There aren't many European brands left. They've all been bought by the same mega corps: Milka, Toblerone, Alpengold, Knorr, Lipton, etc It's all just Mondelez, Unilever, Nestle these days.
I used to watch food mystery box unpacking videos with stuff from all around the world. Even brands from Eastern Europe or the middle east belong to them these days.
Edit: I stick with generic super market brands for the most part. They're much cheaper and tend to avoid these retarded marketing campaigns.
That is sad to hear. Then we need better laws to break up these mega-corps. Far too much advocacy for mega-corps by conservatives has focused on "efficiency" while completely ignoring the effect that such concentrations of capital goods, power and market control have on consumer choice, freedom and democracy.
Of course, our chances of getting such a thing passed in corporate/billionaire controlled politics are approximately... none.
The left used to be against these mega corps pretty heavily because they do all kinds of shady shit. Then the corps got wise, pandered to the left's ideology and bamm: instant liberal approval! All is forgiven and forgotten.
The shallowness of their supposed principles was demonstrated when they were suddenly OK with Nike's child slavery when it pandered to black collective Munchhausen. Pay a crooked, half-black millionaire more undeserved money and they are suddenly totally fine with enslaving (non-white) kids.
It is sad to see what has become of these people. They are ideological drones, completely weaponized by corrupt elites. Pathetic. As Tim Pool says: they should now be called Rage For The Machine.
Far too much advocacy for mega-corps by conservatives has focused on "efficiency" while completely ignoring the effect that such concentrations of capital goods
Well ... what effect has it had? Right now is still the most prosperous time to be alive for anybody in the west who chooses to participate in it by developing skills and working. When I was a kid a few decades ago there were like two brand choices for everything on grocery shelves. Just because a few mega corporations now own all of those brands doesn't really matter when there are a dozen other alternatives from local and boutique brands as well.
I'm no fan of the idea of consolidation into mega corporations, but honestly, has it actually been that bad?
Right now is still the most prosperous time to be alive for anybody in the west who chooses to participate in it by developing skills and working
Man cannot live on bread alone.
I'd rather be somewhat poorer but have freedom and autonomy, than to be controlled by giant corporation and receive a slave's stipend in return.
Just because a few mega corporations now own all of those brands doesn't really matter when there are a dozen other alternatives from local and boutique brands as well.
I hear what you mean, but there is a major issue when these corporations are too big to fail, that they are basically autonomous from their consumers, and therefore able to push their own agendas - subverting democracy and our freedom. Why is it, for example, that Gillette pushes the most absurd nonsense imaginable? Because it's too big.
Although the fact that Harry's also pushes the same thing seems to argue against that. But IIRC, we got Harry's to remove their nonsense, but not Gillette. We have more influence over smaller companies than we do over these corporate behemoths.
I'm no fan of the idea of consolidation into mega corporations, but honestly, has it actually been that bad?
Economically, it was probably more efficient, but many things are so much more important than efficiency. I think we are prosperous enough to be able to sacrifice a small part of our well-being in exchange for not being domineered over by these corporate tyrants.
I can go to any sporting goods second hand store and walk out with a great set of gear for any outdoors activity that I want for a few hundred bucks and then kayak/rock climb/hike/whatever to my heat's content.
I can go to a Lowe's or Home Depot and get a pretty capable set of tools for woodworking for less than $500 and build a deck or remodel a house or whatever I want.
I can hop on Amazon and grab Arduino-compatible microcontrollers and sensors and motors and actuators and LEDs and whatever I can imagine for $100, download the software for free, and build any experiments I can think of.
If there's something you want to do at a hobbyist level, you an do it. It's cheap, it's accessible, it's easy. Just fucking do it. Mega corporations aren't stopping you. You don't have to live on bread alone ... though I do understand that you're not from the US so maybe whatever shit hole country you live in doesn't have these options.
Why is it, for example, that Gillette pushes the most absurd nonsense imaginable?
Yeah, it's annoying. But I don't think it's a function of Gillette and P&G being "too big to fail." Plenty of small businesses in my area are also happily flying the progressive colors, and were doing so long before the big corporations latched onto it.
I think we are prosperous enough to be able to sacrifice a small part of our well-being in exchange for not being domineered over by these corporate tyrants.
So do it? Go buy your shit from one of the smaller, slightly more expensive boutique outlets that I mentioned in my post.
There aren't many European brands left. They've all been bought by the same mega corps: Milka, Toblerone, Alpengold, Knorr, Lipton, etc It's all just Mondelez, Unilever, Nestle these days.
I used to watch food mystery box unpacking videos with stuff from all around the world. Even brands from Eastern Europe or the middle east belong to them these days.
Edit: I stick with generic super market brands for the most part. They're much cheaper and tend to avoid these retarded marketing campaigns.
That is sad to hear. Then we need better laws to break up these mega-corps. Far too much advocacy for mega-corps by conservatives has focused on "efficiency" while completely ignoring the effect that such concentrations of capital goods, power and market control have on consumer choice, freedom and democracy.
Of course, our chances of getting such a thing passed in corporate/billionaire controlled politics are approximately... none.
The left used to be against these mega corps pretty heavily because they do all kinds of shady shit. Then the corps got wise, pandered to the left's ideology and bamm: instant liberal approval! All is forgiven and forgotten.
The shallowness of their supposed principles was demonstrated when they were suddenly OK with Nike's child slavery when it pandered to black collective Munchhausen. Pay a crooked, half-black millionaire more undeserved money and they are suddenly totally fine with enslaving (non-white) kids.
It is sad to see what has become of these people. They are ideological drones, completely weaponized by corrupt elites. Pathetic. As Tim Pool says: they should now be called Rage For The Machine.
They aren't called useful idiots for nothing.
Well ... what effect has it had? Right now is still the most prosperous time to be alive for anybody in the west who chooses to participate in it by developing skills and working. When I was a kid a few decades ago there were like two brand choices for everything on grocery shelves. Just because a few mega corporations now own all of those brands doesn't really matter when there are a dozen other alternatives from local and boutique brands as well.
I'm no fan of the idea of consolidation into mega corporations, but honestly, has it actually been that bad?
Man cannot live on bread alone.
I'd rather be somewhat poorer but have freedom and autonomy, than to be controlled by giant corporation and receive a slave's stipend in return.
I hear what you mean, but there is a major issue when these corporations are too big to fail, that they are basically autonomous from their consumers, and therefore able to push their own agendas - subverting democracy and our freedom. Why is it, for example, that Gillette pushes the most absurd nonsense imaginable? Because it's too big.
Although the fact that Harry's also pushes the same thing seems to argue against that. But IIRC, we got Harry's to remove their nonsense, but not Gillette. We have more influence over smaller companies than we do over these corporate behemoths.
Economically, it was probably more efficient, but many things are so much more important than efficiency. I think we are prosperous enough to be able to sacrifice a small part of our well-being in exchange for not being domineered over by these corporate tyrants.
How do you figure this is a response to me?
I can go to any sporting goods second hand store and walk out with a great set of gear for any outdoors activity that I want for a few hundred bucks and then kayak/rock climb/hike/whatever to my heat's content.
I can go to a Lowe's or Home Depot and get a pretty capable set of tools for woodworking for less than $500 and build a deck or remodel a house or whatever I want.
I can hop on Amazon and grab Arduino-compatible microcontrollers and sensors and motors and actuators and LEDs and whatever I can imagine for $100, download the software for free, and build any experiments I can think of.
If there's something you want to do at a hobbyist level, you an do it. It's cheap, it's accessible, it's easy. Just fucking do it. Mega corporations aren't stopping you. You don't have to live on bread alone ... though I do understand that you're not from the US so maybe whatever shit hole country you live in doesn't have these options.
Yeah, it's annoying. But I don't think it's a function of Gillette and P&G being "too big to fail." Plenty of small businesses in my area are also happily flying the progressive colors, and were doing so long before the big corporations latched onto it.
So do it? Go buy your shit from one of the smaller, slightly more expensive boutique outlets that I mentioned in my post.