Tbqh ive been up and down on merch artist discourse due to the fact my job (as a graphic designer that works in the textile/garment industry) is orders of magnitude more exploitative due to the particulars than acrylic charms, because of the labour involved (acrylic charms can be somewhat automated; a polyester sublimated shirt must be sewn by a person). (On that note: fuck plushies. The complexity and custom nature of plushies means theres no way to produce that shit ethically and cost 30 dollars.)
Not to no ethical jobs under capitalism this, because obviously its good to demand rigor, or at the very least open up dialogue about how artists can better support and uplift communities across the globe, but very few people in the imperial core have jobs that dont in some way depend and rely on the global souths production. Mine does - all my work is contingent on garment workers in sri lanka, thailand, and china being cheaper labour than australia.
If you work in the imperial core and your work doesnt in some way exploit the global south - especially in australia - let me know lol get me in. But i think the conversation is more nuanced and one has to remember there are plenty of jobs more ecologically and humanitarily damaging that are invisible to online discourse because they arent posted about.
Trust me. Im trying to get out of my job. You wouldnt believe the shit people say about textile workers.
