At least in my corner of social media, there are a lot of folks asking what makes a business ethical. Or, perhaps more accurately, there are a lot of folks answering that question. And there are probably even more folks worried that there’s something unethical about the way they run their businesses. They’re afraid they haven’t checked all the ethical business boxes. When Brooke Monaghan emailed me to ask whether I wanted to have a messy conversation about some of the messaging around ethical, equitable, or trauma-informed businesses, I jumped on the opportunity. You see, while this is certainly not true of all messaging on these topics, much of it unintentionally replicates problematic systems and social relations. Capitalism always appropriates that which tries to resist it.This episode explores a few different ways to think about the messages you’ve probably run into as you think about working or doing business differently. It’s not about calling anyone out or shaming anyone. It’s a look under the hood at some of the unexpected forces at play.Footnotes: Find out more about Brooke Monaghan. “Does social media leave you angry?” on NPR Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher A Spectre, Haunting by China Miéville “White Women/Black Women” by Phyllis Palmer Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell Utilitarian ethics Deontological ethics I release every episode in essay form on Thursdays. Get them delivered straight to your inbox, or read the archive at read.explorewhatworks.com.Want to support the ad-free independent analysis I do at What Works? Become a paying subscriber at read.explorewhatworks.com. For just $7 per month, you not only get access to all of my free content, but bonus podcast episodes, the “This is Not Advice” Column, and sneak peeks at works in progress. Go to read.explorewhatworks.com to subscribe. Want more of What Works? Subscribe FREE to the What Works newsletter at read.explorewhatworks.comOr, upgrade to a paid subscription for just $7/month and get bonus podcast episodes, the "This is Not Advice" Column, and more. ★ Support this podcast ★