Blood in the Mobile was both shocking and depressing to watch. As a consumer I have never thought about the origins of the products I own beyond the companies I buy them from, but the film made me realise the dark side to consumerist life. Having seen the film I feel a sense of responsibility which will make me think harder about what I buy and who I buy it from. One consumer however is a drop in the ocean. Millions of households are now stuffed with consumer products and the amount we produce as a species is increasing. The militia groups that run the mines are fuelled directly by the greed of richer nations. A corrupt government paired with a nation at war is of great benefit to western tech giants. By adopting the tactic of “divide and conquer”, giant corporations can buy the minerals they crave at a far lower price than what is fair recompense for the suffering of the people of the DRC. By keeping the militia groups solvent and at war, corporations deny the DRC a unified front to negotiate trade deals which could change the lives of millions. The horrors in the DRC were initiated by King Leopold II of Belgium, but they have been perpetuated by us. One consumer cannot change the tides of industry, but those at the top of the commercial and industrial food chain can. Corporate executives wield an immense amount of power in todays world, but the ruthlessness required to obtain such a position does not bode well for the future of humanity. It is the responsibility of those who design, manufacture and source materials to make the change, a little at a time, to create a fairer and more humane system from within.