# Aside from diamonds and chocolate, what other products are ethically questionable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300 "2016-04-05T22:29:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/61 "2016-04-08T17:51:30Z")
I tried to buy my wife a ring with rubies in it - Tiffany’s (and presumably almost every other reputable jeweler) boycott rubies because the farmed ones are so easy to produce they are not really valuable; and the free range ones come from countries with questionable politics and ethics, much like “blood diamonds”. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/62 "2016-04-08T18:38:58Z")
[African children mining cobalt (used in production of lithium)](http://www.cnet.com/news/apple-samsung-and-sony-under-fire-over-child-miners-in-africa/) [Thai slavery produced seafood, featuring actual no poop slavery and human trafficking.](http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/feb/25/slavery-trafficking-thai-fishing-industry-environmental-justice-foundation) When they say “slavery” they mean, kidnappings, imprisonment, rape, beatings and all of the human misery we associate with the term. Not just “volunteer work = slavery.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/63 "2016-04-08T18:42:07Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I tried to buy my wife a ring with rubies in it - Tiffany’s (and presumably almost every other reputable jeweler) boycott rubies because the farmed ones are so easy to produce they are not really valuable; and the free range ones come from countries with questionable politics and ethics, much like “blood diamonds”. gee, just about every diamond in the world comes from a company with “questionable politics and ethics” but I dont see Tiffany’s switching to CZ anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![cherry\_pez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8491ac/32.png) [@cherry\_pez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry_pez)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/64 "2016-04-09T02:04:06Z")
Slavery and shrimp’s time might be running out. Thankfully. [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/fake-shrimp/477120/](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/fake-shrimp/477120/) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/65 "2016-04-09T19:36:50Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Reminds me of a documentary I once saw. It started following Norwegian shrimp fishers. Then it showed the boxes of shrimps sold in some shop of the Norwegian port the fishing ship was based in. > > And then, they showed the shrimps being frozen onboard, then sent to Morroco for one part of the processing and from there to some south-Asian country for the rest of the processing before being flown or shiped back to Europe, including to Norway and the port shown at the beginning. How could that possibly be profitable? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/66 "2016-04-09T19:45:27Z")
My guess is that it’s profitable because container shipping is relatively cheap, while labor is expensive. And processing shrimp is labor intensive enough that it’s worth it not to process it in an expensive first-world country like Norway. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/67 "2016-04-10T22:53:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My guess is that it’s profitable because container shipping is relatively cheap, while labor is expensive. And processing shrimp is labor intensive enough that it’s worth it not to process it in an expensive first-world country like Norway. Not when they have to keep them frozen it aint. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/68 "2016-04-11T15:55:57Z")
Is it even possible to process frozen shrimp? ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/69 "2016-04-11T15:58:40Z")
It is easier to gut (clean) shrimp when they are partially frozen. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/70 "2016-04-11T19:02:09Z")
Cut flowers should be added to the list. What with the ever-increasing sales of cuts, it has prompted countries to set up greenhouses to supply the demand. These flowers must arrive at wholesalers at peak condition, and without a blemish to mar their salability. That requires MANY petrochemicals, and even though workers are gowned, masked, etc., they are exposed to some pretty nasty products. Lord knows they probably don’t get much per stem, seeing as how you can buy a bunch/bouquet of flowers just about anywhere these days for as low as $2.99 or $3.99. Read **Flower Confidential** by Amy Stewart, some sections of the book really do “take the bloom off the rose.” To be fair and balanced, some flower growers DO try to be as green as possible, but they are in the minority. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/71 "2016-04-11T19:10:02Z")
I am surprised no one has mentioned it yet: Any kind of birth control product (except something used to help with natural family planning). **Be Fruitful and Multiply Saith the Lord.** ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/72 "2016-04-11T19:23:07Z")
Perhaps no one has mentioned it because (almost) no one here thinks that birth control is ethically questionable? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/73 "2016-04-11T20:42:07Z")
Guess that depends on the source of your ethics, though I’ll admit when I first started reading the post, I thought it was a reference to how drugs like Premarin (PREgnant MAre URINe) are made. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/74 "2016-04-11T20:47:34Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I am surprised no one has mentioned it yet: > > Any kind of birth control product (except something used to help with natural family planning). > > **Be Fruitful and Multiply Saith the Lord.** What makes you think religion, particularly Western religion, has anything to do with ethics? They’re, if anything, antithetical. ---
**Author:** ![40below](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/51bf81/32.png) [@40below](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/40below)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/75 "2016-04-12T22:12:26Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Apparently canned dolphin cannot be produced without condemning innocent tuna to an unpleasant death. I’m weak, though. I eat my dolphin salad sandwiches anyway. You have to be a skeptical consumer. There are all kinds of promotions printed on cans of tuna, but you never get the ‘free dolphin’ they advertise. I’ve complained, but Big Tuna does what Big Tuna’s gonna do. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/76 "2016-04-12T22:51:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t know why almonds get singled out for this. Most food that’s grown on land uses a great deal of water. See [this infographic](http://graphics.latimes.com/food-water-footprint/) for examples. Not just almonds, tree nuts in general. One of the big things is the orchards need massive amouns of water for 7-10 years before they start producing. Invariably the proucers are offsetting huge revenues from existing orchards to expand. I have a couple friends in the biz, they are often expanding fearing the huge tax bills that will follow if they are not. Given the option, they expand, demanding more water.lather, rinse, repeat. They are also high dollar, low perishability items with decent export markets. I dont blame them for operating the way they do, but at some point they are going to hit a wall, and they are accellerating at it hoping it never pops up. Just in case anyone wants to play the “what about the farmers” card, there no scraping by tree nut farmers. Most of these guys got ag degrees and stacked an MBA on top of it and havent touched a tractor since grandpa took them for a ride on one 25 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/77 "2016-04-13T01:27:27Z")
Pornography. It can run the spectrum from (IMO) perfectly ethical to unquestionably unethical. There are types that can be considered questionable. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/78 "2016-04-13T02:40:43Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Wait, we have to be wary of “blood chocolate” now? > > Mmmm… blood chocolate. Great, now look what you’ve done! 🙂 Palm oil is a big one. In Indonesia, corrupt government officials look the other way as palm oil ranchers literally light protected forests on fire, destroying habitat and kicking off peat bog fires that can burn for months, which spreads air pollution throughout the region and spews massive amounts of CO[sub]2[/sub] into the atmosphere. [Years of Living Dangerously](http://yearsoflivingdangerously.com/watch-years/) spent a fair amount of time on this. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/79 "2016-04-13T02:56:42Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Almonds are basically stealing water from California and making their drought worse. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I came here to say the same thing. Unless the alternative of almods is planting nothing, they’re not stealing water. They use similar ammounts of water and need it for less time than other usual crops. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300/80 "2016-04-13T11:01:11Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Pornography. It can run the spectrum from (IMO) perfectly ethical to unquestionably unethical. There are types that can be considered questionable. Free-range pron? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-diamonds-and-chocolate-what-other-products-are-ethically-questionable/751300.md?page=5)