First week of March...

We read the article entitled The True Price Question. I appreciate that this article puts Americans in the hot-seat about their gross consumerism. While consumerism itself can be detrimental to the health of the individual and the environment, uninformed consumerism, like what we see in many American homes, can be deadly. Most of us don't take the time to question our buying decisions, because we've been fed so many lies like "cheaper is better" or "the more stuff you have, the more affluent you are." We don't stop to think how the things that we buy define us. Each time we buy, we cast a vote. Would the average American carelessly vote for a politician that they didn't support? I would hope not. So why do so many Americans cast their monetary vote on things that are killing communities and environments all over the world, and in the US itself? The answer is fairly simple: out of sight, out of mind. And it's not totally the consumer's fault. The producer has the responsibility to allow their consumers to make informed decisions by being totally transparent about what they're putting out. It seems like a basic human right to know everything that goes into the things that we put into our bodies and our homes. But in the interest of self-preservation and gross profit, large corporate entities often try to hide the truth in plain sight with branding ploys like "made with natural flavors" or "free-range." So maybe it is too much to ask the corporations to be honest with us. But if that's the case, we shouldn't just say "well, it's not my fault, I didn't know." We, as the most affluent population in the world, have the responsibility to get informed by any means necessary. Our habits are starving children in other countries and making our own children obese. Our lawns grow lush and green from chemical fertilizers while the rainforests that give us the greatest biodiversity and a large portion of our planet's oxygen get carved away by dozens of acres each day. It is my belief, or at least my hope, that if the average American were really informed about these issues, then they would attempt to make the right decisions. I can not believe that we are so stuck in our habits that we would not change if we knew what our purchases were doing to the world. We shouldn't hope for a savior in the form of a politician. We shouldn't wait for the corporations to hear us. As long as the money is there, that won't happen. The money comes from us, and if we continue to stay uninformed and turn a blind eye, we will be the true price.