I was really thinking about this anti-corporate thing as I looked at my contact solution. I was thinking, 'well, AMO's 'complete moisture plus' does the job well. I don't mind if I'm giving them my money.' If Nike does a great job at giving me the perfect trainers, I don't mind giving them my money.
BUT if Nike is a monopoly that owns the whole fucking industry and calls all the shots, then they prevent any chance of expression, individuality, but most of all, variety and innovation. I have a problem with that - a very BIG problem.
There are laws against monopolies, though, and they aren't really a problem. Enter the term 'oligopoly'. It's basically when a select few (four or five) businesses own the whole industry. Like Nike, Reebok, and Adidas in the trainers industry. They find a loophole. With these three buying out small businesses, new inventions, and the like, our world of trainers is controlled by these three companies and a whole flood of variety is held behind this three-business dam.
So. I am not against businesses that are successful. I am just against the businesses that are successful because any new competition has no chance. I want there to be variety and progress in all industries. I want to know that I have access to all types of trainers. If I choose Nike, then so be it. But Nike is currently preventing me from seeing all the choices I have.
I guess I'm not as radical as AdBusters, but I am at least a conscious consumer. I will give my money to the smaller businesses, I will help them rise up against the Top 5 conglomerates in their industry. However, if Regina Spektor puts out an album on Sire, which is owned by AOL Time Warner , I will buy it. It is my only option. A Regina Spektor album is a product of AOL Time Warner (since she's decided to sign the contract) and because of that, they get my money.
So ... FUCK THE [MEN]!
I'm getting all my information from oligopolywatch.com (I will find more sites come morning).
I am currently poor but I can't wait to go shopping. It's sort of exciting to be conscious of what I buy :)
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2 comments:
yea, I'm surprised by that too. my activitist friend is so passionate about things like this. possibly all my friends are too. politically aware, politically active - they'd go through the whole procedure (lenghty, I do mean lenghty) of just voting for the recent senate (?) elections. things like that seems so important to them. so very important. and it's just got me wondering, 'what am I passionate about?' a shame really, a shame.
do you do e-mails?
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