The Istanbulite

There’s an incisive concept regarding ethical consumerism as a form of self-exclusion in “Rethinking Social Exclusion” by Simon Winlow and Steve Hall:

“This supposedly ethical process of distancing oneself from vulgar commercialism is a variant of self-exclusion from the social; like it or not, these non-places come closest to representing the actuality of contemporary British life. There is no more ‘reality’ or ‘authenticity’ to be found in the charity shop or the ethnic café than in a branch of Tesco or Starbucks. Capitalism is not threatened by our desire to buy fair trade coffee or locally sourced fruit and vegetables. In fact, these new niche markets are exactly what contemporary capitalism needs to present itself as heterogeneous and democratic, the principal ideological strategy that ensures its acceptability, continuity and growth by maintaining the practical allegiance of those who still credit themselves as having values over and above it.”

In addition to this, one might further query the temporal prerequisites of such self-exclusionary practices. What are the extents of time, energy, and knowledge necessitated to discern these opportunities for self-exclusion and subsequently to engage with them?

Does the pursuit of ethical consumerism and self-exclusion inadvertently cement our participation in the very systems we seek to critique, given the inherent demands and complexities of navigating such ethical landscapes?

#SelfExclusion #ConsumerConundrum

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