The Price of Humanity

When thinking of what should be more affordable, do we think about whether things cost enough in the first place? These decisions impact whether costs spiral up vs spiral down. The cost and the price are not the same things.

Paying people fairly will raise the cost. It may also raise the price, but it doesn’t need to. Sometimes a higher price will be worth the societal good of increased labor costs—fairly paid workers. Sometimes we may want companies to internalize increased costs at the expense of profit—so long as the lack of profitability doesn’t impact their ability to hire and pay more workers.

Capitalism is often a straw man for the consumerism we all participate in. Nobody wants to be on the hook. Staunch anti-capitalists still subscribe to Amazon Prime and shop on BooHoo, having heard the tales of worker exploitation. Principles aren't cheap. Ethics come at a personal cost. Perhaps we should all be prepared to pay for a better tomorrow.