Are you telling me I can get lab-grown coffee and t-shirts that avoid the nastiest parts of the traditional processes? As for phones, I'm on a used iphone 6. That doesn't make its original sourcing any better, but harm reduction is still reduction
The utility of a diamond ring is not to have shiny rock. It’s meant to be an expensive useless thing to demonstrate that you/your partner can spend money on expensive useless things.
So a shiny thing that’s less expensive actually doesn’t satisfy the same role.
A shiny thing that’s just as expensive but less valuable (ie lower $/karat, ie lab grown) is so large as to out itself as not-the-truly-ridiculous waste of money that a real diamond is supposed to be for its signaling value.
Yes! Fairtrade coffee and pre-owned clothing is the least we can do in the face of capitalism's worst excesses. It won't end horrors of humanity that have existed since before capitalism but it's something. Hoping a usable Fairphone comes to the US, but getting a refurb iphone is still better than getting a new one.
You can't fix the whole world with personal choices, like an eyedropper against the ocean, but you can still opt out of the worst excesses without having to compromise every modern convenience.
We’re all deluding ourselves for the sake of sanity + having nice stuff.