Your Conflict iPhone

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“An ugly paradox of the 21st century is that some of our elegant symbols of modernity — smartphones, laptops and digital cameras — are built from minerals that seem to be fueling mass slaughter and rape in Congo.”

Nicolas Kristof has an op-ed in the New York Times about the relationship between technology and the really, really atrocious campaign of mass rape, torture, and murder — a disturbing amount of it of and by children — in the Congo. (see this or this, for example)

He also points to this kind of brilliant video mocking Mac commercials and this web site to try to ensure people can buy conflict-free electronics.

Seth Fischer's writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Best Sex Writing 2013, The Rumpus, Pank, Guernica, Gertrude, and elsewhere. He teaches and tutors at Antioch University Los Angeles and Writing Workshops Los Angeles. Find more writing from him at www.seth-fischer.com, or reach him at seth.fischer (at) gmail.com or @sethfischer. More from this author →