Ludwig Ahgren's brand, Mogul Merch, was revealed to use a Chinese factory with less than ideal standards. This was discovered when Aiden Calvin and the rest of Lemonade Stand, unknowingly, endorsed the factories sweatshop-like business practices, without any knowledge of what a sweatshop is. This is one more example, of many, of the Lemonade Stand men not bearing the capability to empathize with people who are beneath their tax bracket. DougDoug, Atrioc, and Aiden have all turned into the sort of people who complain about tipping culture, since they don't see low wage workers as equals, or humans at all for that matter. Ludwig can, but has always been able to turn off the part of his brain that empathizes. We see him constantly turn off his empathy to make a buck, whether it be using other streamers for sponsored segments, not paying people out, begging for money from (literally) homeless viewers, and pretending to befriend people for content arcs before admitting on stream to not care about them. They can't see it. Or, they can, but choose to lead with self-image rather than self-awareness. Self-awareness requires the ability to articulate, self-image just requires a big ego from a big audience, over a big time. Self-awareness requires discovery, which in itself requires learning more, being active and expending calories, like questioning a new person and desiring to know more about them. You don't need a predetermined bias. Self-image is passive, it's set by a persons past and humans love to default to it since it's so easy and effortless. It takes less calories. It's like going to the barber, and then feeling good about your new haircut for the next few weeks. That persons belief system is now tied to self-image, rather than self-awareness. The identity maintaining self-image says "I can do no wrong, because the past in my head says I have done no wrong, and that I don't deserve to be wronged, and if anyone says I have done wrong than they are wrong." Someone who must see themselves as never wrong will eventually adapt to lose all ability to perceive their own wrongdoing. Self-awareness says "I'm a human like everyone, and capable of doing wrong, I must expend a little effort to grow and avoid that, as I have reasons to actively be a good person." It's the difference between someone who doubles down when they know they're wrong to save face, and someone who is willing to discover what's actually happening, even if it hurts their story. Don't mistake criticism for ignorance. Exploitation is not a necessity, it's your personal identity telling you that it is so you remain righteous while exploiting people for unnecessary reasons. There is more than one factory in this world that can put chess pieces on hoodie strings.
