“SHEIN kills our planet & uses child/migrant labor” she types from her latest iPhone after finalizing her Amazon order & driving her gas powered vehicle to the mall for NIKES.

“Theyre evil and unethical!! THRIFT INSTEAD!!”

A Depop notification pings. Her $200 Kmart Jeans has arrived.

i genuinely feel like it’s impossible to be an ethical person without sacrificing pretty much everything which gives me any joy

i went vegan, but now i just keep seeing how i fall short in so many other ways. it seems like everything i previously enjoyed has to be boycotted. everything is problematic in some way.

I don't feel like 'ethical' is a thing anyone actually just achieves and becomes 'an ethical person' one day by being nice enough and boycotting enough companies; it's something we have to strive for. I agree with Aristotle that virtue is a skill, it's not something you just are, it's something you have to constantly practice and that won't always be easy. That is made all the more difficult by capitalism.

Whatever you want to buy that will give you joy that you know is harmful, consider whether there is a more ethical version. Can you buy it second hand? Is there a more ethical company selling the same thing? Can you replace it with something else? You can't deny yourself every pleasure, but if something that brings you joy is inherently harmful you can choose to examine whether or not you actually need it to feel happy, and if you really do, how you can mitigate at least some of that harm. It's about choosing your battles.

I can't not eat any vegetables or grains without a severe health impact for example, and I can't afford to buy everything locally and I can't grow it all myself, so I buy it from the supermarket, knowing that much of it will have been farmed in environmentally destructive ways using unfair labour practices. People who aren't even trying will bring that up as a reason why veganism isn't ethical, but it's a lot better than consuming that unethical produce alongside animal products, which require even more of that exact produce.

I can't be completely cruelty free but I can relatively easily boycott animal products, and I can pay for the extra 15% on coffee, chocolate and bananas to buy Fair Trade. There is just about no smartphone or computer that does what I need it to do that is also ethical, but I can buy them refurbished instead of new. I can boycott particularly harmful companies, while knowing that what I replace their products with won't be ethically perfect either - just better. None of these are hugely commendable acts or difficult sacrifices, but it all helps.

Being vegan does not make you a good person, it's just one stance on one particular issue, which is the exploitation of animals. I oppose exploiting animals and refusing to purchase products which engage in that exploitation is accessible to me, and so I do it. It's that simple. Plenty of my other purchases aren't ethical and neither will yours be, because a lifestyle free from any and all harm is not possible under capitalism.

So long as you're doing your best that's really all anyone can expect. We're going to pass through this world just once, so we should enjoy it while trying to leave our small corner of it a little better off than it was before we got there. Being kind to one another and living a good life may not always be easy, but its also not some great burden that robs you of any joy. It is the entire point of living.

NEW POST! 21 Ideas for Sustainable Swaps That Aren’t Shitty, Expensive, Greenwashed Garbage

I’m always looking for great sustainable swaps, because I love finding ways to reduce my footprint. (In an ecological sense only—been holding steady at size 7.5 for years.) I try to recycle, compost, buy less, shop local, and choose more sustainable options. But I’m just one woman! I can’t test out everything. So I asked our endlessly wise Patreon community. And boy did Bitch Nation deliver!

My only caveat was that these sustainable swaps can’t suck. 

Paper straws that disintegrate into wet clumps in your mouth? Absolutely not!

Coffee pods sold to us as green because you’ll “waste less water”? Lies and pictures of also-lies!

Cloth napkins that cost—I’m sorry—$92 for a set of four?! WHAT! I’m not linking to the site because they claim to be handmade by artisans, and I’m sure those artisans are very nice people. BUT STILL!

Out of this list, ye devils! These sustainable swaps need to be as good—or gooder!—than the products they’re designed to replace. Nothing prohibitively expensive or complicated.

And definitely not shitty.

Keep reading...

your daily friendly reminder that the only ethical consumption under capitalism is eating the rich!!!

If we're gonna have this many libertarians and conservatives around let's add a mandatory Ethical Consumerism or Ethics In Tech track to public education. We have to re-enroll Gen X and the Baby Boomers. The individual power of the consumer may be overrated but they don't know that. They think they have full control of the economy and they still willingly f*ck it up. I'm tired of literally nobody I encounter having the faintest idea how every little unethical or uniformed choice they make is slowly degrading our whole environment, both physical and virtual. Nothing I can ever do will stop my grandma from watching and angrily commenting on those 1 hour surrealist fake food videos on facebook.

Getting real tired of these Documentaries by upper class hippie schmucks using the topic of consumption to essentially crap & place blame on the poor or disabled for “ruining society” by purchasing cheap & readily available essentials, while they make it a point to pat themselves on the back for engaging in “ethical” consumption which is available to those (financially) privileged enough to afford or attain it!

Those are the first results of an image search of the best selling pistols in USA, everyone blames the police, but manufacturers, retail shops, marketing agencies and consumers are also guilty of the high rates of shooting at unarmed black people, and it doesn't receive the attention it needs, in this kind of colours is way easier for a cop to determine accurately and fast the presence of a gun in the hands of someone who’s white, but the opposite if you're black or mixed, and this is what most of the people owns.

‘I am going to buy the cheapest thing available, regardless of how or what it’s made out of, and it’s the job of the government and corporations to enact change’ is fundamentally anti-radical, anti-socialist, and frankly, pretty anti-environmentalist.

Here, direct action might look like getting together with your community to establish worker owned food cooperatives, where you’d be able to collectively make decisions about where your goods are sourced from, how they’re packaged, and to a certain extent, the price community members pay for the goods. Co-ops are not inherently socialist, but establishing direct relationships with suppliers (that may be worker-owned themselves) reduces our reliance upon systems rife with capitalist greed. More importantly, it demystifies the inner workings of supply chains that are obscured by capitalist alienation. Other methods of direct action here might include less formal mutual aid, through food banks, community gardens, or lessons on things like sewing/mending.

This isn’t to say that we should all start engaging in ‘conscious consumerism’, an inherently capitalist, largely ineffective method of enacting social change. My point is that having access to quality necessities and knowing exactly how they get to you is an integral part of any revolutionary action. To leave something so significant in the hands capitalist states and soulless corporations only works to the detriment of any socialist movement.

If you’re interested in the idea of a co-op, check to see if there’s one in your area, or visit Food Co-op Initiative to learn more about starting one. And be sure to join a socialist org in your area, they typically have much more than just bookclubs to offer.

Do I want to reduce the amount of harm done to animals ? Yes

Do I want the factory farming and agricultural industry as a whole to make positive changes ? Yes

Do I want to help reduce the amount of carbon emissions ? Yes

Do I want to help stop pollution and mass degradation of vital habitats ? Yes

Do I want to buy things that are ethically sourced and are fair to everyone involved ? Yes

Do I want to call myself vegan? No

I wish I could, I wish it was something I could get behind, but it's not possible at the moment.

Not with the economic crisis going on in the uk, not with the misinformation I see on both sides, not with the lack of compassion I see on both sides, not with the intolerance I see on both sides.

I want someone to prove me wrong, I want someone to show me it is possible to live a healthy, plant based lifestyle that doesn't harm the people involved and is affordable for really tight budgets.

How can I figure out if the company making beard care products is racist or not. So many have ties to "vikings" and other things that could be great or could be unfortunate dog whistle language, that I'm finding it hard, to pick products.

which supermarket in the uk is most ethical?

The Co-Op is definitely the most ethical out of the big ones but I’d argue that what you’re buying is much more important than which supermarket it is from.

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Is Sugar Cosmetics Vegan?

Sugar Cosmetics has been making waves in the beauty industry with its vibrant range of makeup products. However, amidst the growing concern for ethical and sustainable practices, many consumers are questioning whether Sugar Cosmetics aligns with their values, particularly regarding veganism. In this article, we delve into the question: Is Sugar Cosmetics vegan? Introduction to Sugar…

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Makeup Your Mind: The ugly truth behind beauty hauls

Words by Ella Warters.

Step into a realm where the attraction of limitless beauty products and the excitement of shopping intersect, giving birth to a captivating trend: beauty hauls. With over 2.5 billion views under #beautyhaul on TikTok, it ponders the existence of ethical consumption all together.

While the fashion industry has embraced the sustainable fashion movement, the social and environmental consequences of overconsumption within the cosmetics sector remain understudied and largely ignored by corporations, content creators, and consumers alike. According to a recent survey, the average person spends 722 USD per year on makeup and skincare. Excessive consumption often stems from societal pressure, advertising, and consumerism all together and is now causing detrimental effects to the planet and society.

According to the Australian Financial Review, globally, the beauty industry produces 120 billion units of packaging each year and it’s estimated a measly nine percent is recycled – the rest ending up in landfill. The cardboard boxes that accompany the products alone are said to contribute to the loss of 18 million acres of forests annually. Sadly, it’s not as simple as placing a plastic bottle into the yellow bin, often the multi-materials which create spray, pump mechanisms are costly to separate, dark coloured plastic isn’t as valuable, and aerosols often has pressurised air which makes them dangerous to recycle. However, the waste management company, TerraCycle uses a range of sorting techniques both manual and mechanical to sort and recycle cosmetic packaging. TerraCycle bins are found in MECCA cosmetic stores Australia wide. Brands are also continuing to produce refillable products from lipsticks to moisturisers, with a growing demand for ‘clean’ beauty too.

Not only product waste is an issue though, the beauty industry and societal consumption is a major contributor to worker exploitation. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral which is found in plenty of makeup and skincare ingredients, if it’s shiny, it’s probably because of mica. Listed as ‘mica,’ ‘potassium aluminium silicate,’ and ‘CI 77019,’ it starts off as a silvery shard which is mined by children as young as 5 in countries like India, then collected by brokers, sold to exporters, then delivered to manufacturers who mill it into a pearlescent pigment which is sold to international beauty retailers. It’s estimated that over twenty-thousand children work in these mines and will earn at best 30 rupees, the equivalent of 56 Australian cents, for a day’s work. Not only are most of these mines unregulated and in appalling condition, but the dangers of these mines are also more than just health risks, they can crumble too, leaving people to die. Families are given 30,000 rupees for each person who dies, the equivalent of $558 AUD, with no changes to the safety of the mines. In these countries, there is often no other form of work and leaves people in a vulnerable position just so first world countries can enjoy shimmery beauty products.

In recent years with the rise of a new generation on social media, beauty vloggers have gained cult followings promoting consumerism. It all started in 2007 with Michelle Phan, a college student who started posting beauty tutorials on YouTube. Not long after, creators such as Zoella, Bethany Mota & NikkieTutorials (and more) began posting hauls, ‘Get Ready with Me’ and more. Today, almost anyone can go viral whether it’s product reviews or shopping trips to beauty retailers like MECCA and Sephora.

The Beauty & skincare hashtag has a whopping 33 billion views on TikTok and this ranges from routines to hauls. The ideal skincare routine (for normal skin) should be 3 steps – cleanse, moisturise, protect, and then add in specific products for desired treatment when needed. The brand Drunk Elephant has coined the term ‘smoothie,’ which is the mixing of skincare products on one of their pump lid moisturisers. While the brand is reputable for improving skin, it has gained an army of young teens wanting to own one of these 100 AUD moisturisers. The problem with young teens wanting these types of products is not only overconsumption, but it can also cause skin problems too. Kids as young as 8 want to purchase retinoids just because they’re a viral product, even though it’s recommended for people in their early 20s.

However, amidst the frenzy of viral product reviews and shopping trips, we must remember the importance of responsible consumption. Overconsumption not only strains our environment and exploits vulnerable communities but can also harm our own well-being. It's vital to strike a balance between our desire for beauty and the ethical, sustainable choices that protect our planet and safeguard our future. In doing so, we can ensure that beauty truly shines, both inside and out, for generations to come.

(This was originally written as an assessment piece for my marketing class at University.)

Vertebrae

“Mom, this is gross,” Lilith whined.

“Have some respect. This deer,” Mom was carefully reaching into its chest to slice its windpipe, “is a living thing deserves our recognition, if nothing else. We are all equal under the Lady. Today, this deer will feed the entire neighborhood. We should be grateful.”

“It’s not as if it chose to die for us,” Lilith pointed out. “It would rather be alive right now. If we really wanted to be respectful, wouldn’t we stop eating meat?”

“Do you want to stop eating meat?”

“...should I?”

“If you want to become vegetarian, you can,” Mom said. “If you want to eat meat, you can. No matter what, we have to kill something to eat. But if you want to eat this deer, you should be able to watch me field dress it. You should know where the food we eat comes from, should know the mess and sacrifice that goes into the process.”

“This is wonderful, Mother,” Max said. “Is it chicken?”

“Quail, I believe,” Mother answered before hesitating. “Well, I’m fairly certain. We’re either having quail today or tomorrow.”

“Well, it’s divine.” Max primly took a bite, blotting at his mouth after. “The servants have outdone themselves.”