ethical dilemna

[AcmeCoyote]

My wife and I just returned from a Methodist Mission to help rebuild a church/rec center in Okandja in Gabon (West Africa). We were watching a pickup basketball game one day and I noticed one of the older kids-about 15 or 16-was wearing a t-shirt that read 'UK Wildcats 2015 NCAA Champions'. I was like Whaaaa? That didn't happen. Eventually we came up with the only plausible explanation: At title events, t-shirt vendors must have to print up every variable outcome for a 4-team tournament . I guess the incorrect shirts must get donated to a charity or something which is how this kid in West Africa ended up with one. I felt a need to explain to the youngster that UK was in fact, not the 2015 champ, but my French isn't that great, and he probably would have just been baffled. How do you translate a phrase like 'shot clock violation" to French? Les Temps en retard? My wife said leave the kid alone. He's lives in a world where UK is 2015 National Champ and we don't, and that's rarefied air. Curious what others think. Was I right to let it go or should I have at least attempted to tell this kid the truth, that he's living a lie?
Apologies if this topic has already been discussed.

 

[AlamoCatFan]

My wife and I just returned from a Methodist Mission to help rebuild a church/rec center in Okandja in Gabon (West Africa). We were watching a pickup basketball game one day and I noticed one of the older kids-about 15 or 16-was wearing a t-shirt that read 'UK Wildcats 2015 NCAA Champions'. I was like Whaaaa? That didn't happen. Eventually we came up with the only plausible explanation: At title events, t-shirt vendors must have to print up every variable outcome for a 4-team tournament . I guess the incorrect shirts must get donated to a charity or something which is how this kid in West Africa ended up with one. I felt a need to explain to the youngster that UK was in fact, not the 2015 champ, but my French isn't that great, and he probably would have just been baffled. How do you translate a phrase like 'shot clock violation" to French? Les Temps en retard? My wife said leave the kid alone. He's lives in a world where UK is 2015 National Champ and we don't, and that's rarefied air. Curious what others think. Was I right to let it go or should I have at least attempted to tell this kid the truth, that he's living a lie?
Apologies if this topic has already been discussed.

You did the right thing. Hell, I may have decided to join him forever in that alternate reality. Sorry you had to come back

 

[UKfan2151]

Leaving it alone was the right course of action. What matters to that kid is that he has a shirt on his back. What is printed on it matters very little to him.

 

[JonathanW2]

Your wife was right on this one.
Should have told the kid you are a big fan of that team (Kentucky Wildcats), it probably would have made his day.

 

[travisbickle]

My wife and I just returned from a Methodist Mission to help rebuild a church/rec center in Okandja in Gabon (West Africa). We were watching a pickup basketball game one day and I noticed one of the older kids-about 15 or 16-was wearing a t-shirt that read 'UK Wildcats 2015 NCAA Champions'. I was like Whaaaa? That didn't happen. Eventually we came up with the only plausible explanation: At title events, t-shirt vendors must have to print up every variable outcome for a 4-team tournament . I guess the incorrect shirts must get donated to a charity or something which is how this kid in West Africa ended up with one. I felt a need to explain to the youngster that UK was in fact, not the 2015 champ, but my French isn't that great, and he probably would have just been baffled. How do you translate a phrase like 'shot clock violation" to French? Les Temps en retard? My wife said leave the kid alone. He's lives in a world where UK is 2015 National Champ and we don't, and that's rarefied air. Curious what others think. Was I right to let it go or should I have at least attempted to tell this kid the truth, that he's living a lie?
Apologies if this topic has already been discussed.

There’s a really good documentary called “T-shirt Travels” that actually addresses this issue. The gist is that consignment stores like Goodwill sell their unwanted t-shirts to middle men throughout the world, who then turn around and sell them for profit in Africa.

Printers print swag for both teams at the Suoer Bowl, for example, and then dump the incorrect ones for pennies on the dollar.
Same thing with Final Four and most big sporting events with short turnaround times.

This practice basically destroyed a pretty thriving textiles industry in Africa by flooding their markets with cheap clothes from the US and Europe. Brokers buy giant bales of clothes by weight for basically nothing.

Here’s a link to the doc for those interested: