Consciousness, conscientiousness, and capitalism

The fact that there are different categories separating “fair trade” products from everything else is so distinctly representative of the capitalist system. (I’m pretty sure this phenomenon is also related to my skepticism that the “free market” could ever exist.)

It’s almost like the afterthought of opportunism: trying to make a profit off of an increase in concern and social awareness.  Is this a natural progression, indicative of an evolutionary shift in consciousness—or is it just business as usual (or some combination thereof)?

I have wondered before if there is room for ethics within an economic system that is not beneficial to everyone at its mercy. And, yes, I still feel skeptical when changes in the market seem to follow trends—a process that is reciprocal, I’m sure.  I alluded to this before in my blog post on Cradle to Cradle (http://hopekinney.blogspot.com/2011/04/cradle-to-cradle.html) which included discussion of “eco-effectiveness” and notions of corporate responsibility.  Neither the idea that it’s not enough anymore for companies to simply sell products or the expectation that they present a public persona that is “socially responsible” necessitate that they actually believe in the ideals they perceive as being important to consumers.  In my mind, this speaks to the importance of consumer power to determine markets (theoretically speaking, at least) at the same time that it highlights the systemic trait to capitalize on a perceived market (which is not inherently a “good” or “bad” thing, per se).

 The more that  consumers are aware and make their demands known, the more difficult it becomes to keep them in the dark—take the increased concern about GMO labeling, for instance. Also, the more information that is readily available (thanks to technological advancements and whatnot), the more questions people may begin to ask. This introduces an additional element to consumer decision-making that parallels that of corporate expectation. (Speaking of which, did you know? There’s now an app for finding a restaurant that treats their workers well: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/10/166671273/want-to-find-a-restaurant-that-treats-workers-well-theres-an-app-for-that)

 In the midst of a shift in awareness, and at a time when a system like fair trade is able to exist, I find it interesting that it isn’t the common practice.  That fair trade products have actually been apportioned to a separate “specialty” market could mean a number of things, including that systemic change doesn’t happen overnight.  For me, it’s also an indication that these backwards-facing solutions to problems that could have been prevented in the first place have become somewhat representative of a culture built around capitalist consumerism.