There exists a phrase: “There is no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism.” In the broadest strokes, this is true. Depending on how you define several terms – ethical, consumption, capitalism – this phrase can mean various different things. However, in the circles I run in, it tends to take on the connotation: “As long as there is capitalism, my personal consumption choices do not matter.” That is the easiest way to look at this phrase, and the easiest way to look at politics as a whole. To completely exorcise the personal from the political grants the individual carte blanche to act as they like without consideration of their actions.

Personal decisions influence politics in a sundry of ways. Whether it be through actively voting, or how you align yourself. Under capitalism, where the means of production is owned by private individuals and corporations, cash is king. How someone spends their money is a political decision, whether passive or active. But truly, “consumption” under capitalism runs the gamut.

To be a consumer only means that you are a participant in the society capitalism has built. From the robber barons of the 19th century, to the tech billionaires of today, we are surrounded by a culture that loves to consume, in the truest sense of the word. Commercialism is taught from early ages; to have – and to have much – is the mark of a great man. The American dream is infused with the luster of potential wealth, and potential purchase.

The question lies here: how can someone be an ethical consumer under a system designed to give money to the one percent?

In the United States, which is the epitome of a capitalist society, a certain few companies hold an enormous amount of market value. For the everyday consumer it’s near impossible to avoid giving your money to one of these companies. Wherever you turn, there will always be a billion-dollar corporation offering a ten-dollar plastic product, made in a dangerous factory in China.

This issue affects small towns in drastic ways. In rural areas, where retailers are limited, when groceries need to be bought and tools replaced, Walmart or Amazon tend to be cheapest and most convenient. When you can purchase a 30-pack of dental floss and a dog sweater with a single click, without having to leave your home, the decision is almost made for you.

These billion-dollar corporations, owned by people with more money than the average person can even imagine, create convenient solutions to keep consumers dependent. They line their pockets with the modest earnings of John and Jane Smith, and donate fractions of fractions into charitable organizations in their own names.

It may not be easy, or even possible, to completely stop shopping at mega-corporations. They have cornered the market. But the consumer must become conscious of their consumption. Remember, your cash is king. The only power the consumer has under capitalism is their dollars.

To actively shift away from large retailers and spending money at local businesses is a radical act. Be aware of where your money goes, and where it ends up. Though the individual is still participating in capitalism – there is no way to dismantle capitalism from the inside – at the very least the money stays inside the community. It stays a step away from the profiteers who run the world.

More radical though, is where one chooses not to spend money. To vote with your dollars sends a message to where it really matters: stock prices. In 2019, when razor company Gillette released an ad surrounding the MeToo movement, their stocks dropped three percent within the first three months. Upset customers refused to purchase products from a company they were offended by, and it counted.

In recent years, following the conflict in Israel-Palestine on October 7th, the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement began gaining momentum. On the list is fast food company, McDonald’s, the wealthiest restaurant chain in the world, and in 2024, it reported its first drop in sales in three years.

Billionaires will not hear when you complain that prices are too high if you continue to buy anyway. They speak only in profits and gains. So, the consumer must learn their language, and spit it back in their face. We are not pawns on a chess board; we are the other player. Play diligently and wisely. 

In the west, capitalism is inescapable. It’s ingrained in our politics, our education, and our personal lives. The phrase “There is no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism” is true. One way or another your money will end up in a billionaire’s pocket. But the choice you must make is if you will be the one to put it there. To throw your hands up, and give in to the conveniences that the system is luring you into, is the quickest way to defeat. There are always solutions and counteractions.