#6: what do we mean when we speak about "the system"?

we always speak about "the system" - it is inherently violent, and we want to burn it down. but what even is it? using systems theory as a basis, specifically Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Donella Meadows, i break down the system into five different subsystems: economic, political, social, racial, and cultural. using the cocoa supply chain from farms in west africa to our supermarkets, i shine a light on how low farm-gate prices, trade structures shaped by colonial extraction, unpaid household labor, global racial hierarchy, and comforting consumer narratives about chocolate work together to stabilize inequality and wealth accumulation, while shifting responsibility to individual “ethical” choices instead of structural change.