I recently read an op-ed piece by Robert Reich on Wal-Mart in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/opinion/28reich.html?incamp=article_popular_5
It included the following:
In the eyes of Wal-Mart's detractors, the Arkansas-based chain embodies the worst kind of economic exploitation: it pays its 1.2 million American workers an average of only $9.68 an hour, doesn't provide most of them with health insurance, keeps out unions, has a checkered history on labor law and turns main streets into ghost towns by sucking business away from small retailers.
But isn't Wal-Mart really being punished for our sins? After all, it's not as if Wal-Mart's founder, Sam Walton, and his successors created the world's largest retailer by putting a gun to our heads and forcing us to shop there.
Instead, Wal-Mart has lured customers with low prices. "We expect our suppliers to drive the costs out of the supply chain," a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said. "It's good for us and good for them."
SO, AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?
For me, one of the questions raised by Robert Reich’s Wal-Mart article is what are my obligations to the general welfare and when do they exceed my desire to get the lowest price on things that I purchase?
I agree with Reich that I must take responsibility for my own behavior. I may act collectively with others, hoping to influence the policies of corporations such as Wal-Mart, but my own behavior is critical in “walking the talk” as well.
Ultimately it comes down to what are my values and how are they reflected in my behavior. Rather than telling others what the “ethical” thing to do is, I believe that it is more effective to articulate my own values and how they influence my actions. In searching for a useful framework for articulating my values I framed this question:
WHERE WOULD GANDHI SHOP?
Four of Gandhi’s principles were: Ahimsa (non-violence); Satyagraha (civil disobedience); Swadeshi (self-reliance and supporting the local community); and Saravodaya (social and economic justice).
Gandhi advised every individual to weigh their circumstances in the court of conscience and assess social obligations in the light of truth, non-violence, and justice. For me, Gandhi’s principles of Swadeshi, reliance on the local community, and Saravodaya, acting for social and economic justice, affect my decision not to patronize Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart’s low pay, non-union no benefit jobs and pressure on suppliers to reduce costs violates my principles of supporting economic justice (a living wage with benefits) and patronizing local suppliers (Wal-Mart drives local shops out of business).
I cannot ignore Wal-Mart’s policies and practices that violate my values. I will go out of my way not to shop there. I submit that Gandhi would not shop there either.
Socrates said: The Unexamined Life is not worth living.
It is important to make conscious decisions – to think about the impact that our choices have on supporting exploitation of workers and consumption of resources. People can make considerate choices and not come to the same conclusions that I do. The important thing is to make considerate choices.
In examining individual circumstances, some people may feel that they cannot afford to shop anywhere but where they can get the cheapest price. This may be true in many cases – but not for most of the more middle class folk that I know.
As Robert Reich wrote, People are responsible for their choices. However, I must admit that it saddens me when people that I know and respect only look at the price tags and are unwilling to consider the other economic and social costs. I know that I am far from perfect in many of my choices. Making informed choices takes effort, and I am not always willing to make that effort. I continue to struggle for awareness and conscious choice. I struggle to live by my values. I struggle to define my ethics and make them real. I remain engaged in this struggle even though sometimes I fall far short of practicing my values.
I invite you to partake in the struggle to make considered choices and accept responsibility for the choices that you make. Make the effort when you can. I find that it is worth it.
Yours in Ethical Fellowship,
Randy Best