Used Clothing Commodity Revisited

          At the beginning of the semester the inspiration for my commodity came from an article I read about used clothing in Zambia, Africa. Looking at the economic hardships these people are enduring made me wish for a new currency that actually worked for them as well as everyone in the world. That's when the idea of used clothing came to me. Why not trade something that most people have in abundance?
          As I pondered my idea more, I realized that this new commodity will create just as many problems as paper money for those living in poverty. Zambians would still continue to have fewer means by which to accumulate this new form of trade and, in turn, still struggle financially.
          However, there are some creditable qualities to this new system, if those living in poverty are allowed to produce their own high-quality clothing, since they have the means and access to growing their own crops like cotton. This could close the gap between the rich and poor that today continues to grow wider. With this new found wealth third world countries such as Zambia could acquire the status of a super-power. I still think watching this possible chain of events unfold would truly be fascinating.

      In Ethnobotany of Pru, A Traditional Cuban Refreshment, the authors, Gabriele Volpato and Daimy Godinez, deeply analyze every aspect of the traditional Cuban refreshment (Pru) that contains such a vast array of medicinal properties produced, in part, by its decoction and fermentation with sugar. It is this fermentation process that makes the drink have such a high nutritional value and improves the digestibility of the drink. To some Cubans, it is the drink of choice but not because of its health benefits but because of lack of healthy drinking water in their area; the fermentation process kills bacteria, making it safe to drink.
      There are three main species (Smilax domingensis, Gouania polygama, and Pimenta dioica) used within the drink, each play fundamental roles in creating the medicinal properties that the drink is mainly used for. Pru is known by the Cubans to reduce high blood pressure, balance and repair stomach, and even cure diseases such as syphilis. It is also said to cause tiredness and weakness which has lead to Pru being used as a mild sedative to take right before bed.
      The drink is said to have been brought to Cuba by the French-Haitian immigrants in the 1700s. Pru stayed in east Cuban until the economic crisis in the 1990s lead to the disappearance of soft drinks and left people searching for new forms of income such as selling Pru which, eventually lead to the spread of the refreshment all throughout Cuba. It is known for being a traditional drink even though the dissemination of the drink across Cuba lead to a decrease and almost extinction of the original ethnobotanical knowledge about the drink and the species used.

        As I began to search around for the trees I previously observed I realized that it has become easier to differentiate the different tree species because of their unique appearance during autumn. The silver maple draws my attention first with it noticeably bright orange foliage. Originally, I thought this silver maple's leaf color would transition into a golden yellow due to it's high content of the anthocyanin pigment within it's leaves, but it proved me wrong and exposed more carotene pigment that it possesses. The only other tree I observed that still bared leaves at the time the gigapan was taken was the yellow poplar which appears to have just started it's fall transition.Unlike the silver maple, this one actually turned a yellow color like I previously speculated. I was never able to observe the leaf color of the pumpkin ash because in this gigapan it is completely bare.
        These three species seem to be in three separate transition phases from one another. The yellow poplar is only just starting its color change, the entire silver maple has turned orange but no leaves have fallen, and the pumpkin ash is bare and ready for winter. Considering certain tree species are known for changing at a particular time and rate, the fact that these trees are three completely different species could definitely be the reason for the wide variety of transitional stages between the three. The location of these trees may have an influence on the timing of the leaves phases. The pumpkin ash is slightly out in the open and has the most sun exposure which could have lead to its speedy transition. The silver maple is not as exposed but it still seems to receive double the amount of sunlight than the yellow poplar which may be why it's leaves have turned and the yellow poplar's have yet to fully do so. The yellow poplar's slow transition may also be because the street lights around it are disturbing it's natural transition process. Another minor possibly could be that it is exposed to more pollutants because of it's position beside Guion parking that gets a reasonable amount of traffic.

       It is a privilege to be able to witness seasonal changes that take place all around Sweet Briar so there was really no reason to get picky on which picture to observe because either way it is going to be aesthetically pleasing. The picture above is a view of the old train station looking from a near by field.  There are three main trees I will be focusing my attention. Yellow poplar which has brown, furrowed bark, smooth branches, and wide smooth leaves. Silver maple which is quite large with smooth, silvery bark and leaves that have deep angular notches. The last one is the pumpkin ash which has hairy leaves and rough, light grey bark.
       When you do witness the magnificent color changes from summer to fall do you ever stop to think why they change? During autumn the days get shorter thus cutting down on the amount of chlorophyll in leaves. Chlorophyll is what gives leaves its green color so when there isn't enough sunlight the chlorophyll fades away exposing the other color pigments that already exist in the leaves. Some trees are known for turning certain colors thats how I know that (in the picture above) the yellow poplar will turn golden yellow, the silver maple will turn a light yellow and the pumpkin ash will turn orange. All tree leaves contain three main pigments: carotene (yellow), anthocyanin (orange, red, and brown), and chlorophyll (green). As mentioned before chlorophyll fades away and exposes carotenes or anthocyanin pigments. These pigments will show depending on the amount of sunlight and water it receives during the fall as well as how much sugar produced within the leaf.

The Clothing Commodity

         What if our society didn't revolve around money, but, instead a different type of commodity, for instance, clothing?  We all wear clothes so why don't we trade something that we can actually use instead of trading paper money that only has face value?  It's hard to imagine a different bartering system considering we are so consumed with our current one, and have been for centuries, but society will get used to the new idea and eventually accept it. With such a dramatic shift from the current system to a completely different one, there is no doubt that most of the ways and views of our society will be subject to major change.

         In this newly changed society nudity will be even more frowned upon because not only is it socially unacceptable and illegal in public, nudists will now be seen as the poor. Once you run out of clothes to spend, you will have no choice but to go nude. So, in other words, a nudist will be the new hobo. Making your own clothes will be another big "no no", so your grandmother who knits  mittens for you during the cold winter months will be seen as a criminal and will be at a great risk of being arrested for showing love and concern for your well-being.

        To adjust to the new commodity, there will be a change in the way we buy goods. Stores will become more like markets where people negotiate the value of the clothes they want to spend. Because of this, people will have to learn how to value clothing. They will learn as a young child that there are five levels of values set to clothes:

1. Highest Level- New name brand clothes that are extravagantly made with fabrics that are of the finest quality, that people will rarely wear.
2. Higher/Middle- New name brand that will be worn more frequently than the highest level and will not contain high-quality fabrics.
3. Middle- New, but not name brand.
4. Lower/Middle- Used, but name brand.
5. Lowest Level- Cheaply made used clothing that is not name brand.

        Like most unusual ideas, there are drawbacks. In this new system clothes will actually be valuable, so they will not want to just give clothes away to places such as Goodwill. This creates a huge problem for Third World countries like Zambia, Africa. Here, everyone relies on used clothing that is donated by Americans and shipped to them in bulk. In most families in Zambia, the male figure goes out and buys the used clothing he sees value in when it is first shipped to the country, then later he sells the used clothes at the market to make a small profit. With Americans unwilling to donate their clothing, many Zambians will loose their main source of income and will be unable to provide for their families.

         It is not crazy to think you can change an system of bartering, but it would just take time for society to get used to it and to adjust. This particular exchange of commodities certainly would never work considering the severe ramifications that would accompany it.  Having Grandma thrown into the slammer for taking care of her loved ones or taking ones clothes away when they were in debt is pretty drastic, but you have to admit it is still an interesting concept to mull around in your mind.   

Click here to learn more about used clothing in Zambia!