Voting With Your Wallet
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This month, we’re exploring the concept of voting with your wallet. On the surface level, it may seem that our everyday purchases are inconsequential and do not have the power to affect change. The idea of treating consumerism as a form of activism is ever-increasing, though, especially among younger generations. When considering how much we spend in totality, do our dollars yield enough power to enact change? Is where we spend our dollars just as impactful as where we do not spend our dollars?
In his book Buying Power: A History of Consumer Activism, American historian Lawrence Glickman explains that boycotts date back to ancient Greece. The term “boycott”, however, was not used until 1880 in County Mayo, Ireland. Charles Boycott, a British landowner, had a reputation for cruel and excessive evictions of his tenants. During an attempt to evict an additional 11 tenants, the Land League (an Irish political organization that sought to aid farmworkers) campaigned to isolate Boycott in the community. His employees withdrew their labor, local businesses refused to serve him, and the post stopped delivering his mail. Ultimately, Boycott left Ireland disgraced.
Today, voting with your wallet indicates the business operates in a way that aligns with the shopper’s values. From company culture to how the products or services are made or offered, businesses are scrutinized on their environmental impact, human rights records, and more.
Otherwise called “conscious consumerism” or “ethical consumption”, businesses do respond to the demands of customers, especially when the mass media is involved. A 2011 study out of Northwestern, found that after the news of a boycott is announced in the top five most-read newspapers, 25% of boycotts result in the businesses conceding to the consumer.
Although being a purposeful consumer is well-intentioned, is it an effective means to enact long term change? Or can it be harmful? Activists criticize that swapping product purchases does not accomplish the legislative and corporate changes that are actually needed. As Senator Elizabeth Warren noted during CNN’s 2019 climate crisis town hall,
“[The fossil fuel industry] wants to be able to stir up a lot of controversy around your lightbulbs, around your straws, and around your cheeseburgers, when 70 percent of the pollution, of the carbon that we’re throwing into the air, comes from three industries.”
Sociologist Emily Huddart Kennedy, author of Putting Sustainability into Practice: Applications and Advances in Research on Sustainable Consumption, says,
“I think it’s fair to say that conscious consumerism has made more people think about the resources that go into the stuff we buy and about what happens to our stuff when we throw it away.”
But, Kennedy cautions,
“When people obsess about the environmental impact of their goods, that can let companies and governments off the hook. So it’s a mixed bag.”
Our consensus? Voting up and down the ballot and lending your time or money to activist organizations pursuing macro changes are the most important actions. Voting with your wallet is a step in the right direction, with the ability to transform many aspects of an individual life, albeit a small step for our planet and human rights. Let us know your perspective in the comments. Bonus points: continue learning about the subject by reading on below.
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Subject Matter
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Boycotts Can’t Be a Test of Moral Purity | The Atlantic
Conscious Consumerism Is a Lie. Here’s a Better Way to Help Save the World | Quartz
Consumers Don’t Care About Corporate Solidarity. They Want Donations | Vox
Every Purchase You Make Is a Chance to Vote With Your Wallet | Fast Company
How Brands Can Follow Through on the Values They’re Selling | Harvard Business Review
Near 80% of People Would Personally Do As Much for Climate As They Have for Coronavirus | Forbes
Rise of Consumer Activism Spells New Risks for Brands: Here’s What You Can Do Now | Forbes
Shopping Has Become a Political Act. Here’s How It Happened | Vox
Today on Good Morning Vogue: Activists Discuss How Fashion Drives Change | Vogue
Walk the Talk: Brands Need More Than Lip Service in 2020 | Forbes