Considering the extremely painful and disturbing series of events that have occurred throughout the world over the last few weeks, let us entertain something a little lighter, though no less transcendent in nature in regards to our often slow, sluggish push toward a more enlightened evolution.
In our ongoing exploration of the post-Peak Capitalism world, see photo 1, an innocent enough looking collection of ostensibly family-sized snacks (for the context of size only — no relation to one another).
Photo 2 shows a seemingly decent sized bag of Snax Sational Brands Butterfinger flavored popcorn. Surely enough for a a small family or couple to share…
Photo 3 shows the actual contents of the bag just after opening, without one item yet removed. An environment-killing glazed and inked plastic-foil bag that measures 12 inches high by 5 inches wide contains less than 4 inches of actual product. The rest is pumped in air; empty space.
Clearly this deception does not equate to any sort of Capitalist Crime or what we’ve been calling Criminal Capitalism or Weaponized Capitalism, the most heinous & harmful aspects of the Post-Capitalism world.
But off the top of our heads, what does this blatant trickery & thievery do to the unsuspecting consumer? Definitely disappoints. Makes them feel like a mark, like they got duped and ripped off by @snax_sationalbrands Definitely uninspires & dissuades loyalty to & trust in the brand.
It also is an extreme waste of resources & that much more poison garbage buried in the Earth’s limited landfills.
See.., Post-Capitalism doesn’t always have to be overtly harmful or dangerous to suck. Sometimes it just shows what a**holes people can be & how little respect they have for their customers or people in general.
But the GOOD that will come, IS coming, from all this is that companies & brands who commit to being honest, trustworthy, respecting their customers, their employees AND the environment will continue to take more & more marketshare away from tired old legacy brands like this one (even tho they’re pretending to be “new”) by inspiring trust and loyalty. Admiration even.
In the 21st century, as we continue to define what we want out of New Capitalism, enlightened consumers are making it very clear that we are no longer just buying a product, a brand or a company anymore. What we’re really buying now is an ethos that aligns with our values; a knowing that our money is a powerful force, that can be used to make us feel good or make us feel bad and ripped off.
When we spend OUR money, on something, on anything, be it product, service, donation, we recognize that we can help make the world a better place, or perpetuate just more of the same, or truly destroy the world outright. That choice is one we make every single day, in every single purchase, whether we’re aware of it or not.
Enlightened Consumerism is what we’ve been calling it lately. Conscious Capitalism is an older term and refers more to how we do business. Conscientious Investing, older still, refers to how we invest, as in how we generate Alpha from our own capital, or how we generate a profit from any money we’ve set aside; and it’s all about WHAT we invest in. That’s the “how”. In the simplest terms, Big Oil, Big Pharma and weapons manufacturers are OUT. Electric vehicles and environmentally sound companies are IN. One often hears the term ESG associated with this brand of investing.
Enlightened Consumerism is the same principle. But it levels the playing field. Whether we hurt the world and our fellow man, or help is no longer just for the wealthy. It’s a process that everyone can partake in.
Enlightened Consumerism isn’t a fad. Its not liberal or conservative; not gay or straight. It has no color, no ethnicity, no religion. What it is is the future. Our future. Our children and grandchildren’s future. It’s everybody’s future. And yours truly predicts it’s already one of the fastest growing & hottest trends of the new millennium.