Have you ever which of the things you're spending your hard-earned money on are complete and total fabrications of capitalism?
Well, it may be a lot more than you think. Capitalism has put such a chokehold on supply and demand that we've been forced to think we need things that we don't.
And if you are willing to hear some hard truths, you may just be in the market to save yourself some serious cash.
u/Wanklesuperloyalis asked:
What should people stop buying?
Here were some of the answers.
Inbred
Pugs and other smashed face dog breeds.
If you already own one, of course carry on loving your pet, they deserve all the love. But I wish people would stop breeding them. They have chronic respiratory issues and never get to take a comfortable deep breath in their life unless medically assisted.
One of the saddest things I've seen on reddit is when veterinarians talk about treating pugs. They like to give the dogs extra time on the respirators because it's the only time they will ever get to breathe easily.
When It's Filler
Food products that say "diet" or "low fat". People think that means it's healthy when, more often than not, it's full of crap that's not good for their health at all.
Or just watered down. "Light" coconut milk for example, has half the calories, because half the can is water. Waste of money. The cookbook Thug Kitchen has lots of helpful tidbits like this.
Little Plastics
GiphyThose "spa feeling" soaps with millions of microplastics
In the European Union they are still legal, they are trying to ban them, but still legal in here.
The European Chemicals Agency says that 10,000 to 60,000 tonnes of microplastics intentionally added to products leak into the environment yearly, are impossible to remove and last for thousands of years. [...] The restriction is expected to become law across Europe by 2020. jramirez192
A Pyramid Scheme By Any Other Name
MLM products
I recently met someone on an online friends site and he was oddly persistent in getting together. I asked if was going to try to sell me something. "Oh not at all" he replied.
When we finally got together it was going to be "business minded people just talking about business concepts and going out for drinks." Sounded like shit but okay I'll give him a shot.
MLM right off the bat. I didn't have anything better to do and drove an hour so I hung out. After the hour long presentation, the gal in front of me (who uses the product and her brother is one of the three guys presenting) turns to ask me if I'm joining. I said no and she stumbled and asked "oh, but you're going to buy some" and I said no again. She was flabbergasted and had no idea how to respond.
Mr. Cellophane
Single Fruit that come in a plastic wrapper!! I mean who buy a single banana or apple wrapped in plastic!! you can just buy the whole damm thing! this is really hurting the earth
Unethical Netting
GiphyNo joke, wild caught fish. Thanks to bottom net trawlers like this one every fishery in the world is becoming critically threatened, and most have already seen almost catastrophic depletion. When you buy sushi, or cod or halibut from the store, you're buying a product that has been harvested unethically. I'm not a huge tree hugger, but those nets don't discriminate, they catch and kill EVERYTHING.
My grandfather fished the high seas for 30 years, and he always said that the scariest thing he had ever seen was a giant commercial trawler with a 3 km long drag net pull up more fish he had ever seen in one fell swoop, and they do this all day every day that they are allowed. The oceans will very likely be completely depleted in less than 30 years if the current rate of consumption continues. There are many places you can research more about this, but I suggest looking here if you want more info: https://marine-conservation.org/what-we-do/program-areas/how-we-fish/destructive-fishing/
Planned Obsolescence
New phones when the old one is just fine. A lot of precious materials go into the production of them and well, have they really improved that much the last few years?
I wish I had been able to keep my "old" phone. It worked totally fine, had everything I needed. But it was a Samsung running on Windows, and when my bank switched to sending the TAN out via app that only worked with Android, I needed the new phone. I'm still salty about that.
The End Of A Gen
Cruises. They are devastating for the planet, release massive amounts of CO2, make the waters in port cities filthy (and often it's the adjacent beaches that cruise-goers are there to see.) More controversially, they actually obliterate local businesses and economies to cater to massive influxes of tourists on shore excursions, while locals lose their services and culture. Where I live (Barcelona) the historic core has lost its historic bakeries, artisans, bookshops, etc for a thousand souvenir dumps selling selfie sticks and lame beer-joke t-shirts 😢
Pile Up
GiphyK cups.
Exceptionally weak coffee, incredibly exaggerated packaging (hard on the landfills), equipment costs are double (if not triple) conventional coffee makers, and potentially harmful buildup of bacteria in the machines. K cups are a novelty that really turned mainstream and should go back to being in a museum.
Before everyone down votes me to hell, I am not sending the police in for your K cups, I just think a lot of people should rethink these little gems.
@hebagowayed/Bluesky
@waitmanwbeorn/X
@eighthoften/Bluesky 
@antigonesdream/Bluesky 
A1