Introduction to Consensual Economics


 * From Consensual Economics | Fair Hacks Wiki


 * Opting out of mainstream commercial goods, services and products for fair, frugal, consent-conscious hacks



Overview
Consensual Economics, or CE, is a developing online environment for exchanging information. It uses the public technology of a wiki to help place informed choices in the hands of those interested in opting out of mainstream commercial goods, services and products for frugal, consent-conscious hacks. A collaborative and fluid online wiki-encyclopedia, participants either come here to look up solutions on items they are curious about, or they come here to provide those solutions for others. The hope is that interested parities can strive to overcome the intricacies of hidden cruelty embedded in the products we use everyday through research, problem solving and communication.

Why was Consensual Economics created?
We live in a period where knowledge easier to obtain than ever. Through crowdsourcing and technology this knowledge can be harnessed and put to good use. Consequently, we are in a better position to evaluate our everyday choices. Today we can ask the questions and find the answers. Is a favorite shampoo tested on animals? Was the labor used to package the bottle ethically sound? Are the raw materials used to make up any aspect of this product free of conflict? Has every party that has come into contact with this product through the chain of production and distribution consented to this engagement?

Following this path of inquiry can open up opportunities for empowerment. What materials were used to make up this product? Is there a way to achieve the benefits from this product through another source that is more ethically sound? If so, what are these sources? How do they compare? Are there other companies that make this product or can I make it myself and even save money? The ability to assume no harm was inflicted to any in the making of goods should not be a privilege but a rite. Though we are not there yet Consensual Economics can be a step towards this endeavor.

Consensual Economics and Art
(needs work: Ariel?)

Besides being an environment, CE is also an art project rooted in social practice and relational aesthetics.

Consent
(needs work: Patrick?)

There are a number of concerns at stake when considering consent in relations to the long chain of production and distribution in economics. Ethical labor practices such as wage, age and working conditions are significant. Conditions for animals factor into this equation as well especially as the argiculture industry grows more scrutinized. Once an outlier, the environment is finally being recognized as an entity with rites.

Humans
(needs work: Raquel, can you unpack labor issues?) (needs work: Heather and/or Raquel, women issues?)

Animals
(needs work: Caroline?)