Consumer Responsibility in Buying Goods

    With countless companies producing goods all throughout the world, a widespread controversy has been found with harsh working conditions. These harsh working conditions are never seen as consumers buy goods everyday, however, is it the consumer's responsibility to know what kind of work has been put into what they are buying?

    It would be very nice if the consumers could research what kind of work has been put into each good they buy, but this is just impractical. With most people not even researching our presidential candidates, why would they research how one of their t-shirts was made? This means that this job of policing how these goods are made falls on either government, or the producers themselves. There's a conflict of interest with the people contracting, because they are shooting for the lowest prices in order to stay in business. Consumers should never have to look up how what they are buying is produced in the first place. It is the company's responsibility to make sure that they are obeying laws and regulations set up by the government, and it is the government's responsibility to make sure that the companies are abiding by these laws. Consumers should never have to feel like they need to research every single item that they place in their shopping cart during shopping trips. Consumers should be able to trust the companies producing these goods, that they are producing the goods in a honorable way. It's not a consumer's responsibility, nor should it ever be, to check up on producers and make sure that they are following regulations. Consumers as a whole may not need to know this stuff, however other people, through special interest groups for example, can be responsible for researching this, and making sure that the right procedures are being used in producing these goods.

    Overall, the real responsibility that falls onto the consumer when going out and buying goods is up to the consumer himself. We as consumers are in no way should feel inclined to have to research every single item we buy. Consumers should put their trust in the companies and government that everything is being done in the most ethical of ways, and if not, that burden does not fall on the consumer in any way. If a consumer really wants to know about the goods he's buying, then he is more welcome to go and research it, however, consumers should not at any point feel obligated to research what kind of labor was put into a good before they buy it.