Do You Boycott?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

For me, it's none of the above. The answer is sometimes, but it doesn't depend on how badly I need the service, but the nexus between the company's profits and the action it is taking that I oppose.

The fact that a CEO is donating his own money or endorsing candidates I don't like will not usually cause me to boycott. But the company's discriminatory hiring practices or donations to hateful causes will make me boycott.

I don't go to Chik-fil-A often, but there is one near my workplace, and I might have gone there for an occasional treat if I hadn't learned about the boycott on Facebook. So I don't mind that at all.

This is a good distinction.

An example I always think of is Whole Foods, because I support much of their work toward sustainability and such, but I do not support many of the owner's political opinions and his treatment of labor.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

For me, it's none of the above. The answer is sometimes . . . .

This is me, too, but I voted in solidarity with agzg.

I'm not much of an organized boycott person, though I have been more so in the past. If I do boycott, I tend to do it quietly, and I'll reconsider from time to time.

I do think that franchises (Chik-fil-A, Exxon, BP) present complicated issues with regard to boycotts. Who is hurt more from me withholding my patronage, the big corporation or the local franchise owner who's just trying to make a living and provide income for his employees, and who may be a very good local corporate citizen? Should I punish the franchisee for corporate decisions she has no control over?

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

This is me, too, but I voted in solidarity with agzg.

I'm not much of an organized boycott person, though I have been more so in the past. If I do boycott, I tend to do it quietly, and I'll reconsider from time to time.

I do think that franchises (Chik-fil-A, Exxon, BP) present complicated issues with regard to boycotts. Who is hurt more from me withholding my patronage, the big corporation or the local franchise owner who's just trying to make a living and provide income for his employees, and who may be a very good local corporate citizen? Should I punish the franchisee for corporate decisions she has no control over?

I guess I don't really care if the local owner is screwed-if they are in bed so to speak with exxon or chik fil a that is their problem. No one held a gun to their head making them open said franchise. I guess I am heartless

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by agzg

I don't like pinkwashing, either, 33. Many breast cancer campaigns divorce the actual woman and her life from "saving her breasts."

I actually think I might have given Dee an earful about that over the week - Dee was it you I was with when that guy had the "Save the boobies" t-shirt on?

God, I almost gave him an earful.

FWIW, avoiding Exxon stations (or BP), doesn't matter. Exxon oil is still getting into your tank at some point - they take what they drill and sell it all over the place, in addition to buying other companies' oil and putting it in your tank. Oil boycotts are only effective if it's the refineries that are boycotting them.

The shirt said "Save second base" and yes, it was me! Who else were you with all last week?

[agzg]

Originally Posted by AGDee

The shirt said "Save second base" and yes, it was me! Who else were you with all last week?

I forget all the people I aim my righteous indignation at in a week's time. It's a lot.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

I guess I don't really care if the local owner is screwed-if they are in bed so to speak with exxon or chik fil a that is their problem. No one held a gun to their head making them open said franchise. I guess I am heartless

But in the case of Exxon and BP, those boycotts have typically been in response to specific events -- oil spills and the response (or lack thereof) by the oil company. Local franchisees, who may have had the franchises for years if not decades before the oil spills, have nothing to do with the spills or the responses. They're not in a position to suddenly say "Oh, let me go to a different oil company right now." And as others have noted, the effect of a boycott in these instances will be felt entirely by the franchisee, not by BP or Exxon.

In my view, that makes them collateral damage, and I personally have an issue with that. Fine if others don't. But I'll admit it -- even though I don't usually buy from BP, I did when others were boycotting it after the Gulf spill. I didn't want to see local business be punished for things they didn't do and had no control over at all.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

But in the case of Exxon and BP, those boycotts have typically been in response to specific events -- oil spills and the response (or lack thereof) by the oil company. Local franchisees, who may have had the franchises for years if not decades before the oil spills, have nothing to do with the spills or the responses. They're not in a position to suddenly say "Oh, let me go to a different oil company right now." And as others have noted, the effect of a boycott in these instances will be felt entirely by the franchisee, not by BP or Exxon.

In my view, that makes them collateral damage, and I personally have an issue with that. Fine if others don't. But I'll admit it -- even though I don't usually buy from BP, I did when others were boycotting it after the Gulf spill. I didn't want to see local business be punished for things they didn't do and had no control over at all.

I see your point, but creating economic pressure on franchisees creates pressure on the corporation. Franchisees complain loudly when stuff like this happens. They yell at the parent corporation. The parent corporation responds to that stuff. They need to keep their franchisees happy.

[Low C Sharp]

Is this how you determine the nexus between profits and actions? Determining the nexus should require research on the profit and how the actions impact the profit.

Profit wasn't the right word -- I meant revenue. If the company is using its revenue to operate, or donate to, things I don't like, I don't want to add to that revenue stream.

I don't claim to apply this perfectly. When I shop at a grocery or department store, I generally don't know the story behind individual products. It's a lot easier to track in a case like Chik-fil-A where the retailer and the products come from the same company.

[SWTXBelle]

I always try to make the most ethical (according to my criteria) choice when faced with alternatives. If I don't have an alternative - living in the middle-of-nowhere-TN - then I do what I have to do (in that case, go to Walmart).

My gripe is with those who believe whatever they have seen on the internet or hear from a friend without checking it out - a la the whole "Don't carry a Liz Claiborne purse! They are satanists!" urban myth thing.

[DubaiSis]

I chose Always, although that's not pristinely true. There are times when I am so incensed by a company's stupitude (Chik-fil-A) that I will boycott them and talk about it, share it on FB, etc. Many more times, I will consider them something to avoid if possible. I don't like Walmart's practices and will choose Target, or other when given a choice. But I'm not going to actively boycott them because I don't care that badly. You just can't care that badly about everything!

I won't be eating at Chik-fil-A again, or until something dramatic happens. However, with them being a mostly red state fast food chain (perception maybe?), this outing of themselves as homophobes might work to their favor. I did notice that the line at the new Chik-fil-A at Fashion Island which had long lines 2 weeks ago (it was new) has no lines now at lunch time. But I'm not willing to say those behind the Orange Curtain are boycotting. Likely, they had a 3-days worth of calories splurge at the opening and now it's back to more healthy lunches. But I could be wrong and it really is distate for bigotry that's holding people back.

The only other thing I can think of that I've actively boycotted for a long time was Tom Cruise movies. I rescinded that so that I could see Rock of Ages, and I'm on the fence about whether he gets my future entertainment dollars or not. He (or more likely his publicist) seems to have shoved a sock in it to keep him from preaching the word every day and as loud as he can. Your religion is your own business, but when you tell women not to treat post partum depression in every way possible, you've overstepped.

And that's sort of how I choose. You're allowed to be Republican, Christian, anti-choice or whatever other thing I don't agree with, but once you start hurting people's lives with intention, then that's a different thing.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I won't be eating at Chik-fil-A again, or until something dramatic happens. However, with them being a mostly red state fast food chain (perception maybe?), this outing of themselves as homophobes might work to their favor. I did notice that the line at the new Chik-fil-A at Fashion Island which had long lines 2 weeks ago (it was new) has no lines now at lunch time. But I'm not willing to say those behind the Orange Curtain are boycotting. Likely, they had a 3-days worth of calories splurge at the opening and now it's back to more healthy lunches. But I could be wrong and it really is distate for bigotry that's holding people back.

There's a little push back on the Chick-Fil-A. My bff from 7th grade posted a "Let's Eat at Chik-Fil-A" counter-protest on her FB feed. Apparently, evangelicals are making a point to eat there on August 1 to support their stance.

I didn't eat at Chick-Fil-A before this, because their super-strict religious nuttiness was pretty well known before this. I also don't eat at Cracker Barrel or shop at Hobby Lobby. That's because I don't believe in their particular brand of religious/political activism. (They're free to believe it. I'm free not to support it.)

I also don't buy any food that has imported ingredients from China. After the Chinese kid died of poisoned milk chocolate and the pets died, I went on a major campaign to make sure that any food that comes into our house does not include ingredients sourced in China. I emailed a ton of companies. I also don't buy dishes or cookware or utensils that were made in China for the same reasons. My kids frequently hear "Don't put that toy in your mouth. It was made in China." (It's hard to find toys that aren't made in China.)

I haven't made up my mind about Nike or Apple or other companies that make products elsewhere. On the one hand, they should treat their workers better. On the other hand, bad jobs are sometimes better than no jobs. I just don't know. I avoid their products when I can, but I don't boycott them.

I've previously supported Komen, but they can piss off. My money will go to American Cancer Society, or straight to Planned Parenthood, instead.

[DrPhil]

What do you have against Republicans and Christians, DubaiSis?

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

What do you have against Republicans and Christians, DubaiSis?

It's not that I have anything AGAINST them, I just don't agree. And I'm ok with not agreeing, until it gets to a certain point when I feel compelled to fight back. Group think is not good anywhere on the spectrum so I'm more than happy to hear an alternative viewpoint, unless it includes restricting people's rights or spouting hate as jokes or "it's just my opinion." And this is the same way I think of boycotts. The people at Chik-fil-A can think whatever they want, but when they donate large sums of money to ensure that people's rights are restricted, that's a different thing. And as a corporation, they have to know that money talks.

But speaking of blowback, did anyone see the thing on Facebook about boycotting Progressive Insurance because they're too liberal? That Cuhracked me up. The company's name is PROGRESSIVE and somebody was surprised that they are progressive. I have several friends who said, good to know. I'll be looking at them when it's time to renew my insurance. Whether these things move market share, I don't know.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by agzg

I hate you.

But yes, I will, but it depends on four things:
1. How strongly I feel about the issue.
2. The availability of comparable good/services in my area (and whether I can afford any price jumps).
3. Their response to public accusations/backlash.
4. Other, related parties. For example: it doesn't take much for me to either cut my spending at or boycott a company that donates to Focus on the Family, because James Dobson is a piece of shit and Focus on the Family really is a hate group, and I've felt that way for years.

A couple years after we got married, my ex-husband got strange and became obsessed with televangelists and was giving LOTS of money to that guy and the Joyce lady. It totally freaked me out.

My "boycotting" has been minimal. I don't donate to Komen anymore, as someone else mentioned, but that's not really a boycott. It's just a choice of who gets my charity dollars. I usually know people doing the Avon 2 Day and donate to that anyway. The only tine I really boycotted somewhere, it was a local restaurant after they'd been extremely rude to us.

We'd had breakfast there and our bill came to $10.34 or something like that. My ex (we were dating actually, before we got married) gave the cashier $20.34. She closed the drawer without giving him change. He pointed out to her that he'd given her a $20 and she argued with him. He had her get the manager who said "Leave your name and if the drawer is $10 over at the end of the day, we'll call you." Umm, no. My ex told them to count the drawer now and give him his change. They did. It was $10 over and they threw a ten dollar bill at him with no apology or anything. Did I mention we ate breakfast there EVERY Sunday and the waitresses all knew our order by heart? We were regulars. They should have trusted us or at least been gracious when they made the mistake. We never went there again and it bummed me out because they made the best omelettes. We did tell friends about our experience but I don't know if they stopped eating there or not.

I am trying to avoid AT&T and I avoided Comcast for a long time. However, when they were offering all the same services as a different cable/internet company for half the cost, I did end up with Comcast again. I'm not going to cut off my nose to spite my face, I guess. I just don't trust them much and I watch my bills very carefully.

I'm boycotting Chik Fil A because they don't have a restaurant around here. I've been boycotting them since before it was cool....lol.

[ASTalumna06]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KmsK3ertkM