I am a consumer. As much as I hate the fact -- I still depend on consumer goods to survive. The overwhelming majority of what I buy is for comfort, though. I rarely ask myself if passing up a purchase will be fatal...
But I do put a lot of thought into what I buy. Perhaps too much. Yes, I'm one of those people. I've participated in boycotts, and made pledges to buy only used items so I can subvert the purchase of new goods. I've made a serious study of the human and environmental impacts that result from producing a pair of cotton socks. I do this because I believe that our consumer choices make a difference. I'm fascinated by it because, globally, we're on a road we don't have to take. We are plundering natural resources such as water, we're polluting the environment we depend on for life, and we're pillaging basic human rights from people who don't have First World power and privilege.
And we don't have to.
