Off late, with the mass bombings and genocide happening in Gaza and knowing how Israel has provided licenses to fuel companies (one of them being British petroleum) to profit out of Gaza's gas I realized that the conflict (well, it's not a conflict anymore, it's pure apartheid) was also being viewed from a capitalistic point of view. Further, getting to know that Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the UK, is most likely profiting from the genocide since Infosys signed a billion-dollar deal with British Petroleum led me to a dilemma of how unknowingly complicated and frustrating ethics can be.
I am not talking about the politicians, the leaders, and world peace-makers. I am referring to common people. People who live on the other side of the world and only get to see this in the comfort of their homes. People who have been mostly unaffected by this war. People who have been going ahead with the rest of the day as if nothing happened. People like you and me.
Imagine an employee of a company like Infosys who strongly stands with the people of Gaza. Let's call him Ramesh. One day, while Ramesh is checking the news, he finds out that the company that employed him is profiting from the war. Imagine the flood of guilt, anger, and helplessness he must feel knowing that he has probably without his knowledge been part of a system that is benefitting from such an unspeakable event. Every month end, Ramesh is going to receive his salary with a pinch of guilt.
But what would you expect him to do in reaction to this? Would you expect him to resign? What if this job is his bread and butter? What if he is the sole breadwinner of his family? Ramesh can't even talk about it to his colleagues as he is scared that his stance will affect his appraisals in the future. He really needs this job.
This made me realize that even if one may have personal/political opinions it takes a certain amount of privilege to voice them out without any major repercussions in their daily life.
Even when it comes to boycotting brands, how often have boycotting brands like Shein, H&M, or other fast fashion outlets actually made a difference in the lives of the workers being exploited? What if the consumers had no idea and bought the clothing pieces? Would that make them bad people?
Similarly, to what level would boycotting brands like KFC, McD or Starbucks actually affect the overall profit and revenue they produce when only a very small percentage of us would mindfully restrain ourselves from consuming such pro-Israel brands?
This goes on to further reiterate that in a highly capitalistic world, even ethics can come with a price.
Want to buy coffee from a brand that rightfully sources coffee beans while paying their employees fairly? That’s a good chunk of your salary going into 1 cup of coffee. Want to get a cup of coffee that won’t burn a hole in your pocket even if the business steals its coffee beans to produce coffee? Well, too bad. You’re not ethical!
Watching how genocide unfolded right in front
of our eyes for the past 1 month has horrified me. Watching religious people
defend the genocide has made me go numb. And then knowing that Gaza has an oil
reserve, Israel had all the time in the world to sign fuel deals, and that the
US-sponsored more aid to Israel has made me mentally and emotionally saturated
to ethical conundrums.
This also made me realize how evil capitalism can be. How much ever you want to cover it up, it all depends on profit at the end of the day. So if you’re living on an oil reserve and it’s worth a fortune, you’re only a “hindrance” to me. I’ll ask you to vacate nicely. But you won’t And then I’ll say that a terrorist organization uses you as a human shield. And so I’ll take advantage of it and bomb the city mercilessly. Either way, you leave, and I get the oil reserves fully.
The worst
part is most of us come to realize this while also living breathing and
contributing to a capitalistic system.
What does one do to come to terms with such
blood on their hands?
The truth is, with or without our
knowledge, whether or not we like it, we have all in some or another way
profited from the evils of capitalism. Maybe the beans I bought at the local
market from the middleman were not bought at a rightful price from the farmer.
Maybe the electronics I purchased came at a reasonable price because the
company I purchased from doesn’t want to provide a safe working environment for
its factory workers and so they save tonnes of money from regular safety
checks.
Most of all, how does one fall asleep knowing this? How does one get over the fact that there is blood on their hands too? Our hands. All of our hands!
Oh, merciful Lord, forgive me!
Articles mentioned
1. Infosys wins $1.5 billion deal from BP
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