“There is no ethical consumption in capitalism” may be a little extreme, but there are definitely companies that I think are just so egregiously evil in every category. It'll be handy to just know which ones to avoid without looking them up or carrying a list. Whether labor, environmental, tax evasion, or other reasons, please submit your Top 10.
Here's mine (some companies are undoubtedly more evil than a few on this list, like ExxonMobil, but it's also not practical to avoid gasoline… this list is more about companies that we can easily identify and avoid):
- Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, other Elon Musk companies. This daddy-made billionaire openly takes pride in union-busting. His cars and spaceships benefit the wealthy, depend on massive tax subsidies to survive, and are bad for the environment. He flaunts supporting coups in Bolivia, and makes bank off of Congolese child slaves to mine his conflict minerals. Alternative: Buy cars made by unionized companies. Buy used cars. Or better yet, take the bus or ride a bike!
- Amazon, Whole Foods, Washington Post, other Jeff Bezos companies. This daddy-made billionaire is also on the front lines of union-busting and works his workers to the bone. Remember the poor workers who got killed in an Amazon warehouse from a tornado because they were told to stay put instead of evacuate? Remember the poor drivers who have to pee in bottles, and then Jeff Bezos lied about that? Buying Washington Post is also a direct threat to a free and open media. Alternative: Shop local. Plan ahead.
- Walmart. I know that this is a tough one for people who might not have many other options. But for food at least, maybe try to shop at farmer's markets, co-ops, etc. (and ask if they take food stamps/EBT – a lot of them do!). Alternative: Lots of others.
- Apple. Uses Chinese slave labor, conflict minerals, etc. Opposes the right to repair. Intentionally made older iPhones so slow as to become unusable. Alternative: Android (run by #6, Google, which isn't much better…)
- Nestle. Literally steals clean water from those who need it the most. Lies about formula being better than breastmilk. Alternative: Just look on the back of a package to see its logo.
- Google. “Do No Evil” my ass. Gmail may be free and convenient, but have you ever wondered how does Google make money? YOU are their product. All of your information is read and sold by them. Google mines your emails and sell the info to marketers. Google cooperates with the government to spy on you. Also did a mass layoff just because they could. Alternative: Private, paid email services. Use DuckDuckGo or other search services. Use your browser's private mode, delete your browsing history & cookies whenever possible.
- Disney. Steals others' ideas and then pimps product lines as its own. Look up “Kimba the White Lion” on Wikipedia. Look up “María Salud Ramírez Caballero” – Disney (Pixar) interviewed her, took her photos, made her into the Mama Coco character, lied to her saying they'll take care of her, and then told her to fuck off. Disney also fires American workers and replaces them with foreign indentured servants. Alternative: Read books, essays, go out and play sports, organize a union, watch something else. Trust me, you'll survive without their garbage brainwashing.
- Microsoft, Adobe, other big software companies. They seek to corner their respective markets, then turn their products into a “service” for which you pay rent – forever. You don't own anything, you are just a cow to be milked until you die. Alternative: Lots of other software companies out there which offer similar apps, including much lower cost & free/open source options.
- Uber, Lyft, and similar “tech companies”. Their whole business model is to exploit labor law and market regulations. They control the how, where, when, etc. of their workers' jobs, but then claim that their workers are not employees to avoid paying wages & benefits & taxes. Their workers are also shouldered with all the liability (e.g. crashing their car) that comes with their jobs. Alternative: Call your local taxi company. Use a restaurant's own delivery service, or go pick up the food yourself. Make your own dinner. Plan ahead.
- Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, basically any huge national bank. The only question to ask is, why haven't these evil, pieces of shit banks been taken apart, and all of their executives locked up in jail? Because they control the government through their lobbyists and “donations”. From mortgage fraud, to predatory fees that screw over their poorest customers, to even faking accounts of its own customers, there is no low that they won't go. They are also horrible to their employees, and pressure their employees to prey upon customers.
Remember, a poor robs a bank and they get 5 years in federal prison. The bank robs a poor and nobody gives a damn. These cancers upon society should 100% die. Do your part and take your money out. Don't get loans from them. Don't give them any business. Alternative: Lots! Local community banks. Credit unions. Online banks (make sure they're FDIC insured).
Tell your friends & family. Spread the word. 1 person won't make a dent. But 1 person who tells 10 others, and they then tell 10 others each, will eventually cause these evil companies to collapse and die. Do your part.