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Post by Mr. Daniel on Apr 29, 2013 15:04:48 GMT -5
Do we consumers have a moral responsibility to boycott companies with immoral business practices? Why or why not?
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Post by peterjuska on Apr 29, 2013 21:44:01 GMT -5
I think it's hard to say whether or not we have a moral responsibility to boycott companies with immoral business practices. I think that whatever has the best price (especially in this economy) we choose to buy the product(s) that are most affordable, rather than focus on the moral issue. I personally think we don't have a moral responsibility to boycott companies, because if enough people do so, it will hurt the economy. If a few people here and there choose not to go to Walmart, that's fine I guess.
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Post by Mr. Daniel on Apr 30, 2013 11:24:34 GMT -5
I personally think we don't have a moral responsibility to boycott companies, because if enough people do so, it will hurt the economy. Interestingly, this was an argument sometimes given for why the South couldn't end slavery - it would harm the southern economy which was so heavily dependent on slaves. Does that indicate that this line of thinking is not morally helpful? |
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Post by peterjuska on Apr 30, 2013 14:03:01 GMT -5
That's true, but there were plenty other ways in which the Southern economy could have prospered. The most "moral" way would have been to actually do the work themselves rather than having someone do it for them. However that does bring up the point that in sweatshops, people are being taken advantage of. With the slaves though, they were not getting paid at all. At least these sweatshop workers in primarily poor countries are getting SOME money. Adding on to my previous post, I also believe that if I am not directly affected by the means of which a company makes profit/its products, then I don't care. It's not that I don't care about people working in a sweatshop, it's that I think that I personally don't have a responsibiliy to them because I'm not the one making them work. The workers of the company who make the people work in sweatshops are morally responsible. The consumers are just there to simply consume.
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Post by saramwhite on Apr 30, 2013 23:04:16 GMT -5
For what Peter said about consumers only job is to consume I disagree. I believe that if the consumer has a strong view on sweatshops being wrong, then the consumer should no longer give money to companies that use that form of Labor. But that only should apply to people who have very extreme views on the use of sweatshops. I agree with Peter though that since one single consumer is not responsible for the treatment and pay of the workers in the sweatshops there is little a single consumer can do to stop the mistreatment.
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Post by samanthae on May 1, 2013 7:04:39 GMT -5
I agree with Sara. I understand Peters view on supporting the economy yet like in the Southern vs slaves example, there are ways today to let our economy prosper. Not every business will benefit th economy. There are so many companies and businesses that if one is doing something immoral and people state their objection to that action then that is the right of the people to speak there mind against what's wrong. Although all may not choose to participate on the boycotting or some choose to do to much and go to far, they will make a difference. I do think it is the responsibility of the costumes to make a change because otherwise all businesses could potentially begin doing immoral things.
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Post by peterjuska on May 1, 2013 17:46:21 GMT -5
Adding to Sara's comment about consumer responsibility, I believe that if enough consumers come together, then mistreatment of workers can end. And when the word sweatshop comes up I think about the sweatshops mentioned in U.S. History, harsh and brutal like that. Maybe I have the wrong idea about that, however I know for a fact that wages are a big problem for sweatshop workers, (wages are unfair for them).
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Post by tkev317 on May 5, 2013 20:43:32 GMT -5
i also agree with peter, i recall in the movie that we watched in class that sweatshops were viewed as a "Godsend" to the people in poorer countries, the sweatshops actually improved the local economies. i also dont believe that you could compare the sweatshop workers to slaves; the slaves were forced to work, whereas the workers knowingly accepted the work conditions of sweatshops.
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