December 31, 2024

 

Dear reader,

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The world's largest companies are endangering humanity’s survival by putting profits before people, promoting relentless consumption. They've turned us—the People—into mindless consumers, fueling a vicious cycle that devastates our environment and undermines our collective well-being.

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With their windfall profits, they bought off politicians to secure outsized wealth, rather than paying taxes at rates that could help reduce the national debt—a debt they helped create by shortchanging us for decades—and secure the welfare of the American people. In the 1950s, a crucial change occurred: stock options, previously taxed as ordinary income, became a tax loophole for both companies and executives. This shift fueled the explosion of stock awards for executives, creating perverse incentives to drive up sales at all costs—often through practices that harm both people and the planet.

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As the net worth's of the already rich exploded, the median household income dropped relative to GDP per capita, leaving families with a lower share of the value they created. Now the majority of families in America live paycheck to paycheck.

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They took our money and continue to convince voters that it's in the best interest of everyone if only a few have all of the money. It will trickle down, they say. These tax cuts will increase wages, they say. They are literally laughing all the way to the bank that they also own. 

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Higher profitability translates into higher stock prices, and that profitability often stems from making products cheaper through methods that fuel inequality. For humanity to become sustainable, corporations must ultimately sell less stuff. That means if they can’t innovate their value proposition, the only path to a sustainable business may be to cease to exist. Don’t feel sorry for them: they exploited you. They deceived you. They manipulated you. They took advantage of you when you were down. And they betrayed your trust. 

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Very few consumer brands can credibly speak about sustainability; in fact, many are essentially its antithesis. Every big-box store you shop at, every online retailer, every supermarket, every brand that’s part of a billion-dollar conglomerate—are fundamentally unsustainable. Their top priority is making money above all else, whereas sustainable businesses aim to solve legitimate problems.

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I founded THINKERER to help us recognize the ways that corporate plutocrats drive us into unsustainable consumption patterns and to restore power to where it rightfully belongs—with the People. By practicing mindful consumption—making conscious choices about what we buy and how we live—and pursuing self-actualization—the full realization of our potential—we can diminish these companies’ influence and secure a sustainable future for humanity.

 

We the People are the solution.​​​​​​