|
U-Know! Forum » 'Consumption' - doin' the right thing. |
Log In to post a reply
|
|
|
|
| Topic View: Flat | Threaded | |
GangstaDuck 69 posts |
Feb 29, 2008, 18:40
|
||
|
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but for me at least, the very mention of the word 'consumption', or 'consumer' in relation to 'buying stuff' immediately raises all my hackles, sets off various alarm bells in my head, a red mist before my eyes and an almost instantaneous loathing over the very term, and the concept behind it. The term has become almost Synonymous with evil in my mind, and I surely can't be the only one? I realise, of course, that this has become a programmed response - a knee-jerk reaction, if you will, based upon the notion of enslaved, factory-farmed populations, straining under the corporate yolk, dancing to the tune of fascistic fucks who want us to substitute life for their mass-produced crap. The reality, of course, is that life is a little more complicated - and that, at some point or other I am going to have to interact with these corporations, and likely make choices based upon which of their products to buy, and which to avoid. We might be the 'destiny angels, duty bound to be risen'; but I sadly find myself struggling to rise from the checkout counter of a supermarket. If you are able to buy your foodstuffs and other essentials purely from local farmers, and independent producers, or even grow your own - then more power to you. If you 'only buy Fairtrade' then I applaud your compassionate commitment. Whilst I do try my damned hardest to buy my stuff as ethically as possible, personal circumstances make doing so difficult in the extreme. I live in the middle of a rather unpleasant council estate in a rather deprived area of South Yorkshire, I have no transport at all, am on a very low income, and therefore have two choices when it comes to shopping for groceries et al. Supermarket - of which I can choose between three: Tesco, Asda or Sainsburys. The 'mini-mart' on the estate - Often shut and boarded up, a hang-out for scary groups of teenagers who tend to shout abuse and throw bricks at me if I go anywhere near them, and even when open has an extremely limited selection of 'cash and carry' goods, often past their sell-by dates. Local Market and Farmer's Market - My preferred choice for goods, though the Farmers' Market is expensive in the extreme, which makes buying stuff from there a none-option if I am very low on funds. Unsurprisingly, I tend to find myself in the supermarket. Not proud of this fact, and it riles me in the extreme that I must rely upon these bastards in order to live - but I really see little alternative right now. Moving is not an option. So...to finally come to the point, and this is where I could use some advice. How do you choose what to buy? What's ethical, and what is not? Sure, I'm going to avoid the obvious traps. I won't be washing down my Big Mac with a Starbucks Coffee anytime soon, whilst reading the NME and taking a Beecham's Powder for my headache. There are plenty of 'definitive lists of the worst corporate offenders' out there, which is a huge help in allowing me to decide which products to completely boycott. But what about the ones that slip through the net? That innocent-looking carton of stuff, with multi-ingredients from all over the world? How do I know that some of the ingredients from products are not 'cash crops' produced via human or planetary suffering? How do I know that it's not going to contain GM ingredients? Not everything is so obviously labelled...and...well...labels can lie, or mislead. I realise that this is likely to be an unanswerable question, but just asking it makes me feel better. What would you do in my situation? Yes, I feel damned guilty about buying from these supermarket cess-pools, the de-humanising nature of the premises is bad enough, without the certain knowledge, that I am - most likely - buying products that are contributing toward the general fucked-upness of everything, the worst offenders leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake; so as to allow us to keep on consuming, and keep our minds blank and lifeless. Is there a way out of the trap?
|
|||
handofdave 3515 posts |
Feb 29, 2008, 19:14
|
||
|
It's nigh impossible to live a life that is 100 percent guilt-free. It's definitely impossible to keep tabs on where all your food comes from unless you grow it all yourself or buy direct from farmers. And as you and most of us know, our food budget does go longer at the supermarket. I find myself shopping quite often at one because I can bring home enough food on my income to feed my family. If I were shopping at the coop in town, I'd be paying twice as much for the same items (and tho my conscience might be clearer if I did so, I'd still run into the hard reality of having an empty fridge mid-week instead of being able to eat every day). Don't be so hard on yourself... we've all been born into a world that we only have marginal control over.
|
|||
|
Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Mar 01, 2008, 00:31
|
||
|
This is like replying to myself really, you should see the knots I tie myself in doing the shopping. Firstly you should give yourself a pat on the back though, because you actually give a fuck, and that is surely a huge sight better than so many people. You can't be too hard on yourself, because you can't solve the world's problems on your own. You can only do your own bit and mercifully it seems other people are starting to catch on, even the supermarkets (I hear Sainsbury's will only be doing own brand tea and coffee that's fair trade soon, and who would have thought that say 5 years ago). I tell you one thing that's helped my weekly dose of consumer angst, and that is shopping inthe co-op. They seem to care about these issues more than the other supermarkets, including animal welfare, fair trade etc. and I think their labelling might not be so bad. Plus it's a cooperative. You can but try and buy british fruit/veg and so on. Anyway wherever you end up shopping you can only do your best (within reason). Did you see all that stuff in the papers about free range chickens selling out after the programmes about free range / battery hens? Proof that consumer power does work and the supermarkets do sit up and take notice (as it involves £, I admit), so that's encouragement that everyone's little efforts add up is it not.
|
|||
|
GangstaDuck 69 posts |
Mar 01, 2008, 14:18
|
||
Thanks for that. Yeah, the simple fact of giving a fuck is a good start toward freeing your ass from the grip of these bastards, and it really is impossible to be completely free of their mass-produced crap. I like to try and push myself to go further though...so see just how I really can avoid such things in daily life. The answer is 'a little bit', but I guess that's better than 'not at all'
|
|||
Eduardo 375 posts |
Mar 04, 2008, 12:55
|
||
|
Good thread - I feel the same angst. I don't want to feel driven by consumerism but there's so much stuff I don't need but want. If I could control it, just buy what I need, then most of my money troubles would be solved.
|
|||
|
Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Mar 05, 2008, 10:49
|
||
|
Another thing that encourages me (but raises my blood pressure unfortunately) is seeing through advertising. I wasn't really listening closely so I don't know what make of car it was, but there was an advert on tv the other day that actually came out and said that you would have a feeling of wellbeing and inner contentment if you bought their silly car. And I had a good laugh walking past mcdonalds in town the other day - it used to be all red yellow and white but now, it's a sophisticated eaterie with muted greens creams and browns, and coffee-shop seats. Still had fat people chamming away on burgers in the window though. Advertising - it's so obviously lies but it seems to work doesn't it. Weird.
|
|||
|
shanshee_allures 2563 posts |
Mar 05, 2008, 15:46
|
||
|
Rhiannon wrote: And I had a good laugh walking past mcdonalds in town the other day - it used to be all red yellow and white but now, it's a sophisticated eaterie with muted greens creams and browns, and coffee-shop seats. Still had fat people chamming away on burgers in the window though. Yes, the earth tones are either dead post modern irony or a transparent ploy to appear more in tune with the natural state of things. I find that offensive enough without noting the girth of the customers, coz you wouldn't believe the amount of them that are actually 'quite thin' too. ;-) x
|
|||
|
Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Mar 05, 2008, 15:57
|
||
yeah, the fast metabolising bastards.
|
|||
|
shanshee_allures 2563 posts |
Mar 05, 2008, 16:50
|
||
|
Hah I know, not fair. x
|
|||
ron 706 posts |
Apr 11, 2008, 02:05
|
||
|
GangstaDuck wrote: Is there a way out of the trap? u mean other than chewin' ur foote off...??? nah... probably not... "Like a liver badly transplanted, the planet is rapidly rejecting the human species. While the global economy seems to be geared towards infinite growth, spewing toxins into the environment with gay abandon and finding ever more harmful means of despoiling ecosystems, it is becoming more and more clear that we, as a complex society, are reaching a point of decision, and not any old decision: stop now, or collapse. Mend your ways, or descend into a somewhat more primal state of affairs. The smart money, is on the latter." be
|
| Pages: 2 – [ 1 2 | Next ] | Add a reply to this topic |
|
|
|
| U-Know! Forum Index | |
