Consumerism is a main component in the society that we live in today. That being said,
In my opinion as a consumer I feel that I have certain moral and ethical responsibilities to uphold.
In understanding these responsibilities I have been able to shape my outlook on the world and

Protest at B&H in 2016

what I choose to support.

For example, I am a media major. My passion is film making and I am very serious about my work. In the past, I used to use a certain company to buy my equipment from, B&H Photo. I happily spent large sums of money on equipment, supporting their business. I have bought two cameras there, lighting, microphones, tripods and many other forms of technology. In 2016, I happened to stumble upon an article involving the company in several harassment and discrimination lawsuits. “B&H Photo discriminated against female as well as black and Asian job seekers by hiring only Hispanic men for entry-level positions,” the Labor Department writes. “In addition, there were allegations that Hispanic shipping workers were paid significantly less than comparable workers and denied promotion to higher level positions.”  I was floored when I read more into the issues that this company has put its workers through. They even forced their employees who were minorities to use separate bathrooms. I couldn’t believe that for years I was spending my hard earned money to support a company hosted by bigots. With very little research I found out the truly heinous actions that this company had done, and it pained me deeply that I was so oblivious for so long. This is an example of how I have been making it my responsibility to only support aspects of consumerism that follow my beliefs. B&H Lawsuit 

Photo of Gen Z, iGen, and Millennials 

The media plays a very important role in displaying identity, whether that be through fashion, fads, products, ect. The media shapes the way that certain genders and ethnicities are viewed, and this is a concept that I have been exploring in just the past couple of years. In the media, whiteness has been associated with privilege and superiority, while minorities and people of color have been pushed to the side and othered time and time again. In this day and age this concept has been put under a magnifying glass and exposed for the harm it has done in the past. Even so, it is still an issue that we must work to demolish. As a latino bisexual woman, I feel that my voice has been muffled in the media in the past. Recently, certain movies, television and other aspects of the media have been opening up a dialogue about a lack of intersectionality.  Today, I read an article in the New York Times about Gen Z adolescents and how they have been characterized in the past. “We encourage them to think critically about how their generation has been portrayed by the media and why, and to identify what’s missing in that portrayal.” I think that this is a great step into opening a conversation about identity issues and how the media has lacked in this department. I grew up eight hours away from the city, in a small country town. Growing up I struggled with my own identity and finding my place in a world that seemed to mock my values and feelings. Seeing this article in the New York Times gives me hope for the future generations to come. I look forward to a new discussion on acceptance, and I am hopeful for change throughout all aspects of the media in general. How This Generation Has Been Characterized and Why That Matters