Hillsdale students should put their money where their opinions are. Courtesy | Nike Inc.
Think of all the products you use on a typical day. From clothing to food to entertainment, you rely daily on a wide variety of companies for pleasure. While Starbucks, Amazon, and Nike in themselves seem harmless, the corporations support organizations that directly contradict the convictions of many students on campus.
When students choose to support companies that don’t align with their values, they are behaving inauthentically. The source of moral tension can arise from several different areas. Some students might disagree with Disney’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues and its donations to organizations that promote LGTBQ+ ideologies to children. Others might object to Starbucks’ promise to pay for their employees to travel out of state for abortions. Some might avoid Nike because of its alleged reliance on forced labor in China.
Objections like these hold merit. As humans, we can easily spot deficiencies in others and feel noble in pointing them out. But berating these companies without taking any other action is virtue signaling. It costs no effort or discomfort to talk badly about an unethical business, and it makes one seem more righteous than others. Without a change in action, though, this condemnation lacks authenticity.
When a politician flies in a private jet to a conference on climate change, we quickly call him out for his hypocrisy. Yet Hillsdale students behave the same way when, unwilling to give up their comfort, they continue to benefit from companies that don’t align with their values. Such separation between belief and behavior shows the weakness of our conviction in the face of slight discomfort.
Because we don’t take the time to research every single company or product we use, it’s easy to accidentally support a business whose values contradict ours. We could not boycott every immoral corporation unless we isolated ourselves from the world. But once we realize that a company supports organizations that directly oppose our values, we cannot morally continue to support their business. We can no longer claim ignorance but must instead take responsibility for our actions and decide whether we will live out our convictions. Ultimately, giving up a service or pleasure for the sake of conscience will bring greater peace than compromising our values. Demonstrating our values through action, we can live honestly and faithfully in a world filled with insincerity and inconsistency.
Although Hillsdale has a reputation for equipping students to serve in political or advocacy work, not every student will choose this path. The wide range of talents and interests on campus contribute to the unique culture of Hillsdale and can be honed to fill a variety of needs in the world after college. For students who want to make an impact yet don’t want to pursue a career in politics or advocacy, conscientious spending can be a simple way of making a difference. Regardless of whether a boycott financially affects a corporation, it can be used to raise awareness. By refusing to spend money on a corporation that contradicts his values, a student can encourage those around him to think about their own lives and how their values and behaviors align.
While this sort of living might sound legalistic to some, it actually will benefit your everyday life. Being conscientious with where you spend your money will inevitably help you to avoid squandering it and to start saving it. Disney+ costs between $6 and $15 a month. If you chose to cancel your subscription, you would have an extra $72 at the end of the year.. Consider how much you could save this year by boycotting even just five companies whose values you disagree with.
If the thought of giving up your subscription to Disney+ sounds miserable, first consider that people have lived for thousands of years without TV. But giving up Disney+ does not mean you have to forgo all entertainment. Subscription services such as Movies Plus and Pure Flix offer a wide variety of content for a similar price. Additionally, students can use the app PublicSq. to discover local businesses that support their values and offer conservative alternatives to the services of woke corporations.
As Hillsdale students, we all sign the Honor Code, in which we promise to be “honest in word and deed.” When we support companies that directly violate our highest values, we are not fulfilling that pledge to the college, to each other, or ourselves.
