Communicating as an Environmentalist:
Through the Lens of is Buying Fast Fashion Immoral
Is it immoral to shop fast fashion? Think on this and it will be addressed momentarily.
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What are morals? Morals are often defined as what is right and wrong. What this definition fails to provide is how subjective the nature of defining what is right and what is wrong. This term is misused when one does not consider their version of right and wrong in comparison to society's standards of right and wrong. Although this may seem vague, morals categorize individual behaviors with regard to other's well-being. It takes a much broader lens but when accounting for a standard that is agreed upon across the majority of the members in a society, there are limits to what can be seen as an issue of moral versus an issue of possessing different values.
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What are values? Values can be thought of as what an individual accepts to be right versus wrong. Additionally, values dictate the level of significance, importance or how valuable something is held to an individual. This indicates that values determine how one prioritizes different things in accordance to the importance placed on them.
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Because values are created on an individual level, values will differ from person to person. When creating your own set of standards that guide how you conduct your life, you take your knowledge, your lived experiences, and your interest into account. This recipe that results in your own set of values is unique to you. This is just as true that the knowledge, lived experiences and interest of others impact how they define their values differently than how you define your own. When you consider what you deem to be valuable, ask yourself why. What you prioritize is apart of your personal identity. This again is just as true for those who prioritize differently than you. It cannot be expected that everyone will share the same values and prioritize them the same way.
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It is important when communicating over matters that derive from personal values that you account for these differences. It is especially important to not assume someone's values based on how they conduct their life differently than your standard practices that align with your values.
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Values do not equate to level of education. Do not assume that lack of education is the cause for someone prioritizing something you highly value as insignificant. In conversation, it is necessary to actively engage in understanding what the other person is presenting even if you disagree. If not out of respect for the other person, consider how openly you would discuss with someone who was not listening but preparing their retaliation when you spoke. If you want someone to listen, if you want to sway someone to consider your line of thinking, you must also listen and consider what they are saying. In doing so, you must acknowledge how you present yourself in conversation. Are you concerned and passionate over a topic or are you all-knowing and frustrated with the differences in viewing the topic?
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How does this relate to communicating as an environmentalist?
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Being an environmentalist is a choice. Others have the option of not making that same choice. It is not immoral to not consider yourself an environmentalist. While this may all appear to be common sense, the impact of understanding your lifestyle is a choice will reflect in your dialogue over your values.
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As environmentalist, it can be hard to not fixate on the practices in society that are widespread but negatively impact the environment, especially with regards to consumer culture. However, others out there who are not self proclaimed environmentalist may not view their implications of their practices significant enough to change how they conduct their lives. This does not imply that they simply are unaware or do not care how their actions impact the environment but that they prioritize differently. This is an important distinction.
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One is not a better person just simply based off their priorities. How we define values as right and wrong, good and bad are all guided on an individual level. The level of importance one places on protecting the environment is a sliding scale. It is not you either care or you don't. It is a level of what you are willing to sacrifice, what you are willing to change or give up to prioritize the environment. Some will give up more than others. Some will give up fast fashion but still commute to work by car. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with owning a gas powered vehicle as means of getting to and from places. It is not society's standard of immoral. If you gave up your car with concern for the state of the environment, you simply prioritize the environment more than your ownership of a vehicle.
Is it immoral to shop fast fashion?
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By the accepted definition of morals, it is not immoral to shop fast fashion. It is the result of different values. With this perspective, one should not shame others for having different values. To shame others is to invoke a sense of humiliation for doing something wrong. It is not "wrong" to shop fast fashion. It is not "wrong" to own a gas powered vehicle. It is not "wrong" to drink Pepsi even if their plastic bottles are ending up in the ocean. What it can be considered is an action that negatively impacts the environment. Removing yourself from indulging in these practices can have positive impacts on the environment if done as a collective effort among several members of society. The language we use to communicate and how we present our arguments and opinions is important to create change.
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If you refrain from shopping fast fashion, why is it that you do so? Is it because you value protecting the environment? Is it because you value small business and trade? Whatever it is that lead you to this decision was personal. Just because others do not come to the same conclusion as you, it does not mean they are wrong. This mindset is important to have when framing communicating your values as an environmentalist.
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I chose fast fashion to be a topic put forth in this article because it appears to be a contentious topic in the context of protecting the environment. I personally make an effort to buy second hand or locally when I can. When I think of why, there are several reasons and one being I care about lessening my impact in consumer culture and on the environment. This decision is derived from the value I place on protecting the environment. And even if I would hope that everyone would make the same decision for themselves, I have to accept not everyone values the environment on the same level that I do in order to go without the comforts of consumer culture.
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When you consider the changes you've made in order to lessen your negative impact on the environment, consider what you have not done yet and why. Have you done everything you could? There is privilege in being able to decide what you are willing to change. Going without plastic in every aspect of your life is not only a very difficult task, but it requires the ability to transition to that kind of change. Plastic is often the most affordable option. The more affordable cleaning supplies come in plastic. The more affordable tupperware is plastic. The more affordable water-bottles are plastic. It is a privilege to have the choice to not buy plastic. Take everything into consideration when you discuss what your ideal practices are that you want others to implement in their daily lives.
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Values translate into action. Being an environmentalist is not a performance. You can say all the right things but still not be an agent for change in practice. When you communicate, remember how much of what you say you actually hold true in practice, otherwise what you claim to value is not truly what you value. Understand why you do what you do and why you don't do you what you don't do. Refrain from telling others what they "should" do. Lead by example and tell others why.
Ethics, morals and values. INSIGHTSIAS. (2021, August 26). Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.insightsonindia.com/ethics-integrity-and-aptitude/ethics-and-human-interface/ethics-morals-and-values/#:~:text=Values%20are%20what%20an%20individual,moral%20character%20of%20an%20individual%E2%80%9D.
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Riesleman, D. (n.d.). UC experts define values, ethics and morals. University of Cincinnati. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://magazine.uc.edu/issues/0805/whatarevalues.html