Sigh. An act of simple self-indulgence can be such a complicated thing.
Unlike Dr. Horrible, I never set out to join the Evil League of Evil, it just sort of happened.
Part 1 went like this:
Last week we (me, Jeff, Mom,) spent four nights at the Good Medicine Lodge in Whitefish, Montana. It was charming, comfortable, friendly, and had cookies available at all times. But not just cookies. There, on the sideboard where one could indulge in a variety of teas and raw veggies, was a nifty little thing called a Nespresso, which—using capsules resembling mini versions of Keurig cups, or maybe chocolate covered cherries—would make a quick and delicious cup of espresso or lungo right on demand. And in any of several varieties.
Now I have never coveted a K-cup machine more than a little bit. I’ve enjoyed them at Helen’s house in New York, and appreciate the convenience in a household where morning coffee is not a regularly-brewed feature, but I remained happy to grind my beans and achieve coffee happiness the old-fashioned (or at least older-fashioned) way.
But these Nespresso shots...they were kind of special. Furthermore, it seemed a fun and lovely way to offer Jeff an evening cup of decaf without a major production.
So, Part 2 went like this: After duly researching such units, reading consumer reviews, and exploring alternatives, I concluded that the particular brand—Nespresso—would be the thing. I ordered one. From Williams-Sonoma, along with a frothinator (or whatever those things are called,) then signed up for my first batch of capsules from the Nespresso web-order site, placing special emphasis on fair-trade friendly varieties.
Part 3: Having placed the order yesterday, today I found myself steering Jeff around the Annapolis Towne Center as an after lunch walking opportunity. We detoured into Sur la Table, a too-cute kitchen boutique. Surprise—today they had a Nespresso operative...I mean representative...right on hand in the store, demonstrating the thing’s use, and answering my question about making americano with a Nespresso Pixie model. (This part has nothing to do with me joining the ELE, and would be cut if I were a good editor. But I’m not cutting it, because the encounter had about it that serendipitous sense of synchronicity which I so like.)
Part 4: I started thinking about how the Nestlé corporation was, as long back as the 70s, the subject of much controversy and censure due to the means by which they distributed their baby formulas in third-world country such that a dependence resulted where a dependence on formula couldn’t be afforded. (I don’t think a dependence on formula is ever a wise idea, even when it can be afforded, as I’m a strong advocate of “breast is best,” except in cases where there is no choice. But this is an aside.)
I have never since been a fan of Nestlé, and this old prejudice gave me pause when it came time to consider a Nespresso, but I really assumed—I really did—that the joint pressures of the WHO, public derision, and the money choice of better P.R. would have worked to steer Nestlé away from such deplorable behavior...especially given that the behavior went back, as I said, to the 70s.
But I didn’t Google it all up until after ordering my own Pixie, in electric blue. And here’s what I found out: As recently as ’07, The Guardian was still highlighting Nestlé's aggressive marketing in Bangladesh, re baby formula. There’s a boycott in Brazil pertaining to Nestlé extracting water from a sensitive aquifer. There are suspected labor rights violations by Nestlé in the Philippines. So, despite its dutiful march toward adding fair-trade varieties to its coffee line-up the Nestlé Corporation—though headquartered in neutral Switzerland—would, if it were a character in Dungeons and Dragons, possibly be classified not as neutral, but maybe as lawful evil. They certainly seem to dance mighty close to the line.
Which leads me back to me. I was always a determinedly neutral character when I played D&D, as I didn’t wish to be bound by any particular rules or loyalties unless they meant something to me. Which is also how I tend to play life. But I still suppose that each time I pull a tasty coffee from my soon to arrive gizmo, I am going to relive, in my head, the line from Jellicle Cats which asks “Have you been an alumnus of Heaven and Hell?”
So, yes. I’m getting one, and I hope I’ll enjoy it. But I won’t push the beasties or do any advertising on behalf of Nestlé. (Apart from this one post in which I confess to my conflicted nature.) I am merely presenting the truth about my real, unvarnished, imperfect self. I will also offer a link to this blog, called PhD in Parenting, for anyone who wishes to know more about Nestlé.
PhD in Parenting
7 comments:
I admire your impartiality, Em. Here in the UK it is difficult to drink instant coffee without resorting to Nestlés. They have a big factory in Hayes, which I pass on the train each time I go into and out of London. On windy days, if the carriage windows are open, you can smell the coffee or the chocolate or whatever they are brewing that day. I don't really do coffee. I have a half-bag of arabian roast which has been sitting in the cupboard for years - I should just throw it out. We keep a jar of instant for visitors. As the only tea-drinker in the house, my minority status is beyond doubt. Organising a quick cup of good coffee is no mean feat. It's worth finding a means that you find acceptable. And it's worth mentioning that you don't approve of the company as well. I take my hat off to you.
First of all, I must say that I have been puzzling over this post for a long time. I kept reflecting over the concept of "lawful evil." In all of my study of moral philosophy, I had never heard of such a thing. Then I googled the term and learned about its usage in role-playing games.
I do wonder at why you need any sort of "character alignment" in a role-playing game? Isn't the purpose of that type of game for your character to reflect the character you have, or are pretending to have? Why do you need to declare it?
Anyway, I want you to feel better about your coffee maker purchase. A couple of years ago I was several comissions regarding feeding hungry people in Europe who were below the poverty levels for their country. The EU had authorized money to provide 5kg. boxes of basic foodstuffs to be given monthly for every person, in certain countries in crisis, in a household below poverty level. Distribution would be through local governments who would often use NGO networks for the actual distribution.
The big problem was that the boxes were all the same, regardless of your age, race, or gender. The NGOs reported back to us that families with children between 5 months to a year were often finding it hard to feed the children. Nestlés responded to this crisis by providing hundreds of thousands of jars of baby food so that NGOs could supplement the boxes for families with children. This I know first hand.
I have a colleague on another commission who was involved in a European response to the earthquake in Haiti. In that crisis as well, Nestlés donated over a hundred thousand jars of baby food for relief efforts. This I do not know first hand but heard of from a trusted colleague.
I really do not know the details of the scandals that you refer to. Perhaps like most of us this company is a combination of good and bad. But you are not sipping from a purely evil coffee maker maker.
This was very generous and helpful, but one probl
Thank you for that information! I think we would be hard-pressed to find any corporation (or person) who wasn't a mix of virtues and vices, and trying to be 100% "good" in one's choices would drive anyone crazy. But I'm glad to know how much Nestlé has contributed to the good.
As for role-playing games...I never really understood the point of choosing an alignment, especially since an individual player was going to make choices that suited him/her regardless. I think it was only important in that by choosing an alignment you were affecting how certain non-player characters or magical objects would interact with you.
First of all, you should play some modern role-playing games; the question of player morality becomes much more intimate (look up the game "Fable" for a good example of consequentialism at work). As for the character alignment issue, it not only provides a true-to-life example of stereotyping/heuristics via character interactions, but [que speculation]one can argue that at some level (be it sub-conscious or intentional), we all choose a path (some may call it personality or character) and perform actions as we see fit to best represent our Self. I think people just don’t like to think of themselves as “classifiable”. Or at least most people do; I wouldn’t say that I fit into that.
No...you, of course, Brain, are completely classifiable. Or maybe I put your last 2 sentences together wrong. Damn these heuristics. My word verification word, by the way, is "plaguma." Just thought it was worth saying.
Although my primary graduate training was in American history, I have also been trained in philosophy and psychology, so I find this topic fascinating.
I also have never played any sort of role-playing game, as these did not exist in my country while growing up.
When you make moral choices in a role playing game, do you feel like you make the choices based on who you are, or based on who your character is? And if your character's choices differ from your own moral framework, how does this make you feel? Is it liberating in some sort of way?
When you play these games, do you have a different character each time, or do you have a type of second life by playing a character over a period of time? If you do play a character over a period of time, does the character merely exist while an adventure goes on, or do they have an existence in between adventures. Last question: if your character exists in between adventures, does your character's life ever start shaping your life and your choices?
Sorry for all of the questions. Perhaps they go beyond your own experiences, and maybe they are too philosophical. But these are the kind of things that interest me.
Apparently, the last two comments (one by me, one by EuroProf) were lost amidst Blogger's technical difficulties of the past couple days.
But if I remember the questions correctly, about role playing games...
My only experience with the genre was in high school, and I'm quite certain that alignments and behaviors are selected by teenagers as a means of acting out impulses and fantasies that they would not want to or dare act out in real life. So the alignment may be a way of creating a sort of alter ego. And some kids really do get overly absorbed by the game, to the extent that much of their time might be spent illustrating or imagining aspects of their character's life, apart from what is pertinent to playing the game. Because these games can run for a long time—maybe the course of a school year—and a character who isn't killed off might last that long.
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