It’s complicated. Because we made it complicated.
Our culture is built on the principle that people are responsible for what they do.
And then we spend time and effort diffusing the responsibility.
If you work for a company and are just doing your job, are you responsible?
What if you founded the company?
What if you invest in it?
Are marketers responsible for the negative side effects of increased consumption?
If companies work, if marketing works, if work works, then who is responsible if it causes something to happen?
If we dump something in the river, are we responsible for what happens to people downstream?
What if you buy something from someone who dumps something in the river?
Are we responsible for the actions of the causes we support and the people we vote for?
What about the implications of not supporting something? Are we responsible for the bad things that happen because of our apathy?
The world is smaller than we think.