In her latest comic for The Nib, Swedish cartoonist Rica March explores the history of IKEA and the idea of “good capitalism”, the concept that there is an ethical way to consume and feel good about yourself in a capitalist structure. IKEA is a popular brand and they have gentle and nice reputation, but they carry a weighty history behind them, including a massive tax evasion scandal, and the founder’s cozy history with overt nationalism. Rica March has been surrounded by IKEA her whole life, but still wants to questions the choices she makes. Being a consumer means having to make choices about where to spend money and it’s a good thing to ask ourselves where our money is going and what we want to support. How does one draw the line at what is and isn’t good, or what is a moral consumer choice? I’m not sure I have an answer to that either, I typed this from my IKEA sectional couch after all.
You can read IKEA Wants Me To Think They’re Nice over at The Nib
