On my attitude as a consumer

[hermiston]

It has been years since I had a Kit Kat. I turned in my Tesco Clubcard when they refused to answer my questions about their ethics. I have never shopped at GAP. The last dozen-or-so times I have been through the Golden Arches has been to pee, not purchase. My T-shirt is organic; my chocolate fairly traded; my vegetables grown locally and in season

Comments

[funkyplaid]

Your principles are one of your many solid and attractive qualities. The fact that you're willing to revisit them along the way continues to ensure that they are in place for a reason, rather than just being a nebulous vestige of a context no longer relevant or needed. We've talked about this on more than one occasion: it never comes off as preachy, because you continue to be thoughtful about the impetus of your consumer principles. And, as you've informed me, it really does come down to that damned question: is it worth the scrutiny?

Sadly, my heart and mind believe that it is, much like you. But as driven as I am, I cannot find the time to make the same informed decisions as you do. I only hope that the time I spend with you rubs off and I keep my ears and eyes open to let your good influence seep in. I'll always scrutinize your scrutiny, and learn from that example.

Having said this, perhaps my consumer choices are more influenced by aesthetic. I'll never support Starbuck's not because of their questionable business practices alone, but moreso because the corporate cantina atmosphere they proffer is inhuman and sterile: a ruse of culture for people with none. Cafés are supposed to be places with character, not devoid of individual identity. If surroundings make the man, I worry about much of the world's populace that exists in the soulless corporate world of anti-individualism. That, and I won't sacrifice the quality of my purchases, regardless of their provender.

[hermiston]

You know what my habits are and why, I can only be gad you will be there scutinizing my scrutiny. Tell me when I go off track, or when I go too far. Quality is key, but frankly, anything that crosses an ethical line cannot be 'quality'. You and I are surely close on this one.