Find me a cell phone, or even a cable, company that uses entirely ethical labor practices and I'll begin to think about entertaining this conversation
So do I. That's why making straw-man arguments to burn ... really doesn't progress the conversation at all.
If you buy products that are made by slaves, then you are complicit in slave labor. Period. If you're okay with that but not okay with listening to Kanye, then fine, that's where your moral compass is. If you're not okay with either then dont do either. I understand we live in a capitalist Society there's only so much that one can do, but draw your own lines and understand that you do have some choice in the purchases you make and the things you support.
Everyone here understands that, and I will reiterate: those "choices" are largely based on class and economic realities and if having an issue with problematic musicians is within someone's grasp while buying ethically sourced (read: incredibly expensive) clothing isn't, that's not really something you have any right to get on your high horse over.
I don’t get why it has to be an all or nothing dichotomy, boycott everything or boycott nothing, there is literally an entire Good Place scene about this concept i.e. why can’t we do good when we can? Start local or small with change or idk do what is in your power ALSO Smart phones aren’t particularly a luxury anymore and the demands of some professions make it so that not having one actively makes the job harder, and if you think that Android or Samsung or w/e is out here looking like mother Theresa w/r/t ethics I’ve got a motherfuckin bridge to sell you
Not a single person has disputed this. You keep repeating it like someone has. Not a single person has said they are "ok with that." If I don't use a computer, I don't have a job. Me getting any job that does not use a computer will be very hard. I will no longer be able to eat things if I don't have a job. That would really suck. If I don't "promote" Kanye West (given that I've already said I will probably listen to this album, but will feel weird recommending it or praising it publicly), I don't stop being able to eat. These are not equal things or decisions. The decision tree downward from listening to and promoting an artist is far different than a decision tree downward from not buying and using technology.
List of ethical cell phone companies: ??? List of musical artists who haven't said bill cosby innocent or co-signed alt right grifters: many millions
again: there's no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism. and again: the system is pervasive. at some point in each product, good, or service's supply chain there is going to be horrible exploitation and/or environmental degredation, whether it's through working conditions, pay, unsustainable sourcing, pollution from manufacturing, pollution from consumption or disposal, etc. Everything from an iPhone to your food to your clothes to your electricity to your video games to literally almost any other tangible item you can think of is going to be something that is produced or a service provided that is horrible. you cannot escape it. you cannot make decisions to purchase products as "good vs. bad." At best, we as consumers are making decision to purchase between "bad vs. less bad." I mean, we all get what you're trying to say. And none of us are arguing that we don't all make really shitty decisions when it comes to what we purchase and where we spend our money on items. But you're not doing any good by trying to equate the debate over to what extent, if any, support and consumption of art produced by kanye with consumption of a cell phone. Imagine going into the comments section of an article with this headline You can’t buy an ethical smartphone today with us posting "man, i really like my iPhone but I wish it didn't come at the humane and environmental costs as laid out in this article" and saying "oh yeah, well you listened to the new kanye album, hypocrite!" like...
This isn’t exactly a 1 to 1 comparison, but i find it interesting how people can condemn so much stuff (like Kanye) yet still live in civilizations on planet earth that were made via slave labor. Get woke, build a rocketship.