[yupitsme123]

It's interesting to me that a country that loves consumerism so much doesn't have a pro-consumer movement.

It looks like Ralph Nader led one for a while back in the '70s but it's long dead now.

If someone were to revive such a movement or if some politicians were to attach themselves to it then I think it would be hugely popular.

[kg]

Approval rate doesn't seem to be much of a concern for modern western politicians. The current administrations in the US and some other western countries have abysmally low approval ratings and they're still in power. (This is not a value judgment of the administrations or people who voted for them, just an observation).

[cogman10]

There are multiple agencies that were created initially to protect consumers. The FTC, CFPB, USDA, FDA, EPA, (arguably the FCC fits here to, but it's a stretch). The issue with each of these agencies is their power has been eroded and redirected over the years. That's because their regulations when done correctly directly and negatively impact monied interests.

Donors hating these agencies means that no political party really fully supports them or funds them fully when they get power.

[DFHippie]

And now they're all effectively dead, killed by illegal executive actions whose lawsuits have stalled out in the Supreme Court queue. But the employees are already fired and looking for new jobs, so even if the actions are rolled back when SCOTUS finally gets around to it (strategic delay -- they can move like lightning when it suits them), they'll be hollowed out and unable to perform their legislatively mandated duties.

> Donors hating these agencies means that no political party really fully supports them or funds them fully when they get power.

False equivalence benefits bad actors.

[nozzlegear]

> If someone were to revive such a movement or if some politicians were to attach themselves to it then I think it would be hugely popular.

Senator Elizabeth Warren's whole schtick was, and still is, pro-consumer. She practically built the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with her own two hands. Sadly the CFPB has now been hamstrung by DOGE and the Trump admin; it's been stripped of much of its capacity to enforce its rules, conduct investigations and protect consumers.

[em-bee]

consumerism is for the benefit of the corporations, not the consumer. it's to get people to consume more. being pro-consumer leads to things like warranty, forcing me to make my products last longer which leads to people buying less.

[em-bee]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism

[woodruffw]

I think Steinbeck’s quip about temporarily embarrassed millionaires has a parallel in how Americans perceive their consumerism: Americans don’t see themselves as a consumer culture, even though we are one.

[chneu]

Biden was one of the most consumer friendly presidents in a while. He did away with a lot of nonsense fees, forced airlines to be more transparent, among other things.