The Consumption Ecosystem

Out of sight, out of mind billions labor in poverty so more-prosperous end-consumers can enjoy a bounty of cheap food, cheap energy and cheap goods.

Out of sight, out of mind billions labor in poverty so more-prosperous end-consumers can enjoy a bounty of cheap food, cheap energy and cheap goods. By no choice of their own, they must shoulder a heavy burden so that more prosperous end-consumers can live better, more fulfilling lives secure in the belief that the supply of cheap stuff is a birth right not a privilege. The bounty of this capitalistic Mardi Gras, most consumers believe, is supposed to go on forever, free from consequences.

Multinational corporations, just like their colonial predecessors, extract resources and exploit cheap labor, as if the land and those who live on it are completely expendable. The goal to minimize production costs and maximize profit seems to take precedent above all else. With the rise of Asia, new players have emerged and become the biggest commodity consumer markets. Hard-fought gains in human rights and environmental protection are quickly being erasing.