We can’t be good at everything—there’s just not enough time, money, or willpower. That doesn’t mean things aren’t worth doing—activities like running and rock climbing, are fun for me, even if I’m not very good. And I do want to get better. But do I want to be the best? Not really. I just want to have fun.
But there are other areas in life where we do want to be the best. We want to be the best versions of ourselves for our family and friends. Ideally, we also want to show up for our communities: being informed voters, consumers, allies and overall ethical, upstanding citizens.
There’s a problem with that, though: for the most important roles we have, it will take time to define what differentiates good from mediocre from bad. We can learn by reading and reflecting about ethics. More often than not, though, we learn by making mistakes. Other times, we learn from others’ mistakes. There are times when it feels like all we do is make mistakes.
On the podcast Econtalk, philosopher and professor Agnes Callard discusses the parable of the Mediocre Chess Player:
“[T]he space that the Mediocre Chess Player… sees the relative values of certain pieces—that’s like the small decisions of life…. I think we’re all mediocre chess players in the sense that we can’t with clarity see 20 moves ahead. And, what we clearly see is just one move or two moves ahead. But, there’s one another part of the story which is what we unclearly see; and that’s a really important part of the story. And it’s part of your vision when you’re playing chess of life–that there’s a lot that you unclearly see. And, it’s not just that you unclearly see it, but that you can work your way towards seeing it more clearly.
And so, a lot of life isn’t about trading pieces, but about getting that vision into view.
Callard, Agnes. “Agnes Callard on Aspiration“. Econtalk. September 28, 2020.
Callard here talks about aspiration, paraphrased as “who we are vs. who we would like to become.” The entire interview is excellent. The example of the mediocre chess player stuck with me almost four years after listening to this episode. Life, like chess, is complicated. And it really put the following idea into perspective:
“Just because I won’t be good at something, doesn’t mean that thing isn’t worth doing.”
case study: can we be ethical consumers in a capitalist society?
Depending on who you are, you may have seen the slogan “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism” on the internet. Being a Berkeley student, I saw this plastered on a couple tote bags around campus. It got me thinking: even if there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, are there ways to be less unethical about the way we consume?
This reflection was also in part inspired by Bad Feminist, a collection of essays I read in high school (and have not since revisited). In it, the author discusses ways that the things she likes may be at odds with feminism. Much like Callard’s mediocre chess player, she is figuring out what it means to be an intersectional feminist by living and being an active and critical thinker about gender-related issues.
Similarly, I am now transitioning from a phase of life where I automatically choose the cheapest and/or most convenient option to one where I consider the ethical implications of my consumption. Sometimes, these reflections end in saving money (e.g. asking myself if I “really need” something that would save me a few extra minutes during the week); but sometimes they don’t (e.g. shopping at the farmers’ market instead of Trader Joe’s or Grocery Outlet).
Critically thinking about where our food, clothes, and other goods come from is an incredibly eye-opening practice. Even if we can’t change the exploitative practices incentivized by capitalism, self-educating is a start. You can also find people online (or maybe in real life, who knows), who are practicing less unethical consumption in a way that is feasible for your lifestyle.
When I’ve discussed this with people, I give the example of when I tried a vegan diet for a summer. I ended up not meeting certain nutrition goals, but I did learn a lot about the food and agriculture industry. I also found ways to cut back on consumption of animal products. Do I still eat meat? Yes. But now, I eat meat differently.
In that way, changing your consumption habits can be like a diet: it is a lifestyle change. So it will take work. And it’s important to start small. But those changes build up over time, and hopefully you can get closer to being the kind of person you’ve always dreamt of becoming.
next steps
If this post at all inspired you, here are a few things you can do to get started on your journey to being a less unethical consumer under capitalism:
- Write down everything you buy for a week. Research where it comes from. If it doesn’t sit right with you, see where you can change it.
- See if you can shop at a farmers’ market
- Buy clothes secondhand: thrift stores or sites like Poshmark or ThredUp
- Join “Buy Nothing” groups in your community
- Think about ways that you can replace buying something with making it (gardening, sewing, etc.)
And lastly, but arguably the most important: ask yourself if you should really be consuming everything that you do. Is it really making your life better?
In a capitalist society, we vote with our dollars. Election day comes around once in awhile, but the money we spend every day shapes the world we live in. So, whether you have the means to consume the way you want to or not, it’s worth it to reflect on what kind of consumer you are, and whether there’s anything you can do, no matter how small, that can get you closer to the kind of consumer you want to be.
Post-script: This process of reflection doesn’t just have to be in service of the “liberal agenda.” Reflection on your consumption patterns can tell you things about your health, your relationships, and other areas in life where you might want to improve.
