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Yogthos

@abuseofnotation thing is that it's a systematic problem and the solution lies in systemic change driven by organized collective action as opposed to individual activism

5 comments
Jencel Panic

@yogthos probably, but not shopping from such corporations is a good first step, isn’t it

Yogthos

@abuseofnotation in my opinion it's a purely performative action. In the grand scheme of things, all this accomplishes is to make the person feel better about themselves.

Ultimately, corporations behave the way they do because there are systemic pressures. Practically all businesses operating under the capitalist system operate in this fashion because selection pressures favor such behaviors.

Unless action is directed towards abolishing capitalism, then it's just a distraction.

Jencel Panic

@yogthos

What defines a systemic pressure? If some people here agree to boycott Pizza Hut, or any other corporation that hires lobbyist isn't this systemic pressure?

Even if you think that all consumption is unethical, you have to agree that there are nuances, e.g buying from Pizza Hut VS buying products from a producer and cooking your own pizza.

Yogthos

@abuseofnotation systemic pressure is how capitalism functions. The incentives are the same for all companies, and companies compete with one another.

Ethical behavior generally means the company will be less profitable because they have to pay their workers more, spend more money on quality assurance, user higher quality materials, etc.

Meanwhile, over time we're seeing capital concentration and large companies running small ones out of business.

Yogthos

@abuseofnotation over time small local shops are replaced by Walmarts, Starbucks, Pizza Huts, and so on.

The very choice to buy from a more ethical company is removed over time because such companies become outcompeted by large ones that are more efficient at creating profit due to their shady practices.

Meanwhile, this also means the people are overall are more poor and often aren't in a position to pay higher prices for ethically sourced goods.

This is a self feeding cycle.

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