Earlier quoted context omitted.
This argument, most of the time, is just bad and not smart. "If you hate capitalism, why do you use iPads? etc." It's dreck and it should stop because it's rarely constructive. Sometimes it's a necessary tool. Sometimes people are experimenting. Sometimes people do actually sell out. The problem with this argument is that it tries to shut down the above questions. Details matter, and bad arguments like the above rare…
A few counterpoints I’ve heard over the years include: * The prevailing system will never be toppled by the conscious choice of the individual consumer. * No one person has the power to overturn capitalism, no matter how persistent. * There is no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism.
That's such a useless statement that even were it true, it proves the parent's point. That moral judgement doesn't lead us closer to a world without capitalism. Go to any haven of anti-capitalism and ask for a link to the manual they have for getting from HERE to THERE. Not even a theory on how to dismantle what we have.
FWIW personally I think capitalism is the worst system, other than all the others. Rein it in, set principles in stone for what we expect and demand from our system, but markets shouldn't magically disappear because we've lost control once.