Memento Mori wrote:I think morally it's worse to buy expensive hardware made in a country committing genocide but a lot of us (including myself) are going to do that soon.
For sure. There's an inescapable tension between the moral imperative to try to make ethical decisions about purchases, and the knowledge that pretty much any product we buy - KK listed all sorts - will have had serious negative impacts on some community or environment as it was made.
J.K. Rowling is currently using her influence to, basically, plaster unhinged conspiracy theories about trans people all over Twitter. That's something that I've been directly exposed to: I've read it and seen the very upset reactions of trans people I know or follow, and it disgusts me and makes me angry with her. So I don't want to buy a video game I associate with her. It's an emotional response, a kind of f-you to her as a person.
But logically you're right, you know? I have all sorts of electronics and gadgets that contributed to armed conflict in central Africa or child labour in China. I do need one or two of them, but not all of them - I could have at least made an effort to get my Switch second-hand, or got a less fancy phone that hopefully had a less dire impact on the world. It's not like I don't care about the issues! And typing that out I feel a bit bad that I didn't try harder, to be honest! But at the same time, I recognise it's silly to expect change to come from a handful of particularly conscientious consumers feeling guilty and deciding to get Fairphones instead of Samsungs. It's the system of global capitalism that props up mine-warlords in the Congo, not individual purchasing preferences.
So the real way to lobby for change in society is through organising and solidarity, right? For instance, you advocate for (and if possible help out with!) unions if you want better working conditions and worker's rights. The goal is to get people talking about unions, to understand why they're important and what they can do, and fingers crossed people then join and contribute dues or time or take part in actions. Or if it's racism and social justice you feel strongly about, then the BLM protests are a good example of something you can be really vocal in your support for, and so on.
I guess my conclusion is that while choosing not to buy something (even as part of a boycott) is not going to make a great deal of difference in and of itself, using a controversial product as an opportunity to advocate for systemic change might be impactful. I'm not actually going to save the world by buying a Fairphone, but maybe if I were to buy one then talk to people about conflict minerals or climate change then that could have a positive impact. Buying a Harry Potter videogame doesn't make someone a transphobe, but if someone is trans or a trans ally and advocates for trans rights by telling people why they're not buying the game then I think that's a reasonable form of activism.
I don't know what the best way to phrase the discussion is, but I think lots of people saying "I'm not buying J.K. Rowling's new game because she is a horrible bigot" is good. I'm not going to try to talk anyone else out of making the purchase, but I definitely am going to try to convince people that there is a movement of people - of which J.K. Rowling is one - spreading really quite vicious anti-trans rhetoric; that this group is really very aggressive with how it lobbies politicians and the media, and tries very hard to make its arguments seem "scientific" or "feminist", but actually has more in common with the anti gay rights movement; and that as it picks up steam, it's also becoming an engine for more general homophobia of all different kinds, using anti-trans rhetoric as a wedge. As long as we're all genuinely aware of J.K. Rowling's really nasty bigotry and her role in all that then I don't personally care that much if anyone buys the game or not because this moment will have fulfilled its purpose in spreading that information.
Saying all that, I still think it's fair enough if trans people or queer allies, who are currently having all sorts of abuse thrown at them because of J.K. Rowling, call someone a dickhead for buying Harry Potter stuff. Trans people might well take this as a mark of who is a genuine ally, so I feel like people who choose to make the purchase have got to bear that in mind and take it on the chin.
