It’s becoming a more well known fact that the decisions made in running our country are not actually controlled by our government. There are multiple levels of power above even our president that determine which of our laws are passed, the progression of equality, and basic human rights.
While we are sold this idea of democracy, our nation has actually been an Oligarchy for longer than most are willing to admit. America has even been called the most advanced oligarchy in the world by economist Simon Johnson. Between the financially elite, banks, and corporations, the average citizen’s influence on policy making is near zero. {2014 study Martin Cilens and Benjamin Page.}
Thomas Ferguson (Institute for New Economic Thinking) proposes that the United States has “entered a post-democratic age in which the relations between money and the outcomes of the congressional elections are well approximated by straight lines.” And Lee Drutman wrote in The Atlantic in 2015 that “corporate lobbyists [have] conquered American democracy.”
Sounds like a pretty bleak future for 99% of us.
Almost.
The one thing that the top corporations rely on is that the American population will continue to spend our money at their companies. We’ll continue to drain our accounts and blow our paychecks buying their products or shopping in their stores.
But what if there was a different way?
Since the 2016 election, many conversations have sprung up to shed light on the unethical practices of the corporations exerting their control in our country. One such conversation is being heavily facilitated by #GrabYourWallet. This is organization has banded together to create movement in voting with your money - every day. In just a few short months, the members of this group have exerted their voices in a way that has prompted Nordstrom’s to stop carrying Ivanka Trump’s collection of fashions, and encouraged multiple companies to stop putting their money behind Celebrity Apprentice (thus cutting sponsorships in half for the once top-rated show).
This week on #BeAmplified: the podcast, my co-host and I talked all about three ways that the average consumer can begin to vote with their money on a regular basis:
1. Change Banks
Did you know that the Dakota Access Pipeline is funded by Bank of America, Wells Fargo, HSBC, UBS, Goldman Sachs, and the Bank of Mitsubishi? If your money is housed by any of these organizations, you are inadvertently supporting their policies (regardless of whether or not you agree with them).
Recently, several large institutions, such as the City of Seattle, have stood up to these companies and pulled their money out. What are you willing to do about it?
Tip: Consider moving your money to credit unions which are locally owned by the members, instead of being owned by stockholders, which is the case for banks.
2. Shop Local
When you consider your purchases, where do you instinctively shop? Do you go straight to Amazon, or do you hit up your local options?
When you put your money into independent companies, it’s infinitely more likely that this money will be put back into the community to impact. According to a study by Civic Economics, on average, 48 percent of each purchase at local independent businesses was recirculated locally, compared to less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores. How can you shift your spending habits to support more independent retailers?
Tip: Pick your independent bookstore over Barnes + Noble. Dine at your local trattoria instead of Olive Garden.
3. Do Your Research
I challenge you to find out what practices and organizations your top 10 shopping places/sites support. Do they funnel money into the ACLU or fund lobbyists to destroy human rights on Capitol Hill? Do they support fair labor practices or (like Starbucks and Victoria Secret) use prison labor in the manufacturing and packaging of their goods?
Assume the companies you are supporting with your dollars don’t extend their support to the same organizations you would. Are you okay with your money going to pay for their causes? And if not, what are you willing to do about it?
The power is in your hands and my hands. Each of us has the ability to create massive change in our nation, despite the systems and structures that are continually fighting against us.
And while it’s important to vote in the elections once every four years…. it’s equally, if not more, important to vote every single day using the money in your wallet.
You get the decision of continuing to fund companies that are doing direct harm to our planet, our rights, and our fellow citizens of planet Earth. What are you willing to do about it?
Hear more on this subject in this week’s episode of #BeAmplified: the podcast {on conscious consumerism} at bit.ly/beamplified (iTunes) or bit.ly/beamplifiedandroid (Google Play).