YOU Have Never Been More Powerful
October 15, 2008
I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you that you should aim to run an ethical business, which doesn’t abuse or harm people, or the environment. If you’re the type of person who wants to be able to look at yourself in the mirror each morning, you will already know that.
But consider your power as a consumer, when it comes to making ethical decisions. Now, a few years ago, if you stopped using the services of a large business, because of it’s unethical dealings, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference to them. And even if you’d told a few friends, you probably still wouldn’t have had much of an impact on a big, powerful organisation.
Today – that power is shifting. Social media makes it possible for people like you and me to share information on unethical business practices. Not only can we vote with our feet, we can also influence others to do so.
If your bank is funding dictators of third world countries, to the detriment of the majority of the population, consider closing your account and tell folk in your social network why you did so.
If you discover that a clothing manufacturer is exploiting people in a third world sweatshop, boycott them and come up with unique ways of getting the word around, as Jonah Peretti did when Nike kept saying “Just Do It”…(fuck the cost).
Nike brought out an offer to personalise customers sneakers/trainers, at a cost. And when they refused to personalise Peretti’s sneakers with the word “sweatshop” – he asked them to send him a colour snapshot of the ten year old Vietnamese girl who made the shoes. And if you Google – “peretti nike”, you’ll see that he did a pretty good job of spreading the word.
If your supermarket continues to exploit folk in third world countries and use their best land to grow products, boycott them. And don’t be fooled by their shallow claims that they encourage consumers to buy fair trade products, as Tesco does.
They usually put 3 or 4 jars of Fair Trade coffee on display and it’s barely ever within arms reach – let alone at eye level. And how many times do you have to go into a Tesco store and ask someone to bring you a pack of fair trade bananas because they haven’t even put them on display?
The final straw for me was the new packaging of the fair trade bananas. My local Tesco made it look almost identical to the packaging of the organic bananas, then put out only a few fair trade packs, beside the organic ones. It might seem like a clever idea but when consumers get home and realise they’ve been conned – they might do what I’ve done and boycott Tesco.
Apparently, Tesco have changed their packaging now and display the bananas differently. But I couldn’t trust a company who stooped to such levels. They’ve certainly shown me that they don’t give a toss about fair trade, or the folk they’re exploiting. And getting round the supermarket with one of those defective trolleys was never that convenient anyway. It really doesn’t take any longer to get my things from the local market and a few small shops. And it makes me feel a whole lot better.
I’m guessing that most of you don’t want to support businesses that exploit folk in third world countries. But it used to be difficult to find information on the businesses involved. One excellent resource I’ve discovered is Global Exchange – it really is worth your while checking it out.
Would you boycott a company which was exploiting folk in third world countries and use social media to get the word around? What other things can we do to stop this exploitation?
This article was written for Blog Action Day.
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Comments
25 Responses to “YOU Have Never Been More Powerful”
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This is something that I never thin k about. I buy wherever it’s convenient for me to buy. I am completely unaware of the politics behind corporations.
This post is my wake-up call, so thank you.
Vered – MomGrind’s last blog post..What If You Could Never Be Rich, But Poverty Didn’t Exist Anymore?
I’m guilty. I shop at Walmart and buy what is cheap. I have no excuse.
chris’s last blog post..The Morning Ride
Great points, Cath. I hope the business community is paying attention. There’s just no place to hide any more and that is why I believe will start using social media and be more concerned about social justice.
Brad Shorr’s last blog post..Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
I am mostly unaware of the political ramifications of my consumerism. I have boycotted merchants for local affronts but my global consciousness is not that well informed.
Voting with your wallet has always been the best form of persuasion.
I doubt that I would use social media in this regard. I can hardly figure out how to best use it in my own behalf.
Hi Vered – well that’s a good thing. That’s what blog action day is about – we can all exchange ideas and raise awareness on different issues.
Hi Chris – that’s another thing I was thinking. You have lots of kids to feed. And obviously it is more affordable for you not to buy fair trade stuff.
I really think the supermarkets should be taking a cut in profit, so that everyone can afford to buy fair trade items. Tesco share price has rocketed over here. They are beginning to monopolize the industry because they have to much spare cash to throw around and that isn’t right.
Hi Tom – It’s definitely good to think beyond your own backyard sometimes. I totally agree on voting with your wallet. Like you, I’m not brilliant when it comes to grasping some of the social networking sites though.
I usually get banned before I get anywhere. I asked Ari to explain more on another thread but he didn’t come back yet.
Hi Cath: I had never heard of Peretti and his request for personalized Nike’s that said “sweatshop”. You’re absolutely right that with today’s interconnectedness and social media it’s easier than ever to get the word out on companies engaging in disgusting behavior. Making sure that others are not being exploited is an important way to fight against poverty.
Marelisa’s last blog post..Eradicating Poverty Through Human Ingenuity – Blog Action Day 2008
Hi Brad – you went in the spam folder again. Another blog must have put you in there to be mean. I wouldn’t worry – I’ve even wound up in it before on this blog.
Like you – I hope the threat of social media will persuade some of these companies to act more ethically. But I’m guessing some will keep on ignoring it until it’s too late. More fool them.
Hi Mare – it was an interesting story. And he put his emails back and forth to Nike on the Internet.
Stopping the exploitation will definitely help to cut down on poverty – so long as all the countries involved will set a liveable minimum wage. And as you say – being able to get the word round on bad companies through social networking really will help.
This is exactly why I have boycotted Wal-Mart, because of the way they treat their employees and their other shady business practices. I know a lot of people shop there because the prices are so affordable and believe me — I don’t judge (my grandparents frequent the place) but the money you might save shopping at a big box store like that, well, you’ll probably end up paying for it down the line and possibly it will cost far more than the twenty-nine cents you save on toilet paper. Sometimes I’ve overwhelmed trying to learn about all these companies but we can each do our best to make use of the information that comes our way and use it to make educated, ethical decisions. Great Blog Action Day post!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Blog Action Day: People First
Hi Cath. Great perspective for Blog Action Day! An eye-opener for me too – thank you. I don’t usually think about these things either, unless I feel wronged by a business and their practices. Ok, enter a wee bit of shame. Thanks for the link to Global Exchange.
Davina’s last blog post..Blog Action: Pass The Change, Be The Change
i would not boycott. we live in an unjust world of corruption and dishonesty.
poverty has been with us from very early on in life and despite human efforts i have not seen a way to get rid of this problem globally. someone might do some good in one location, but what about the other location and the next. who can bring about a global transformation?
Natural’s last blog post..Why Poverty?
I took a class on family finances at my local college when I was first married. The Economist who taught the class with his wife a CPA, was very good and helpful to me and spoke often at our church about fair trade and knowing “Who is on Your Payroll.” Our family truly does shop with lots of information on our mind, including what our bank is involved in and with whom. We dropped one whole set of accounts and got several businesses to leave the bank that gave President Bush 18 million for his campaign and then proved to be one of the largest promoters of terrorist activities in South American.
We have several fair trade food coops in town, gift store, and restaurants in the last 10 years and we always try to purchase locally and from CSAs
The world is often so complicated, but as more people get involved the more power we have to make the world a better place.
Thanks for sharing these ideas today
Patricia’s last blog post..American Ingenuity – or Crisis Intervention to Discover Success
This is a great perspective for Blog Action Day! I would boycott a company which was exploiting people in third world countries. I just need to know and remember which ones I need to boycott.
I’m off to check out Global Exchange.
Stacey / Create a Balance’s last blog post..Take Action! Help Children Impacted by Poverty
[...] YOU Have Never Been More Powerful — cathlawson.com [...]
Hi Catherine – This is a great post to raise the awareness of corporations who exploit people in third world countries. I’ve heard of a few instances of this, but recently it’s almost like it’s a non-issue. I’ll check out the link to Global Exchange.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Did You Pick Your Blog Niche Or Did It Pick You
Cath, thank you. Thank you for the reminder – that we can make a difference – even if it’s in the things we buy. I don’t think about this very often, so it was a message I needed to hear.
The idea that social media can play a role in changing practices that are going on – that is a powerful concept. And one that rings true to the power of the internet. We may be one voice, but we are a voice that can be heard all over the world…
Lance’s last blog post..Poverty Close to Home – Blog Action Day 2008
Fabulous food for thought!!! (pun intended)
If we all begin to act, we’ll find we’re each like a rain drop. Alone, we can’t do much – but get enough of us together and we can create a storm!
Kathy @ virtual Impax’s last blog post..Strategic Marketing is like Planning a Trip
Honestly, I’ve not used social media is a tool to build more awareness on such causes. I’m only beginning to understand how to use it. But yes, why not? If there is a cause worth fighting for, I’d definitely consider using it.
Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..Should The Poor Mexican Fisherman Give Up Contentment For Cash?
Hi Melissa – Thanks. I know what you mean – it can be really overwhelming trying to find some of the info and absorb it all. It would be great if it could be put in one giant Wiki and folk could just keep adding to it.
Hi Davina – hey, it’s not your fault. You probably think about things I’m not aware of – but it’s good that we can share.
Hi Valerie – I read your post & I can see what you’re saying. You mention that a lot of poverty is caused by evil people and that is true. But the reason these people get away with it, is because we’re supporting them by buying their stuff. It’s kind of like saying – I hate violence, but I’ll pay you to by a knife stab someone to death. But that will be ok, as I won’t watch it.
If we give our money to people who are murdering others and turn a blind eye – because it gives us what we want, does that not make us evil too? And really it is murder. If thousands of people are dying every day because of something you are doing and you keep doing it – it can hardly be called an accident.
And I know you mentioned that maybe only some people could be helped but the whole world couldn’t be saved – so what’s the point. But that’s kind of like saying that if only half the people could be saved from a burning building, you might as well leave them all to die.
Hi Rita – that’s good to hear. I’ve heard bad things about certain parts of the diamond interest in particular. I was a film about it once – I think it was called Blood Diamonds – or something like that.
Hi Patricia – it sounds like that was an excellent class and it has really helped folk in your area to make ethical decisions. If only we had more classes like that everywhere.
Hi Stacey – it’s a really good site. I think our governments should enforce special labels on any products sold over here and in the USA that have been made through exploitation of others.
Hi Rita – thank you. It’s like you were saying in your story – education is more important than anything. The more we learn – the easier it is to see the big picture I guess.
In the case of the developing world, I guess it’s not just about educating people over there, but also about educating the people in our own countries about the real issues involved. It just isn’t as simple as throwing cash at the problem is it? That would be like sticking a tiny band aid on a massive wound.
Now – I’ll have to go and look at your wordless thing. I don’t like it when you’re wordless, I like to read your words.
Hi Barbara – Thanks. You will like that site – it has some really useful info.
Hi Lance – You’re welcome. I think social media will be a powerful vehicle for raising awareness of important issues in the future. It’s brilliant how one small message can be passed around so quickly to thousands of people isn’t it.
Hi Kathy – that’s a really nice way of putting it – and it’s so true. I guess the hardest part is persuading all those little raindrops that it’s better to be part of the big storm.
Hi Evelyn – I’m guessing it will happen more in the future when people begin to understand social media. Just look at yesterday – I think it was something like 9000 people raising awareness on poverty in the world. I wonder how far those messages will have spread?
Hi Cath – I try to boycott the baddies when I can. Having the right information is the key – and you have provided some.
Robin’s last blog post..Galaxy For Blog Action
Hi Robin – I’m glad you found it helpful and also that you care enough to boycott. That site is really useful.
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