The Bourgeois Virtues and Consumer Ethics →
This is what markets do. First they enable us to deal peacefully with strangers. Exchange leads us to treat strangers as “honorary friends.” Moreover, by creating a default setting of dealing with others through negotiation rather than domination, markets get us in the habit of treating others with dignity. Even if we learn that such reciprocity is in our long-term self-interest, we still internalize the value and recognize its virtue. It soon becomes habit even when self-interest isn’t at stake. Treating a struggling stranger with kindness is a bourgeois virtue made possible by the market. …
[The] dual “thank you” is yet another mark of the way in which markets create mutual benefits and encourage the virtue of civility. …
[Also, m]arkets do encourage us to reward excellence, and as consumers we should take that idea to heart.
