'There is no ethical consumption under capitalism' is a wrong view (hexbear.net)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Vampire@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Not because there is ethical consumption under capitalism, but because ethical purity is the wrong goal.

Leftists keep getting distracted by moralising. The aim is to lift the working class.

'There is no ethical consumption under capitalism' is a catchcry used to argue against consumer action because it is morally impure. I don't care whether my actions are morally pure; I care about the results they produce.

Leftists are shit at focusing on the results of their action. The end-game of leftists is to feel morally superior: never mind that no good results have been achieved.

Using syllogistic logic:

Surface premise: 'There is no ethical consumption under capitalism'
Hidden premise: And we should only take actions that are ethically pure
Conclusion: therefore we shouldn't reform consumption

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[-] CptKrkIsClmbngThMntn@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

Ahh maybe I misunderstood. I saw the post as a critique of people saying there's no ethical consumption under capitalism, so there's no point in trying to make any changes to what you or other people consume - it's all bad anyway so you might as well buy Israeli hummus or a new phone every year.

Those last two examples are of course hyperbole that I've never seen actual leftists use as examples, but I'm just trying to illustrate the sentiment. Of course individual action is folly but I'm still vegan for the micro-difference that makes, and like to use my positions of privilege to have as low a footprint as possible.