A post from /r/BuyFromEU got my blood boiling. I don't have an account there any longer, so I have to vent here:
Personally, I am not buying into this idea that you should support a certain business just because it is based in your vicinity. I will buy the product that comes at the best price for the quality I desire. If it is Japanese or American or Chinese, so be it.
In my opinion, the BuyFromEU movement will fail unless the governments of EU countries make a serious attempt to understand the reasons why businesses struggle in the EU and address the structural issues preventing them from scaling up.
Essentially, it is the government's job to fix the reasons why people weren't buying from EU in the first place. Unless the government cuts down on regulations, unless they makes it easier for people to grow their wealth by working hard and not having to pay 50% of their paycheck in taxes, unless they make electricity and gas cheaper, unless they fix the housing shortages in all major cities of Western Europe - this movement will FAIL. Buying Paturain instead of Philadelphia cream cheese is never going to help your economy grow strong.
My choice to not buy Nike and buy Adidas instead will only help the top bosses at Adidas. I am going to still be taxed at 50% of my income, so I might as well buy the cheapest product. The government should give me a serious incentive to buy European, then I will.
The Reddit OP shows a perfect example of:
- Deflecting towards the government instead of taking personal responsibility
- Complaining about taxes and greedy cooperation, while only looking for a personal financial benefit
We as as Europeans must be willing to be uncomfortable again. We ARE the system. So to change the system, we are the ones that must change. Stop whining, start winning.
He is a pure consumer and that all he has ever known all his life. I can’t blame him for being him and him from being the fruit that our system bears. This is why this moment is a positive endeavor if done correctly. We, as Europeans, need more sense of community. We need to think more about the persons living next to us, find ways how we can all boost ourselves together. This is not only about products and consumerism, this is about us as a collective gaining conscience about how we can move further as a true union. This is what this person fails to see, but they will see it, given time.