Consumerism Persists, Even In Quarantine

Quarantine is a confusing moment to be a consumer. So much “nonessential” business has ground to a halt, yet goods still have to be produced, marketed, and sold in order to sustain factories, companies, and, most importantly, the jobs they create. All the closed storefronts are just the symbol of people, particularly hourly workers, out of work. With a recession or even depression looming, we’re all worried about our livelihoods. The quandary is, should we make ourselves comfortable in the short term by stockpiling whatever’s available, relying on exploitative digital platforms and putting pressure on the supply chain, or should we be saving money for the future? Quarantine consumerism is either a way of stimulating the economy one pull-up bar at a time, or it’s an unnecessary risk both for ourselves and for delivery workers. Still, it’s a risk many are taking. Plenty of distinctly nonessential products, like those I bought, are selling out. Read more at Vox.