(b) When making a decision as to what is the “best” in a group, it is absolutely necessary to look beyond the finished product. It is commonly accepted in consumer societies to look at a product and determine that it is the best simply because it has the newest innovations, is the fastest, or it offers another feature, therefore making it the most valuable. These characteristics would be adequate if we were living in a simply consumer society with an infinite number of resources and a location to store extraordinary amounts of waste. Because Earth is not such a planet, it is necessary as global citizens living in connected world that we choose the “best” and value products with characteristics that go beyond the mind of a consumer. A product cannot be deemed the “best” if it has not been ethically produced. For example, one company’s beef might taste better, but what if the company’s cattle had been fed by GMOs created by Monsanto, a company that has made it for farmers to independently grow soybeans? Not only does the beef you are eating contain altered food and therefore chemicals, it is also supporting a company that has put dozens of farmers into serious debt. As Americans living a consumer society, it is up to us to be the “best” and most globally responsible consumers possible.
What should be valued is what has been righteously produced with respect to humans, animals, and the environment. I know that as I write this I sound hypocritical, because in our society it is practically impossible to know where one’s food, clothing, furniture, sheets, cars, gasoline, and much more, comes from. I do know that from my personal experience of living in a community where clothing came from the yarn that came from the llamas that lived in the front yard, drinking water came from the stream to the left of the house, and the light in the house came from the llama fat of the llama you raised from birth and later sacrificed…it is possible to live in a world where what is valued and depended on for life comes from sources that are in harmony with other humans, animals, and the environment.
Martha, My hat's off to you for acknowledging both sides of the issue--that it's important to think globally when considering what is best and that it's incredibly difficult to do this because it's hard to tracy where things come from. We can't research every last thing. This balance, along with your examples, gives your post real strength.
ReplyDeleteI wonder though, couldn't products be reviewed by critics like movies? I know I rely on critics to determine what movie to see? There's too many choices and I don't want to see a dud. Aren't there plenty of critics out there that help me figure whether I should by my phone from Nokia or Apple?
I think you're absolutely right in some ways, that more environmentally aware people won't buy that beef, because they don't value it. But you said yourself that the beef tastes better. And that's the point. That beef tastes better, it is the best. We may not buy it, because we do not value the source, but it is the best when taste is concerned.
ReplyDeleteAnd again, you're exactly right when you say that we can't know where everything we eat, buy, and use comes from, which is why backgrounds can't figure in the determination of best. If you didn't know where that beef had come from, chances are you would have said it was the best beef. But once you know the background you take that back. If you took into account the backgrounds of every product then I'm sure you could find something to complain about each time. So the history of a product doesn't really distinguish a product in making it the best.
To restate what Sarah said, I also agree with you that people should and do consider the consequences and what went into the product they are buying. That background is also a part of the product's features. For example if the computer I am using has faulty parts that came from a notably good source then the product is just as bad as it would be if the bad parts came from a bad source.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you are not mentioning is that despite the fact that people should take into strong account the environmental and humane factors of considering what products are the best doesn't mean that all of society does so. What should we do about that? Make those implications better known, then most companies would have their sales drop. Is there a middle ground where the economy can remain stable and people can be more aware of what they are buying and considering the best.
I am total agreement with you opinion because products should be made to benefit all not just humans. However realistically it is impossible to do so with every product. In this everything is mass produced and by researching where everything comes from we will always find something wrong with it (as you have already mentioned)
ReplyDeleteNot only this but we are asking people to give up their ambitions to prosper. people create product in order to live a more economically stable life and they disregard its effects on nature or the people. This maybe selfish but it is human nature and it is not something many are willing to give up on