Are Consumers to Blame for Corporate Social Irresponsibility?

I’m guilty of it, and I’m sure you are too... buying gas; or clothes; or food; or anything, and not knowing where it came from, how it got there, the working conditions under which it was made, the environmental impact of its manufacturing, etc., etc.  

Do you know how your new favorite dress got to the store or if the person who picked those green beans you’re eating was only 5 years old? … Oh, you don’t wear dresses and you don’t eat green beans? Well I do, and I don’t know where they come from, along with pretty much everything else I consume.

As consumers, we are generally ignorant and purchase without background info on the production, shipment, and marketing of the products. This type of “blind purchasing” leads to and encourages corporate laziness. If we don’t care, why should they?

Not only is blind purchasing encouraging of corporate social irresponsibility, but what about those people who work for companies that act out against the better interests of society to make an extra buck simply because they can or because it is the nature off their business? Should employees give up their job, or fight for improved business practices, or just keep working? Are there different levels of responsibility depending on the employee's influence in the company? These are tough questions, and honestly, I don’t know what I would do. I’ve worked for corporate restaurants that waste obscene amounts of food and for offices that throw away paper even when it’s sorted in the recycle bin. Although these examples are nowhere near the worst of the worst business practices, should I have said something? Should I have walked out the door when I realized what they were doing? Maybe, but I didn’t and I doubt many people do.

Most of the products that we love come from controversial industries that use the image of corporate social responsiblity to mask the real effects of their business in the public eye. Think about gas, tobacco, coffee, and energy  used to power your computer... how do these industries treat their employees and surrounding communities? How do these markets impact the environment and what responsiblity are they holding for the enhancement of the public sphere versus the enhancement of their shareholders' wallets?

Ignoring both community and world issues, and simply not thinking about the things we use, buy, and take for granted everyday are all ways we as consumers allow and aid in the continuation of corporate social irresponsibility and in-turn, a less rich community and public sphere. Here is a list of the Top 10 Socially Resonsible Corporations, now go research your favorite products and business to see how socially responsible they are!!

Next week’s blog: Does corporate social responsibility really exist or is it just a marketing scheme?