Less Is More?

Unworking Issue 006

There’s less fat in milk. Slowly but surely, they’ve been stripping it out to the point where we don’t realise their stealth. They call it full-fat, but it’s not. And not every milk supplier gives you the same fat content. I know nothing of the regulations around milk production, but my guess is that “full-fat” milk needs to have a fat content that falls between certain limits. You’ll recognise what I mean here if you happen to heat your milk. The more fat in the milk, the more froth it produces when you heat it. I have a small espresso machine at home and I can see the difference in fat content of the various brands of milk we buy.

It’s not only milk, it’s meat, cereal, peanut butter, vegetables, chocolate bars, and many other products. I noticed recently when I went to the press, that a well known cereal recently reduced the size of the box by 100g but the price stayed the same. At the same time, they did a 2-for1 “offer” at the supermarket to shift the old boxes. Manufacturers use stealth and “marketing” to convince us we are getting more when really we’re getting less. They think we are stupid….and they are right. Because we keep buying their crappy products that contain less and less product.

When I talk about work, I refer not only to the work you and I do as individuals and the importance of that in terms of our own individual welfare, I also refer to the work of business. If you run a business, be fair and honest. The business world will suck you in and try to convince you that stealth and dishonesty is valid and right…it’s just business after all. But the truth is that we must be vigilant to the gradual erosion of personal ethics. The world of business should not be used as a veil over deceitful and dishonest tactics. A means to extract as much from people as possible without any concern for value. This behaviour is as shitty as it can get and leads to all kinds of abhorrent treatment of others and the planet.

Command your own work, and be fair and honest in the process. It will stand you out against the backdrop of a shitty marketplace.