"there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" "you can criticize capitalism while participating in it" are both true and valid statements. but if you care about anti capitalism, your hands aren't wiped clean. acknowledging the problem is only the first step
yes, you can make money to survive & buy things to have fun. you can get things that aren't necessary to treat yourself. you can work your way up the corporate ladder.
some people resign themselves to their fate, as though capitalism is the way that things must be forever. but there's still questions you should ask yourself before deciding to drop all attempts at working against the system:
do you support/promote the culture of excessive buying?
how do you treat poor or otherwise disadvantaged people?
do you support local libraries, local businesses (if you can afford to), or other local organizations?
do you vote in favor of social services and education?
do you vote at all?
do you buy things in quantity over quality(lifespan) when you have the money to do either?
not everyone is an activist, but everyone has the power to vote with their money and with their ballot. telling yourself that there's no ethical consumption isn't a get out of jail free card. you don't have to be perfect or have to shop outside of your means or really go out of your way at all to take actions against capitalism. the main thing is that you care about people, your community, the environment, etc enough to care about your behaviors. that's all we can ask of anyone. to care
(this post is written about the US, I'm unclear on the situations in other countries)
Fellow birds, we are in danger!
Humans are building something wicked.
With whirring machines and strange hats.
That's why you've been chosen from your flock.
To stop their plans and save our beautiful rainforest.
So join your comrades.
Welcome to The Bookworm Circle!
What is this?
The Bookworm Circle is a one-page rules-lite game in which players play as birds from an endangered rainforest.
Their goal as birds is to infiltrate human society to stop the human project that is endangering their rainforest.
To infiltrate, they will use their magic bookworms to take the human form of a book character.
9 steps to make your own fancy paper. With the magic of editing, you can do it in 90 seconds, too! Now, make some zines! Or whatever you want with your fancy paper.
today I just finished up a hat my friend asked me to make for her sister. she asked how much, I said $5. I learned how to crochet because another friend gifted me a loom and some black yarn for my birthday one year. I only knew how to make one thing- hats. I didn't even make them correctly. it was supposed to bunch up in the middle to be a beanie. well I messed something up on the last step and it became a square. putting it on made cat ears. my friends thought it was cute, so I decided to make some for Christmas gifts!
the crocheting took a couple of hours, but it was fun, though frustrating, and I was just excited to make my friends a cute hat they enjoyed. I didn't think they would be so coveted that more people would ask for them *and pay*!
so when my friend asked me how much the hat would be I told her 5 dollars. after all, isn't that how much hats cost? when you go to Walmart, isn't a hat about $5?
My hats aren't amazing quality. the loom is large, so the loops are big, I still only know how to crochet one thing (two if you count the fact that now I know how to make a non-cat beanie..) and I can't tie my loose ends in a pretty way. but they are made from a soft yarn that keeps your head warm, and they are ADORABLE.
then I factor in the work I put in. once when I was really in the mood for crocheting I took a quick 4 hours, give or take, while binging TV shows.
the materials were cheap, about $9 for a skein that can make like 3 hats
so I'm putting in $3 per hat and selling them for $5.. making my time, over 4 hours, worth.. 50 cents an hour..
i asked for 10 since they're friends of friends, and maybe I'll ask for 15 next time.
I am not going to charge $40 for my hats. frankly nobody would buy them. but in what world should i be selling myself so short that I sell them for 5?
in what world should a hat cost $5. I don't even have shipping costs, and I don't have employees to pay. sure, I also don't have machines, or cheaper materials...
but there is someone out there, putting effort into that shein hat you got made out of plastic for $5, who is getting paid cents an hour. do they deserve that?
more people need to shop at thrift stores, rummage sales, estate sales, consignment, flea markets, and the like. I don't care if you can afford new stuff, if you think it's dirty, if you don't feel like spending the time sifting through things you don't want. fast fashion and other quick moving industries are killing us.
so many thrift shops are begging people to buy more, and they have to stop taking donations for a while. a lot of rummage sale sellers will throw out what they don't sell by the end of the weekend, and they can negotiate and give you deals..
even if you don't want clothes, chances are you will find something you needed anyways, or find something you didn't know you needed. I promise you can find time in your hurried schedule to make a weekend out of rummage saling, and it's so much more fun then taking a minute to add a new shirt to your cart on amazon.
and while you're at it, set up a rummage sale of your own if you can, even in favor of listing it online. there's people in your community who will take a weekend to check it out, and those people are often in need of cheaper options for things like clothes, shoes, kitchenware, etc.
and please for the love of god if am item is still in working condition, use it as long as possible, or give it/sell it away if you must. do not throw away perfectly good items.