NationStates Jolt Archive

Assume we are somewhere where there are only 5 brands, which all can make every product you might desire but use different philosophies. You must buy all your stuff from a single brand. Which of the following would you pick ?

Brand A:
Brand A prides itself on being animal friendly. No poor little rabbit was ever subjected to animal testing, and their meat and dairy all comes from animals that have had an excellent life. However, you have heard that they make room for their factories by cutting down part of the rain forest.

Brand B:
Brand B prides itself on being environmentally friendly. All emissions during production are reduced to the absolute minimum,crops are not sprayed with bugkilling poison, things are produced locally as often as possible to minimise transport costs and the packaging can easily be recycled. However, their food cannot be stored for long and may contain a worm or two. Consumer goods from this brand tend to be somewhat more expensive to buy.

Brand C:
Brand C prides itself on being the result of "fair and ethical trade with third world countries" - they pay a fair price for their goods, do not use childlabour and so on. However, you do know that independent third world farmers can often not afford to risk cropfailure and therefor use pesticides - and that their factories do produce more emissions.

Brand D:
Brand D prides itself on the great quality of their goods and the supreme taste of their food. You are uncertain how well the animals, environment and workers were treated by this brand - but have heard disturbing rumours from reasonably reliable sources. The products themselves however truly are quite excellent.

Brand E:
Brand E prides itself on being cheap. Much cheaper in fact than all competitors. But you know for certain they employ sweatshops, circumvent regulations on pollution and so on.

I'd go for brand B.
I tend to as it is, anyway. I buy mostly fresh goods, and shop for groceries daily or every other day, so the fact that the goods are more perishable doesn't put me off. The price might be a problem now and then, but if it's only a little more expensive and not drastically so, I really don't mind.

B. Albeit B and C tend to come together, sans some of the drawbacks of C.

B. Albeit B and C tend to come together, sans some of the drawbacks of C.

The stuff will still need to be transported over great distances though ;)

The stuff will still need to be transported over great distances though ;)Most of it does anyway. You failed to give a "only buy domestic products" brand, so that point is pretty moot.

If you buy each brand approximately to what suited your needs, I think you can juggle said consequences.

Sticking to one brand only would definitely hurt the consumer.

B.
However I already DO live in a third world country so it would kinda be a B/C combination.

I would buy Brand C, but if I couldn't, I would go for Brand B.

D.

D, for Do not care.

B seems good.

Most of it does anyway. You failed to give a "only buy domestic products" brand, so that point is pretty moot.

Hmm, true. I should also have added to B that environmentally friendly often means not animal friendly.
Ohwell, changing the polltext would be unfair.

Our limited farming practices B methods, so we tend to buy that way, as well.

Definitely brand B. Animal welfare is one of my top priorities, but I always place wild animals above domesticated ones. That means, to me, the environment comes before the livestock.

Animal welfare is one of my top priorities, but I always place wild animals above domesticated ones.

So what you are saying is that domesticated animals don't have to be protected because they're domesticated?? Seems kind of harsh, seeing as domesticated animals are being mistreated the world over!

D

I would like to go for Brand B, but, as a student, I can't really afford to go for the expensive option the vast majority of the time. In all likelihood, as much as I know other brands or companies have better pratices and methods than other, I would have to go for the worse, but cheaper, ones.

Brand E.

It should not be the consumer's responsibility to be informed enough to make the right choice - If people have to care in order to make a difference then the world is doomed. ;)

Definitely brand B. Animal welfare is one of my top priorities, but I always place wild animals above domesticated ones. That means, to me, the environment comes before the livestock.

This brings up an interesting train of thought... I'm not going to claim any originality, but I do like the way it goes.

We're not worried about the pending extinction of any "owned" animals. Cows, chickens, pigs, oysters, mussels, catfish, dogs, cats, etc are all doing well if they are owned. The animals that we worry about are free in the wild. If we could figure out a way to own them, maybe they wouldn't be in so much peril.

I would probably choose Brand D. I can't help it. Whenever I buy a car, I HAVE to buy the best possible version of the particular model I buy. Likewise, whenever I upgrade my computer I make sure it has the best possible hardware available on the consumer market at the time. I just can't help it. I have never researched whether a company is polluting, or whether they enslave their workers, or whether they render vast numbers of species extinct in the most inhumane ways imaginable. At the end of the day, I just have to buy the best possible quality product available for the money that I have.

I'm being honest though! Brownie points for that, right?

I would probably choose Brand D. I can't help it. Whenever I buy a car, I HAVE to buy the best possible version of the particular model I buy. Likewise, whenever I upgrade my computer I make sure it has the best possible hardware available on the consumer market at the time. I just can't help it. I have never researched whether a company is polluting, or whether they enslave their workers, or whether they render vast numbers of species extinct in the most inhumane ways imaginable. At the end of the day, I just have to buy the best possible quality product available for the money that I have.

I'm being honest though! Brownie points for that, right?

You get one brownie point for being honest. You get -9000 brownie points for your wierd needing to have the best car and computer thing.

You get one brownie point for being honest. You get -9000 brownie points for your wierd needing to have the best car and computer thing.

:(

I can't help it! When I went to buy my current car, I had several options:


Cheap and cheerful, without any added frills or performance options
Faster, with sportier suspension, but without any luxuries
TOP OF THE RANGE MODEL WITH EVERYTHING


I went for the third! I couldn't even afford it! I TOOK OUT A LOAN! I TOOK OUT A LOAN!!!

:(

I can't help it! When I went to buy my current car, I had several options:


Cheap and cheerful, without any added frills or performance options
Faster, with sportier suspension, but without any luxuries
TOP OF THE RANGE MODEL WITH EVERYTHING


I went for the third! I couldn't even afford it! I TOOK OUT A LOAN! I TOOK OUT A LOAN!!!
You are obviously insane. You'd best commit yourself to a nice mental hospital before the men in white coats come a put you in a shitty mental hospital.

You are obviously insane. You'd best commit yourself to a nice mental hospital before the men in white coats come a put you in a shitty mental hospital.

I already tried, but I couldn't afford the top-of-the-range cushioned room. IT HAD GOLD HIGHLIGHTS!

I already tried, but I couldn't afford the top-of-the-range cushioned room. IT HAD GOLD HIGHLIGHTS!

Who said anything about afford? Just sit in the lobby and gnaw at your feet until they commit you.

Who said anything about afford? Just sit in the lobby and gnaw at your feet until they commit you.

But then I won't get the top-of-the-range trim options. They'll just stick me in the basic cell! That would be horrific!

Option D, obviously. The quality of food is in my opinion the most important thing in the entirety of all of the known and unknown multiverses. Which is why I do not eat pastries in North America : none of that stale, crusty, oversweetened, "diet friendly" bullshit will enter my French body !!!

You are obviously insane. You'd best commit yourself to a nice mental hospital before the men in white coats come a put you in a shitty mental hospital.As opposed to anybody else here?:p

Morally I should choose B, but since I'm Dutch it would be E.


edit: E has 'humbug' in it, so I choose it per default. :)

This brings up an interesting train of thought... I'm not going to claim any originality, but I do like the way it goes.

We're not worried about the pending extinction of any "owned" animals. Cows, chickens, pigs, oysters, mussels, catfish, dogs, cats, etc are all doing well if they are owned. The animals that we worry about are free in the wild. If we could figure out a way to own them, maybe they wouldn't be in so much peril.

B/C combo if I could afford it, otherwise it would be E I guess. A is nice too, but I don't eat meat, so taking that into account the environment and third world are higher on my list of priorities (of course if it's possible, I'm only a poor student :()

B/C combo if I could afford it, otherwise it would be E I guess. A is nice too, but I don't eat meat, so taking that into account the environment and third world are higher on my list of priorities (of course if it's possible, I'm only a poor student :()

Do note that many of these things cannot be combined. Priorities would be necessary, even if you would be filthy rich.

If i was rich i would choose one of the more expensive but better for enivironment or economy of country.

But i picked E because i'm a poor student, and morally repulsive, but hey the only direction i can go is up. As for that guy who bought a really exspensive car, if you need to take out a loan for a car it's not worth it.

I could argue that my choice of brand E is the most ethical. If everyone went with brand E, the other 4 companies would be forced to take action against E in order to survive. If I simply purchase from a more moral company, E's continuing operation would not be challenged.

Do note that many of these things cannot be combined. Priorities would be necessary, even if you would be filthy rich.

true, but a lot of fair trade stuff I know is also organic. When looking at stuff that is either organic or free trade you could look at the price or the quality. Or if I were filthy rich I could buy organic and donate to fair trade organizations (or other similar projects) and pay people to plant trees to offset the CO2 produced by transport. It's always better to buy either "good for the environment" or fair trade in stead of "bad for the environment and third world".
Another thing to be considered is that if stuff produced here at lower prices (due to industrialization and government subsidies) isn't sold it's often sold in the third world, which is bad for the local farmers, so buying local isn't necessarily bad for the third world. It also produces less CO2, which is good because third world countries are most vulnerable to global warming.

Ideally, B. Realistically, E, because I am poor.

D because I was thinking of jeans

although thats just because of a lack of an "a man on the Internet said to buy this" option

This brings up an interesting train of thought... I'm not going to claim any originality, but I do like the way it goes.

We're not worried about the pending extinction of any "owned" animals. Cows, chickens, pigs, oysters, mussels, catfish, dogs, cats, etc are all doing well if they are owned. The animals that we worry about are free in the wild. If we could figure out a way to own them, maybe they wouldn't be in so much peril.

To begin with, when you domesticate an animal, it undergoes a process of selective breeding that essentially destroys the species itself, making it into something else entirely.

Secondly, it is not practical to commit every endangered species to ownership.

Third, there are captive breeding programs for endangered animals.

Fourth, the majority of livestock undergo deplorable conditions. I wouldn't wish the life of a battery farm chicken on a rat, let alone a bird of prey or big cat.

I definitely will make my own shit out of sticks, rocks, and duct tape.

Brand D. Quality is the most important thing for me.

D, for Do not care.
Or for Don't know.