Morals Cost Money

It pays, and costs, to be socially conscious

St Andrews is renowned for its generally upper-class, wealthy student body. This university attracts real-life princes and many members of the Manhattan social elite. St Andrean fashion reflects the student population’s abundant wealth: a Barbour jacket practically comes with the offer of acceptance, Goyard totes are thrown onto lecture hall floors, and Pablos are spilt onto Flabelus-adorned feet.

It makes sense, then, that the concept of budgeting doesn’t seem to come up in conversation. The aftermath of Reading Week entails hearing stories of debauched nights out in Paris, Oslo, or Barcelona. These trips are often booked on a last-minute whim, when staring at the lurid green walls of Aikman’s cellar for too long has you hallucinating about Norwegian forests. However, the cost of these late-notice flights or luxury hotels never seems to factor into the discussion.

Yet it seems to be these very same members of the student body who you will find lecturing on the subjects of climate change or fast fashion. In a self-aggrandising manner, they will tell you how they stock up their cupboards at Naturity because of the importance of zero-waste living. As you meet them in the aisles of Tesco, they will complete an ethical assessment of your basket choices, decrying the lack of avocados, premium almond milk, and other luxury products of plant-based origin. At a ball, they will audibly sniff upon hearing your dress is from Zara, taking it as an opportunity to introduce the topic of slave labour. Their Reformation dress, they remind you, is ethically sourced. You will be received with scorn if you cannot donate via the link on their latest Instagram infographic, as you obviously don’t even care about political activism. Not taking the time off work to attend a political march apparently highlights your distaste for human rights. 

I do not intend to criticise those who, having the means to do so as a student with limited disposable income, continue to deploy their ethical judgement in all that they buy and do. What I do intend to criticise, however, is the denunciation of those who, since they are already scraping by, cannot spare a penny for the free-range eggs or the charity GoFundMe. The cost of living in St Andrews is already high, with balls that cost double the average weekly shop, and price-hiked pubs filled with golfers that outprice the regular student. It should not be a crime to purchase the occasional going-out top from a fast fashion brand, or to opt for a meal-deal sandwich in preference to avocado toast and an oat-milk matcha latte.

Living morally is a privilege. Having the leisure time whilst at university to read up on political issues and invest time in activism in lieu of working a pub job is also a privilege. Having this privilege is not something to be embarrassed by, but neither is the reverse. Without being aware of someone’s economic situation, it is unfair to evaluate the morality of their consumer choices. Think before you stare into a Tesco’s shopping basket with disdain. 

Illustration from Wikimedia Commons