双语：欧美在攀比“良知消费”.docVIP

双语：欧美在攀比“良知消费”？Thank heavens, the fad for charity wristbands has faded, asfadsdo. Still, its passing has center us with a puzzle. Was itanadmirable example of a caring society expressing itsdeterminationto wipe out poverty, disease, child abuse, racism andall the restof the worlds ills? Or were the wristbands just acheap fashionaccessory worn by people who wanted to look cool? 　　Easy as it is to be cynical about the craze, you have toadmitthat the sentiments behind it live on. There was surely neveratime in history when people were as altruistic as theyaretoday 　　Charity has become so fashionable among pop stars andcelebritiesthat in Britain, some mock it as “charidee”. Yet it hasrubbed off.Many of us will be giving a goat for Christmas thisyear, tellingfriends and relatives their present will be the giftof somethinguseful to people in the developing world instead of anunwantedtrinket or tie. Some couples now invite wedding guests tosend abag of fertiliser to Angola instead of giving them a set ofwineglasses or a towel bale. 　　We have become caring in so many other ways, too. We worryaboutthe environment, recycling our rubbish and buying organicfood. Wecare about animals, campaigning against habitat loss andbuyingfree-range eggs because we feel sorry for battery hens. Weshop atfarmers markets to support local producers and buyFairtradecoffee to help poor farmers overseas. 　　Ethical consumerism is booming as service sector products suchasethical investment funds and green energy join a growing arrayofethically manufactured goods. Even blue jeans are goinggreen:yesterday Levi Strauss launched its new Eco jeans in theUKfeaturing 100 per cent organic denim, a waistband button madefromcoconut shell and a label made from recycled cardboard. 　　In fact, charitable giving and ethical consumerism are sotrendythat virtuousness has become almost competitive. Years ago,theMonty Python team acted out a sketch in which fourYorkshirementried to outdo one another with increasinglyi