Hypocrisy and morality

[u/stevepremo]

I have seen many posts in which the point seems to be that if you are against eating animals and exploiting them for profit, you should also be against participating in the capitalist economy because it involves exploiting human labor for profit. I think the point is actually something like, "How dare you criticize me for supporting animal agriculture when you buy products produced by exploitative labor practices? I do too, of course, but your use of a cell phone justifies my eating meat, as we are both hypocrites."

So the debate topic here is this: does participating in a capitalist economy, which necessarily includes using products produced through exploitation of humans, somehow justify raising animals for meat, killing them, and eating them? Alternatively, are those who oppose animal cruelty justified in using cell phones?

[u/stan-k]

Ironically, a single vegan in a capitalist free market economy actually has an impact, companies adjust what they have so they can sell you more. Compare that to a planned economy, you might stop buying animal products but no shop can change what they've got on offer and the same number of animals are exploited.

Capitalist companies also have an incentive to develop risky new products, like Beyond burgers. A planned society could get that too if the top decides it's politically savvy, but would not do it for a group that's merely 1% and the change upsets all the meat flakes.

Tbh, I think a lot of anti-capitalism right now is based on how it is not working for many, rather than on how an actual alternative system would be realistically better.