“Keep The Peasant Class Distracted”: 80 Brutal Reminders Of How Bad Consumerism Has Gotten (New Pics)

You might think that your individual actions don’t have much of an impact, but they do. Companies and organizations react to trends and shifts in consumer behavior, like prioritizing ethical practices, sustainability, and environmental protection.

So, when you, your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors start voting with your wallets, eventually, businesses have to take note… or they risk being left behind. And no company wants to become obsolete.

Of course, many companies won’t change their business strategies merely from the goodness of their hearts.

They adjust their strategies because the shifts in consumer demand make it profitable for them to do so.

And the more vocal and visible these consumers are, the quicker those changes occur to align with these new values in society.

Profitability aside, companies that listen to their eco-conscious consumer base can strengthen their customer loyalty, improve the reputation of their brands, and stand out from their competitors.

What’s more, they can improve the resilience of their businesses by future-proofing themselves against resource scarcity or regulatory shifts.

On top of that, sustainability can lead to innovation, lower costs, and new revenue streams.

During a previous interview, Bored Panda spoke with u/NihiloZerowe, one of the moderators running the ‘Anticonsumption’ community. They were kind enough to tell us all about the group.

“There is a broad range of subject matter that gets discussed in the subreddit. You often see posts from people who are sick of litter, who are discontent with the dominant economic order, and who dislike excess packaging. There are a fair number of vegans in the sub and many subscribers are concerned about global warming and ecological degradation,” they said.

“Occasionally, someone will promote some sort of boycott or protest. I'd say the sub definitely leans left, but I don't ban people who want to argue about some sort of idealistic capitalist ecotopia. One thing that makes the sub stand out from other similar subs is that we don't have much tolerance for green consumerism,” they added that this community is not a place to market your “eco-groovy” products.

The moderator previously explained to us that they encourage people to post the type of content that they would prefer to see discussed.

In u/NihiloZero’s personal opinion, society might start consuming less in the near future. The caveat is that this likely won’t be caused by positive cultural shifts. Rather, it will be led by necessity.

“I believe that resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and political instability around the world will break down the modern system of consumerism as we know it,” they said. They added that the supply chain issues we’ve been seeing in recent years might be nothing compared to what’s to come.

“It would be nice if we could make a smooth transition to smaller self-sufficient and sustainable communities, and I won't try to stop you if that's what you're trying for, but I really don't expect such a transition to be smooth, if it ever happens at all," u/NihiloZero told Bored Panda.

The mod admitted that the community can be a bit holier-than-thou at times. “You see a fair bit of gatekeeping and fingers pointed at those who are deemed to be conspicuous consumers. The anti-capitalists don't like the capitalists. The vegans don't like animal eaters. The pedestrians don't like the filthy motorists. We probably get a relatively high number of luddites commenting in the sub.”

What unites most people who post, however, is that they are “sick of the violence, destruction, and waste in the modern world. Sometimes we can laugh about it, sometimes we can't. Sometimes we're serious, and sometimes we're not.”

The long-running ‘Anticonsumption’ online community is utterly massive. It was created in late September of 2009 and continues to be incredibly active to this very day.

Case in point, at the time of writing, the community boasts a jaw-dropping 750k weekly visitors who share 8k contributions in the group every single week. This is proof of just how many people around the world are environmentally and socially conscious. And this is just one online group!

The community itself is primarily a place to criticize and discuss consumer culture. This includes things like the environment, material consumption, media consumption, corporate influence, etc.

According to the moderators of the subreddit, everyone is encouraged to have polite discussions. That being said, you shouldn’t criticize any other internet users’ lifestyles, unless they specifically ask you to.

What’s more, the mods ask internet users not to make fun of the habits of regular people. However, you are allowed to post photos from the news, like stories about shopping trends or celebrities’ consumer habits.

Furthermore, there’s no room for anyone recommending any brands, products, apps, subscriptions, or software. And you shouldn’t be relying on generative AI to write your posts. (This makes sense considering how environmentally unfriendly the technology is, among other things.)

Which of these posts resonated with you the most, dear Pandas? What are some small ways that you help protect the environment? What environmentally-conscious habits do you hope to pick up this year? Are you trying to curb shopping and food waste?

Share your thoughts and insights in the comments at the bottom of this post.