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Unconsciously, my ethic beliefs then probably followed along the closest with pragmatism as I was only concerned with practical consequences, ones which sadly only affected me (such as not looking my best to others in the new clothes I purchased). After taking ARM 1201, I have awakened ethics within myself that are now the guidelines for dictating my consumption. Through the many things I’ve learned in the class, I’ve shifted myself out of being the unconscious pragmatist that I thought I once was.
Honestly, I normally thought I was doing more good with my consumption habits than others than actually was. It isn’t enough to just casually browse over the home page on a brand’s website and determine “Alright, they look like a decent company” before you buy their apparel. While studying corporate culture back in week four, I learned that to truly make an informed purchase, you should do some research on your own of the company in-question. After did the “25 Day Challenge”, I realized that it wouldn’t hurt to lower the amount of clothes own and wear.
Wearing a completely new outfit from head-to-toe each day makes me feel guilty because I know that there are some parts of the world where people, who are my age and just like me, will wear the same outfit for weeks or even a couple months. My prior ethics weren’t that I didn’t know my irresponsible consumption habits were affecting the world, but instead, that my “bad” impact is nothing in comparison to all the other “bad” things people do that negatively impact the world. Now realize the utter stupidity in figuring that my actions didn’t matter.
Through the course of this class, I realized that if dislike how the world is, I need to change my own bad habits first, to quote the great Mahatma Gandhi, ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world. ” believe that I have now shifted from pragmatism to a more utilitarianism approach with my ethics. If didn’t take this class, a typical trip to the Mall Of America would still look the same for me today. Walk in, go directly to my favorite stores, find the coolest clothes, try them on for hours making sure hat look good in them, buy more items than I really need, then leave.
After that, I go home, and until the next shopping trip, make sure I only wear each item once, so I won’t be seen in the same item Nice (Which would be such a catastrophe if people noticed that! ), and put items in the dirty laundry bin not because they are dirty but because I wore them … Once. Everything I’ve just described shows my previous selfish, only for personal benefit, pragmatic approach. Now, believed that my life follows most closely to a utilitarian approach.
A typical trip to the Mall of America now involves me usually spending time (time I would’ve used trying on clothes) researching the brand that am in interested in buying beforehand. My shopping trips have become noticeably less frequent (my wallet is thanking me for this) as I also second- guess myself to make sure actually do need something before I decide to make a purchase. As I value utilitarian ethics, and those who take a utilitarian approach to life more favorably, I know that I should also try to closely align myself with the same practices that I deeply admire.
Like Gandhi said, to change something you don’t like, you must change yourself if it includes you. To change the world’s consumption habits, must be a model for change myself after learning about all these topics in ARM 1201. To do this, obviously must be an ethical consumer of apparel myself. This starts with me practicing my ethical beliefs, my new ethical viewpoint to life, utilitarianism, in relation to my apparel purchasing, use and disposal. Must buy jeans that don’t only benefit me, but truly benefit the female mother in China who is making them. SST not fall into the trap that our society has led us to believe which says that cannot wear the same shirt two days in a row if it is not dirty. I must not just throw away my still in-good-condition year-old shoes because they are not in style anymore; instead, can give to Goodwill or donate them to a charity where someone who would love to have them would then receive them. F-or the most part, have been fast to criticize the world when it comes to their wrongdoings, but never myself. This needs to change as after taking ARM 1201, I realized that my personal impact is not minimal and that to start to change the world, must begin with myself.