Ever planned out a post that kinda morphed on you? I think thatâs what we have here. In one of my last posts I shared with you all about my choice to start a plant based or dare I say VEGAN diet.
Yes the V Word. - You can hear me talk about it Here in an audio @texttosteem post.
A bit part of the choice, at least while living in the states, was really not wanting to use my dollars to support an industry I felt was exploiting life. Yes for meat, but also in the form of absolutely decimating the environment.
But maybe wielding social justice calorically isnât your bag?
The other night @teamhumble and I watched the Netflix film Okja about Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating animal named Okja.
I had a good hunch this film would hit me right in the feels. Iâve cried during every film I can remember in which animals were mistreated. And sure this animal was fictional, but I knew it wouldnât make a difference.
Without giving too much away, youâve got the classic struggle between massive multinational behemoth corporation, and one incredibly passionate individual. Weâve heard that story a million times, right? But what I really loved was the way the âbad guysâ were portrayed.
You see, in most media, the corporate bad guys are just that, bad. They outline every Disney villain archetype, driven by greed, power, selfishness, manipulation. But in reality, the evil corporations we deal with out here in the real world, arenât driven by a need to steal kill and destroy.
Sure those things come about, but only as a manifestation of the drive for one thing. Currency.
Evil is chaos, causing destruction and misery for the sake of destruction and misery, thereâs no rhyme or reason. But our beloved corporate enemy, aah theyâre something entirely different. They follow a very logical process. Theyâre calculated and methodical, and really only concerned with one thing: Is it good for the bottom line?
If it makes dollars it makes sense. Right?
Maybe itâs my general state of jadedness or disillusionment with the systems of control that have always been in place. Bloated and outdated protocols run half by the apathetic and the rest, driven by vanity and greed, but I really have no interest in participating in politics in order to make a âchangeâ.
Funny word âchangeâ seems people want it even if they donât know what the change is, just something⊠else.
Maybe youâre not jaded but you physically canât participate in government. As much of the nomadic, homeless and address-less already know. Unless youâre tied to a physical piece of land or property, youâve invisible to the system.
So, how do you fight back when youâre the little guy and youâve got no faith in your grubberment, er um I mean government, to do right by you, or your beloved blue marble M-Class planet??
You hit em where it hurts. The Wallet.
Which brings me to a nifty little app Iâve been experimenting with. Itâs called Buycott: Vote With Your Wallet
Itâs pretty simple, youâre presented with a bunch of campaigns, ranging from Womenâs rights issues to Animal Cruelty to pretty much every sociological, ecological, and humanitarian cause you can think of.
You choose which causes are the most important to you, and when you scan any itemâs barcode, youâre given information about the company youâre supporting and whether or not theyâre violating you care about.
Hereâs why itâs super powerful to me, because branding hides a lot. Companies hide behind sister companies behind subsidiaries and groups and so on and so on. Itâs true that only a handful of companies are responsible for nearly everything in your grocery (at least in the US)
So I took stock of a few things that are my weekly recurring buys and gave them a scan. To see what I could find about where my dollars were really going.
@teamhumble and I filmed a video chat talking about the app, social responsibility, and what the roll of crypto could be in terms of corporate accountability, but we lost the footage.
In short, you launch the app, scan the barcode and youâre able to see if there are any red flags, which means your dollars are going to supporting a company whoâs actions conflict with the way you think the world should be. Youâre also able to see who all of the parent companies of that brand are, AND if youâre feeling extra social justice-y you can directly facebook, tweet or email the company with a message letting them know exactly why youâre not going to buy that product anymore.
The best part is, underneath, they give suggestions of an alternate brand that might suit your needs just as well.
Kinda rad right?
Now I donât see myself compulsively scanning every little thing that I touch in the grocery store but I do like the idea of having the app on hand to check in on my recurring purchases, like my weekly hummus and melba crackers, or the brand of almond milk I buy. Youâd be kinda shocked what huge mega corp might be hiding behind that âMom & Pop Organicâ branded product you buy.
I also think for women, if buying cruelty-free cosmetics and toiletries are important to you, I could see this app saving you TONS of time. Iâm currently trying to widdle down my regimens to be a minimal and responsible as possible, because animal testing really really makes my stomach turn. Awful.
I want to make a note at this point in the post, because I think this needs to be said: What hits me in my soft squishy spot, (mostly animals and environmental causes) may not be what you care about. And that's OK! Fortunately, (and unfortunately) there are PLENTY of problems to go around, so if you really care about income equality, or education, or immigration reform, or LGBTQ rights- Effing go for it!
This world is full of every flavor of human being imaginable. Itâs not about teams, or tribes, itâs about finding what matters to you and freaking fighting for it!
Also, Cash Rules Everything Around me. (And you for that matter)
The way I see it, is this: Choosing where you spend your dollars is the most effective way to change things. Because thatâs the language the beast speaks. Change the flow of currency, and behaviors change. Starve the beast, and the beast will adapt becuse it's not evil. In fact, it doesn't have any morality at all.
It's got one objective...
Think you might grab this app? I'd love to know if any of you guys try it- I'm still experimenting but so far I'm really enjoying it!
Until next time friends <3
Dayleeo
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