The Burden of Choice

Sor Juana demanded access to education and intellectual work, but she never blamed illiterate masses for their ignorance—she blamed systems denying them access. This concept examines the burden placed on consumers to make ethical choices within systems designed to obscure and enable exploitation. Markets deliberately obscure supply chains, hide labor conditions, and make ethical options expensive or inaccessible. Placing the burden of justice entirely on consumers is itself unjust. Ethical consumption practices must acknowledge this burden honestly: that making truly ethical choices often requires time, resources, and knowledge that not everyone possesses. Sor Juana's work teaches that we must simultaneously demand individual moral commitment while radically critiquing the systems that make ethical choices difficult or impossible. We cannot expect low-wage workers to afford fair-trade products or expect busy families to research every purchase. Ethical consumption thus includes advocating for systemic change that makes justice the default rather than the expensive exception, and refusing to shame those whose circumstances limit their choices.