Everyone says they have principles. And I get it, because it does sound good. It feels grounding. And of course it looks great in a bio or a caption or a well timed story slide. Principles give us the illusion that we’re solid, that we stand for something real.

But an uncomfortable truth remains: A lot of those alleged principles get real flexible the second they require sacrifice.

And I’m not talking about a dramatic sacrifice. Just small things. The brands we love. The habits we’re attached to. The stuff we swear isn’t that deep but somehow can’t let go of.

We live in a culture that rewards talking way more than doing. Performative activism thrives because it’s easy. You can sound informed, outraged, and morally superior without changing a single behavior. You can condemn a system while still benefiting from it daily. You can call out a company online and somehow still routinely shop there because you like how it makes you feel.

What kind of resistance is that?

Your Money Talks Louder Than Your Posts

If you really want to know what someone believes, don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they buy.

Consumer activism isn’t aesthetic. Ethical consumerism doesn’t come with applause or instant validation. Most of the time it’s boring, inconvenient, and truthfully annoying. But money is power, and every dollar you spend is a choice about what you’re willing to support.

If you don’t support something, you don’t buy it. It’s simple, yet people struggle with it.

The dollar is one of the strongest ways to show your principles because it forces alignment. It asks you to choose values over comfort. And comfort is where most people draw the line.

The Exception Is Where Values Get Soft

People take a strong stance until that stance interferes with something they love.

The brand’s unethical but the clothes are cute. The company exploits workers but the coffee’s too good. The app funds harm but it’s just so convenient. Suddenly there’s nuance. Suddenly it’s complicated. Suddenly one person not buying doesn’t matter anyway. Those little exceptions are where principles go to die.

You’ll see people write long threads about injustice, then quietly keep shopping at the same places they just criticized. They’ll publicly call out corporations and privately excuse themselves. They’ll say there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism and use that as a reason to never change their own behavior at all.

When Preference Is Really Dependency

A lot of what we call preference is actually attachment. If we are really honest, it might even be addiction. We’re hooked on the familiarity, the dopamine, the way certain brands fit into our identity. The outrage is real, but so is the craving.

That’s why these conversations get uncomfortable fast. Asking people to vote with their dollar feels personal because it is personal. It messes with routine. It challenges identity. It forces us to look at habits we’d rather not interrogate.

But just because something looks trendy or polished or socially acceptable doesn’t mean it isn’t a dependency.

Real Principles Aren’t Convenient

If your values never cost you anything, they’re probably just vibes.

Real principles ask you to give something up. Sometimes it’s money. Sometimes it’s convenience. Sometimes it’s pleasure or status or access. That doesn’t mean anyone has to be perfect. It does mean being honest.

It’s okay to admit that giving something up is hard. What rings hollow is pretending to stand for something while consistently funding the opposite. Truly ethical consumerism (if there’s even such a thing,) isn’t about purity. It’s about intention. It’s about closing the gap between what you say you care about and what you’re willing to support.

If Everyone Passes, Nothing Changes

Change doesn’t only come from governments and corporations. It comes from collective pressure. From brand boycotts. From people deciding certain profits aren’t worth the cost anymore.

One person opting out won’t topple an empire. Millions of people making aligned choices absolutely can.

So the real question isn’t whether you have principles. Most people do.

The real question is what those principles are worth when they ask you to give something up.

Because values that only exist when they’re convenient aren’t values at all. They’re accessories.

And accessories are always the first thing people drop when things get uncomfortable.