The Iowa State Daily reported that 75% of Americans identify themselves as Protestant or Catholic, while the remaining people identified themselves as unaffiliated. Although the unaffiliated group is obviously a minority it is constantly increasing in numbers. The United States is known for being diverse, also being referred to as "the melting pot." The privilege of being a Christian is commonly forgotten, but without the acknowledgement of the issue it will never be solved. In McIntosh's piece she stated that most people are oblivious of the white privilege and then unwilling to change the situation because of a power issue. In her piece she spoke about males versus females saying that a male would acknowledge that he was dominant, but then unwilling to relinquish the privileges that being a man may provide. The Christian Privilege is similar to both conflicts in these ways.