Where you spend your money shapes the future of our collective universe, so it definitely matters. The more research you do on where your money goes, and who you are giving ‘power’ (if you believe money is power), is a reflection of who you are and what you value. Not looking into 'who' you give your money to is an abomination to your local community and the global economy we all live in.
Let's start with a pictogram of corporate greed:
These are the companies that are controlling consumers and society as we know it. You can select each one and they have all tried to sweep glass under a rug and pay their way out. These are the brands that are killing us as we know it, with the help of the FDA in America. Most countries don’t allow harmful ingredients in their products and force the brand to improve before a sale is allowed.
For example, Johnson & Johnson settled out of court for billions of dollars for their effort in giving cancer with Talcum in their baby powder. As a conscious consumer, I threw out every single thing that they sell. The only way to fight back is to make them pay with your dollars. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones giving us cancer. Every brand conglomerate above has at least one product with a known carcinogen in their food or product. It is up to every individual consumer to gain the knowledge and fight back with their hard earned money. Collectively, we will win the fight because luckily for us capitalism offers a safer alternative to the product you need/want.
In a capitalist society, there can only ever be one brand that is the cheapest. The cheapest product does not mean it is the best for you, it is merely a money saver. If your goal is to save the most amount of money possible then maybe you’ll buy that option without doing any research. I understand that predicament and it is very much a symptom of greed. What you don’t think about is, after the purchase, who does that hard earned money you spent go to? Who are you supporting?
Spending a little bit more can enrich your community as a whole. For example, if everyone made a decision to only buy organic produce, that essentially drives the price of the product down. That's basic economics - supply and demand.
I encourage everyone to find a minority owned restaurant and choose to go eat there instead of McDonald's, which is safer than eating a french fry with 18 ingredients, DIMETHYLPOLYSILOXANE, is listed twice. I'm a sucker for going into Whole Foods and being able to use my palm as a way to pay for my food. But, I also know Jeff Bezos philanthropy until as of recently, is not anything to brag about - while his ex-wife takes a different approach to giving back to charity. In my defense, WF was a locally owned grocery chain started in Austin, TX that I supported before Bezos bought it, but I rarely go there as I support Sprouts, Natural Grocers, and Trader Joe's now (IYKYK). Bezos does have the benefit of convenience where Prime members can get a product in hours or in a day or two at most. I understand the power of that convenience but I encourage you to find an alternative to resolute your need/want.
I’ll give you another example, Hat Creek Burger, which I used to enjoy, I will no longer. I liked supporting this local burger place, even though I recently went vegan, because my son particularly likes the playgrounds. But due to their recent firing of eight employees for participating in immigration protests, I will no longer willingly give this establishment my money.
Also, Elon Musk has been feeling the hit by boycotting his safe electric vehicle, Tesla. Even though it is #1 for accidents on the road, I can confirm my wife has avoided accidents by the cars safety features. The car is technologically advanced and the safest EV to switch to when converting from gas because it tells you when you better charge. He did not create the cars himself, he paid very intelligent people to create the car for him. But if you don't like him as a person, because he lacks heavily from philanthropic efforts or decent human being characteristics like giving nazi salutes at presidential addresses, don't support him with your dollars.
I recently checked at a google maps and those idiots decided to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. On my mac, I went to Preferences > Search > Search Engine and changed it from google to DuckDuckGo. It will take me a whlie to switch over everything to a new email, but I will slowly transition away from Google. The same way I transitioned off of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Take the high road even if it's harder to travel.
WHERE YOUR DOLLARS ARE SPENT IS A CHOICE - ONE THAT SHAPES THE ECONOMY AND OUR COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.
I'll be making an app in the future that shows the good and the bad from each of the corporatized commodities available and offers a solution from entrepreneurs with a better alternative that stands for something greater. It will be free, it will not have ads, and it will help you in your guide to buying what is best for you and what you believe in. Until then, do your research as there are plenty of resources to support minority owned businesses and companies that are giving back to the greater good.
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