Capitalism is the premier greed-based economic system, which takes no heed of consequences in the pyramid-game of asset accumulation (profits, products/goods, wealth, etc.).
Industry members, news media & critics alike often talk about the corporate side of things: predictions or goals for ever-increasing profits, share price valuation/manipulation, workforce reduction (& other methods of pushing down the price of “human capital”), material costs, supply chain innovation, etc.
However, it’s not just the magical “persons” known as corporations who are driving the race to the bottom, but also the real people who buy things. Yes, the consumer side is also greed-driven; we are trained from childhood to want as many things as we can get, and at the cheapest prices.
Why do you think we can buy a cotton T-shirt with art on it for (in some places) only 20$, when it involved multiple people (designers, cutters, sewers, etc., despite the automated portions) and the materials were shipped thousands of miles? It’s because that’s what we want – that’s what our “demand” is.
Most of us unconsciously feed the capitalist greed, delighting in the “deal” and not considering the cost to reasonably produce such an object without cutting corners… I know I am guilty.
I sometimes hear people respond to object compliments (e.g., nice hat) by referencing the price. That can be the the first thing that comes to mind for me – how much I paid for it and, more specifically, whether I paid too much or whether I “got away with it” for a low price.
I’ve been trying to break myself of this habit, trying to be more aware of my “instinct” to find deals, lower prices, & get more objects. The joy of getting something I value more than I paid for it seems akin to the dopamine high people get from social media likes. Maybe if something is highly desirable on quality/creativity/material grounds, it is worth being “expensive”? Maybe the usual prices for similar objects shouldn’t be such a concern, but only the value I would receive in owning it? Maybe I can get that pricey item if I just buy fewer things?
It bothers me a little when well-meaning people talk about withdrawing from the new object economy by buying only used items, which almost invariably come from products with similar labor/material issues as most new items do. Although I appreciate purchasing pre-owned items as a kind of “recycling,” if it’s not economically required and that is your main avenue of shopping, then it’s just indirectly supporting the status quo (maybe slightly fewer new objects, but the same low cost, high volume mainstream companies with problematic manufacturing practices). Wouldn’t it be better (if one can afford it) to find similar products from innovative companies who care about more than just profits and support them?
For myself, I am trying to divorce my greed for numerous objects at low prices and be open to whatever price I can afford if it has at least one of the following: high-quality, uniqueness, sustainable materials/manufacturing, or fair-labor guarantee. For the same reasons, I am trying not to get sucked into “free” online shipping deals (shipping a box to my house is expensive & getting it free means less ability for the distributor to pay reasonable prices to their suppliers & treat their own employees fairly). And to avoid buying inexpensive items unless they are necessary. In other words, trying not to feed my greed.
