Minimalism is not political, per se. But it is about our relationship to stuff, and purchasing stuff is inherently political.
Every time we purchase anything, we’re supporting a certain store, a certain company, a certain set of business practices.
And since the Supreme Court upheld the claim that corporations have the same rights as American citizens, we’re often indirectly supporting political candidates and policies with our spending. We vote with our dollar, whether we’re intentional about it or not.
With the compounding disasters of a viral pandemic, economic distress, corruption and incompetence in our executive branch, and ongoing racial injustice, now is an excellent time to pay attention to what we’re endorsing with our shopping.
The site and app Goods Unite Us compiles data on which companies donate to which political candidates in federal and state elections so we can make informed decisions about our purchases.
I prefer to shop at companies that refrain from using their money to influence politics entirely. (Yet another reason I love Aldi.) When an apolitical option isn’t available, I choose a brand that’s not a Trump donor.
Goods Unite Us also scores companies on their response to Covid-19. How are companies treating their workers during this pandemic? Do they provide sick leave? Is it paid? Are they retrofitting work spaces with protective barriers and enabling social physical distancing? Or are they expecting their employees to be grist for their profit-generating mill?
The site doesn’t yet score for this, but it’s worth asking for ourselves: How are companies responding to the clarion call for racial justice? Are they silent? Are they issuing a carefully crafted public statement while their employees express outrage over company-wide discrimination and lack of representation in leadership? Are they taking action to interrogate and remedy the way systemic racism has influenced their organization?
Small, independently owned businesses have fewer resources to respond to these crises as thoroughly as a big corporation with deeper pockets. That doesn't mean they don’t deserve our support. Provided they’re not discriminatory, small businesses owned by our neighbors are often most deserving of our patronage. We might not agree on everything, but every neighbor wants a safe, beautiful, welcoming, and functional community.
Some of us are coping with unprecedented loss and stress right now, and the thought of dedicating any time and attention to scrutinizing our spending seems untenable.
But for those of us who are physically and financially healthy, I’d argue we have a moral imperative to scrutinize our spending right now.