I just finished a six week course on anti-racism and one of the things someone said in the last week as the boycotts were starting to be real is there is no innocence in capitalism. I just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out who to attribute the quote to and it's complicated, as is capitalism. I'm glad you are making a living. Also: no. I have not cancelled Prime. It's the home to some amazing TV (The series "A League of their own"), and all my vitamins are wrapped up in subscriptions. Yes, I could divest, but right now I'm struggling too. Time is also a commodity that some people have more of. In a Jewish prayer group where I am the lone Christian, a storyteller said "we are all surfing this big wave right now and some of us have bigger surfboards." Be well. It's all too much. I'm just trying to do the best I can, support people locally, and keep ahead of my responsibilities. Today's tiny little joy: the wrapper to the mint tea smells like mint, and I have kept it in my pocket all day, taking it out to smell on occasion. Love love.
I love your mint-tea-wrapper therapy! Peppermint is my favorite scent — I know it’s supposed to be “activating” but I find it very calming. I swear my anxiety has been better since I started using Burt’s Bees peppermint lip balm.
As a reader/consumer of other media/consumer in a capitalist society...yeah, these are tough calls. I'm trying to be more mindful of consumption in general. We still have Prime, and will for the foreseeable future. Canceled WaPo without a second thought though.
What this means to me is considering needs vs wants. I appreciate your art/work. You are one of the few authors I still want to have physical books from. So keep letting us know when your books are on sale on AZN and I'll keep buying them.
I've been thinking about this, and see no good alternative for authors. I hope you know I won't judge you or any of the other authors who stay on Amazon. I just wish life were easier for all of us. <3
Thank you for giving detail on how it works to sell your books through Amazon. I did cancel Prime, more to cut back on my spending generally. I appreciate knowing when I do a thing it has serious unintended consequences for those I don't intend to affect. I did think about all the employees and drivers who despite "note being treated well" have their JOBS despite all the firing going on elsewhere.
I do believe harm reduction is important as harm elimination, and I operate with that in mind, because I often can't do straight up boycotts and 100% elimination like other people can, for a variety of reasons.
That being said, i have canceled amazon prime, but a few locals and I have gone in together on an order to spend the minimum threshold to activate free shipping for a few things... harm reduction.
It's all so ridiculously complicated and there is no one simple answer.
Jessica, thank you for sharing the angst you feel over Amazon. I wish you the very best. As with most people I am of two minds. I have changed my buying patterns to find local sources for my goods. Perhaps these new patterns will turn into a habit. Amazon will wait out any boycott, so I know that I am just as likely to go back to my old patterns. I will not discourage people from choosing to find alternatives to Amazon, but I will also not look askance at people who continue to buy from Amazon. I am nothing, if not hypocritical.
It’s the same with Instagram and artists. All artists, or at least most, use Instagram as a platform to share their work. Some have left Facebook, but can’t bring themselves to quit IG. There’s nowhere else to go. We can’t be erased.
I'm trying to divest as much as I can from Amazon but like you said, it's complicated. At times I have needed to use Amazon because I wasn't physically able to go to stores to find what I needed. And money has been so tight for so long that needing to get things at the lowest cost possible has also been a big priority. I've been splitting the cost of Prime with my cousin who lives in the same complex I do for years now so I haven't cancelled it yet...
I just cancelled Amazon prime (I weaned myself off the last few weeks...let my kid finish her series and ordered the random kitchen aid ice cream attachment I couldn't find anywhere else first). But I do intend to only purchase from local stores or, if I can't find what I want nearby, an online book store that is NOT amazon. I hope you'll find your way into the indies!!
I just finished a six week course on anti-racism and one of the things someone said in the last week as the boycotts were starting to be real is there is no innocence in capitalism. I just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out who to attribute the quote to and it's complicated, as is capitalism. I'm glad you are making a living. Also: no. I have not cancelled Prime. It's the home to some amazing TV (The series "A League of their own"), and all my vitamins are wrapped up in subscriptions. Yes, I could divest, but right now I'm struggling too. Time is also a commodity that some people have more of. In a Jewish prayer group where I am the lone Christian, a storyteller said "we are all surfing this big wave right now and some of us have bigger surfboards." Be well. It's all too much. I'm just trying to do the best I can, support people locally, and keep ahead of my responsibilities. Today's tiny little joy: the wrapper to the mint tea smells like mint, and I have kept it in my pocket all day, taking it out to smell on occasion. Love love.
I love your mint-tea-wrapper therapy! Peppermint is my favorite scent — I know it’s supposed to be “activating” but I find it very calming. I swear my anxiety has been better since I started using Burt’s Bees peppermint lip balm.
As a reader/consumer of other media/consumer in a capitalist society...yeah, these are tough calls. I'm trying to be more mindful of consumption in general. We still have Prime, and will for the foreseeable future. Canceled WaPo without a second thought though.
What this means to me is considering needs vs wants. I appreciate your art/work. You are one of the few authors I still want to have physical books from. So keep letting us know when your books are on sale on AZN and I'll keep buying them.
Ugh, WaPo is another whole thing. That used to be the brass ring for writers — get a piece published in WaPo and your career was off to a great start.
Grateful for your comment, and for your support. ❤️
I've been thinking about this, and see no good alternative for authors. I hope you know I won't judge you or any of the other authors who stay on Amazon. I just wish life were easier for all of us. <3
Thanks, Kellyann 💙
Thank you for giving detail on how it works to sell your books through Amazon. I did cancel Prime, more to cut back on my spending generally. I appreciate knowing when I do a thing it has serious unintended consequences for those I don't intend to affect. I did think about all the employees and drivers who despite "note being treated well" have their JOBS despite all the firing going on elsewhere.
I do believe harm reduction is important as harm elimination, and I operate with that in mind, because I often can't do straight up boycotts and 100% elimination like other people can, for a variety of reasons.
That being said, i have canceled amazon prime, but a few locals and I have gone in together on an order to spend the minimum threshold to activate free shipping for a few things... harm reduction.
It's all so ridiculously complicated and there is no one simple answer.
Jessica, thank you for sharing the angst you feel over Amazon. I wish you the very best. As with most people I am of two minds. I have changed my buying patterns to find local sources for my goods. Perhaps these new patterns will turn into a habit. Amazon will wait out any boycott, so I know that I am just as likely to go back to my old patterns. I will not discourage people from choosing to find alternatives to Amazon, but I will also not look askance at people who continue to buy from Amazon. I am nothing, if not hypocritical.
I'm struggling with this too, friend. It's so so hard and unfair. Sending you love and good vibes and solidarity.
It’s the same with Instagram and artists. All artists, or at least most, use Instagram as a platform to share their work. Some have left Facebook, but can’t bring themselves to quit IG. There’s nowhere else to go. We can’t be erased.
I'm trying to divest as much as I can from Amazon but like you said, it's complicated. At times I have needed to use Amazon because I wasn't physically able to go to stores to find what I needed. And money has been so tight for so long that needing to get things at the lowest cost possible has also been a big priority. I've been splitting the cost of Prime with my cousin who lives in the same complex I do for years now so I haven't cancelled it yet...
I just cancelled Amazon prime (I weaned myself off the last few weeks...let my kid finish her series and ordered the random kitchen aid ice cream attachment I couldn't find anywhere else first). But I do intend to only purchase from local stores or, if I can't find what I want nearby, an online book store that is NOT amazon. I hope you'll find your way into the indies!!