Ineffective Guilt

I’ve been told so many times that Whole Foods should be boycotted because it’s way too expensive. I shop there because they’re a convenient place to get the kinds of food that agree with my ethical values. Am I missing something?
A friend of mine once told me how bad she felt reading about starving children while sitting on her comfy bed. I told her “the problem is not that you have a bed, the problem is that they don’t.” From that moment on I’ve been wondering… Well, basically there’s two questions I have. One is whether the guilt is helping in any way. The second is whether there is a real reason to feel guilty.
Am I a snob because I buy expensive food and don’t worry about it? And even if I worried about it, would that change anything? If I don’t do what I am doing now, what would I be doing instead? Buying cheap food that I don’t agree with? I try to justify my actions but it doesn’t resolve the issue. I like to think that if I have enough money to spend it on (in my opinon) ethical food and possibly make a difference, then maybe that’s how I should be spending my money. I have the freedom to choose opposed to a lot of people who don’t (or at least not to the same extent), so maybe I should use it in a beneficial way (instead of buying Gucci and a Villa, but I don’t have that much money anyway).
I feel the same way about travelling and education. I can afford to go to college and learn about issues and I can afford to travel to other places to see these issues first-hand. Is it hypocritical to learn about and go see issues that may be caused by the very system that makes me have the money to learn and travel? I’m not talking about any “issues” in particular so you can insert any large-scale issue you’d like.

Is the answer not spending the money? Or is it rather spending the money more wisely?

My Life

I was born in the alley behind your grocery. My mom wasnt happy but I didnt understand until much later. At the time all I could think about was food. I was always hungry. When I turned 6 months old, I was raped, but thats what life is like for us on your city streets. I didnt understand why the woman who gives us food has a black one and a white one just like me, but they get to live inside. My belly grew and one day I was in so much pain, I lay down in an alley. I had 6 babies. Three died. They were so precious. I tried to lick them clean, but the rain kept splashing dirt onto their new fur coat. I didnt know what was headed my way. I roamed the streets looking for a place to sleep when someone came running after me. They strapped a plastic ring around my neck. I thought I was going to die. I couldnt move, I screamed. Nothing helped. My life was over. Darkness came over me and I heard a strange sound. When the sound stopped my cage moved and I stayed as still as I could. Maybe they wouldnt notice me. When I peaked out under the blanket I saw others like myself, one of my brothers was on the other side of the room yelling for someone to help. I wanted to comfort him but was too frightened myself. Besides, I was stuck in this thing. Exhausted, I dozed off. I didnt know how long it had been but I was somewhere else yet again, I could smell it. This place reeked worse than the streets. My cage door opened and a hand reached for me. No! I dont want to die! Before I knew it something hurt my leg really bad and I got dizzy. At first it felt extremely scary but then I got so woozy I just stared at the wall. I couldnt think of much at all. Then a sharp pain went through my body. I flinched but my body didnt move. I tried to scream but my mouth remained silent. When I came to, blurry sounds enveloped me and a hand was stroking my face. I had never felt this before. I liked it but my body ached so badly. So did my ear. Something warm was running from it but I didnt care to know what it was. When I drifted off once again I dreamed of the white one at my womans house. I dreamed I was her. The rain looks so much nicer from the inside. My hair was soft and smelled good. I felt that touch again. The woman was stroking my head and back and I turned my head to look at her. With a heavy sigh I woke up to the smell of yet another room with lots of my own. This time I didnt see any of my brothers or sisters. This has been my home for the past 2 months. I havent moved much in this time and the constant stench of my neighbors annoys me. I feel lonely and bored but at least here its warm and Im never hungry. At first I would try to look my best and greet people when they came in, maybe they would want me. But with time I got sad and I didnt even notice them come in. 45 young ones have come and gone while I was here. I guess they dont like me because Im old. Would you?

Bleeding for All

When people say that menstruation is natural and that we should love it, I always wondered how natural it really is. Or rather, how much sense it makes in the big picture. If bleeding is so great, how come I don’t see squirrels, dolphins, or our cats bleeding? I don’t want to be proud of something if I don’t even know why I should be. So I asked all-knowing google what there is to know that I don’t already know (search “‘other animals’ menstruation,” in case you want to check). Apparently there is more to know that my mind can grasp, but I think I get the idea. There are different cycles in all mammals, and some of them are a year long (cats), and some are a month long (humans), and each mammal has its own way of attaching the egg to the uterus. In our case, the uterine wall pretty much swallows the ovum. Mind you, I found this info in a veryhardtounderstand scientific research paper, so it’s all up to interpretation. Some other site claimed that all mammals have menstruation, except that some reabsorb the flow back into their bodies. Apparently apes and some other animals actually bleed like we do. Strange… seems as if Dr. Fouts never bothered to tell us about Washoe’s montly female excretions.

My question has yet to be fully answered. Why exactly should I be proud to bleed.