Book Review/Heather Seggel

With Amazon, Resistance Isn’t Futile

When reviewing books, it’s the norm with most publications to receive them at no cost from the publisher so as to ensure an unbiased review. In this case, though, it was important to buy the book at my local independent bookstore (and former job), for reasons that will quickly become clear. I can’t claim to be unbiased, or to live up to my own ideals when it comes to resisting corporations, but this is a starting point from which to try and do better.

“How to Resist Amazon and Why: The Fight For Local Economies, Data Privacy, Fair Labor, Independent Bookstores, and a People-Powered Future” (Microcosm Publishing) takes dental tools to Amazon’s smile logo and finds decay in places both expected and surprising. Author Danny Caine owns The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, and is upfront about his personal biases, and also the shortcomings of the independent book trade, but his frank assessment of the changing business world offers a vision for something much better than the current menu of Bad, Worse, or Amazon that many of us are forced to choose from.

The book was originally a ’zine, but reader demand was so great it became worthwhile to expand its arguments. That may explain the emphasis on “why,” with a brief list of resources for how to resist at the very end. You may know about the movement to unionize, and Amazon’s aggressive campaign tactics that led to Bessemer, Alabama, ultimately voting against what would have been the company’s first union. The attempt was made in part because workers were not given adequate personal protective equipment to shield themselves from COVID. Caine describes the vast warehouses workers must traverse, so massive it can be hard to reach a breakroom in the time allocated for a break. Worker injuries and even deaths are far above national averages; when this was pointed out, the company responded by placing pain relievers in vending machines on the warehouse floor.

Amazon’s profits were astronomical during the pandemic. Some of that was simple price-gouging, but the company’s business is no longer exclusively selling things. AWS, or Amazon Web Services, hosts services like Netflix and Twitter. Their Ring doorbell cameras solve a problem their own business model exponentially increased, recording footage of people making off with packages from front porches. Another income stream is one we refill for them every time we browse the site: Consumer data. From reviews eagerly placed on the site by customers (a kind of free labor that has made it harder for me to get well-paid work) to our wish lists and the items we peruse, we are helping to train algorithms that market to us with increasing accuracy.

Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, started selling books online because they’re a product that is roughly the same no matter where you find it. The impact on small bookstores was devastating, though they continue to rally in creative and inspiring ways. Over time, though, Bezos grew a media company that creates original content. Amazon is reshaping the way packages are delivered (they have a fleet of delivery vans and drivers carefully designed to represent the company while still relegating its workers to independent contractor status with no benefits). Bezos bought the Washington Post, and as I write he is finalizing a deal to purchase MGM. Caine is arguing for resistance, but clear about how challenging it can be when a company has its tentacles in so many places.

That becomes overwhelmingly clear when we start talking about “how” to resist. Do you shop at Whole Foods? Buy shoes from Zappos? Listen to Audible books in the car? They’re all owned by Amazon; the company’s ubiquity makes it truly challenging to avoid. But it’s possible! Caine advises first and foremost to drop your Prime subscription and explore shopping locally. If you’re a GoodReads junkie, check out app.thestorygraph.com or whatshouldireadnext.com for book recommendations. I would suggest choosing your battles carefully. Amazon created the series adaptation of “Fleabag,” and a one month free trial of Prime allowed me to watch it all twice; I personally refuse to throw Phoebe Waller-Bridge out with the bathwater, but it was possible to watch without subscribing.

Don’t volunteer to be under surveillance by your appliances. How crazy is it that this is a sentence that needs to be written? Let’s apply the brakes now, while we still can. The argument that “if you’re not the consumer, you’re the product” has always rubbed me the wrong way, but in the case of Amazon it feels frighteningly apt. Look for the ways you can disconnect, and think about how to strengthen local businesses at the same time. It’s possible, but we’re going to have to work to make it happen.

Heather Seggel is a writer living in Northern California. Email heatherlseggel@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, August 1, 2021

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