Shopping is an ethical act. Today we live in a culture of cheap. We have an unprecedented access to cheap goods, yet we must recognize that cheap goods are cheaply made. I am not speaking of quality, I am speaking of cheap labor. We must recognize that through the act of shopping—whether it is for an article of clothing, a toy, a pint of strawberries, or even our morning cup of coffee—we participate in a global economy that values profit over people. Disposable goods are made by disposable people, faceless individuals whose backbreaking and unjustly paid labor produce the goods we consume. What we buy and where we buy it is a political act. It is also, I argue, a religious act.
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado
Michelle González Maldonado is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Scranton. Previously a Professor of Religious Studies, she is the author of eight books, including A Critical Introduction to Religion in the Americas: Bridging the Liberation Theology and Religious Studies Divide (NYU Press, 2014).
