Forum Post: A concept called Boycotting
Posted 12 years ago on May 15, 2012, 8:18 p.m. EST by javi79
(10)
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I'm tired of reading these senseless threads that present no solution. My solution, Boycotting. It has always worked in the past when done strategically(Ex. Ghandi, Martin Luther King). OWS needs to wake up, sto p complaining, and get to work! For example, all americans can stop buying Mcdonald's for six months, and support organic food production; Then the government would probably stop subsidizing the overproduction of genetic corn and beef which is making us sick, and cause corporations like Mcdonald's to go bankrupt!! Wake up people, and start boycotting corporations!
A concept caled boycotting Mcdonalds????? Let's target the real tyrants. Congress and those who buy their services, the giant corporations on wall street.
A boycott of those corporations that corrupt Congress by withholding our dollars and a boycott of those in Congress who corrupt Democracy by withholding our votes will defeat both.
But only if there are numbers great enough to fight a sustained battle. And to get those numbers, the people not only need to understand why they should fight, but they need to gain the courage to stand up and fight.
In our small city of 77,000 people, 30 people are on our Occupy Facebook page, but only one quarter show up for our weekly Friday protest. Hundreds more honk in support as they drive by, but a honk doesn't travel to Washington or New York City.
I wish it was as easy as voting the old Congress out and voting in a new one, or closing our wallets to wall street for a few months. The greatest battle will not take place in Washington and New York City, but in every city, to win over the hearts and minds of the very people who will benefit most.
Our once free minds have developed a slave mentality, so fearful of our corporate and political masters, yet so secure in the poverty they provide. We have become corrupted to desire what the chosen few possess. Justice desires that we possess what few have chosen.
I just bought a 20 piece McNugget meal. Yum.
dude
that's like 3 cans of tuna noddles and tomato soup
Organized boycotting is the only way to fight the american corporate monster!
I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart years ago.
I also don't buy Koch products either.
I don't vote for pro-war candidates.
Boycotting rocks and is indeed a great way to make change! But you gotta get massive support for it to work.
Always remember no problem was solved over night. Everything takes time. Which means everyone has to make time.
Easy place to start and carry on a continuous boycott. Get people to pull their accounts out of the banking system and place them into credit unions.
Hell yeah!
Thank you.
Let us cut to the heart of the matter. At least one of the hearts.
Your post makes sense but to get the vast majority of Americans to boycott won't happen. The only way it will happen is if it affects their income.
Like organized strikes by unions. Goes back to the posts I presented several months ago about boycotting buying chinese made products. It's never going to happen. People just don't give a damm about what's happening with todays economy. They want it cheap and they want it now regardless of if it only lasts 1 or two years - then they will buy another cheap chinese made product to replace that one - or maybe get bored and buy something else in 3 months.
You're exactly right. Us americans are to stupid to do things like boycotts, etc. But it's such an effective method. All we have to do is find ways to organize such a strategy. That is what OWS should have done since the beginning to really make an impact! It can still be done, but we need to rearm, and reorganize with that in mind. If we boycott, maybe we can send a message to the rest of america to do the same thing. Cause a chainreaction!!!!
But in the meantime, boycott any company you have strong feelings against. Don't wait for an organized boycott. I boycott strictly because of principle even though I realize the Krocs and Waltons haven't noticed. I strongly urge you to start personal boycotts now.
The one sure way to do something is for the OWS to boycott wallyworld in a neuteral zone - bringing attention to those who are about to go in and buy chinese products that that is the reason for not having a job would definitely have a 'big impact".
Next get legislatures on board to impose taxes on imports and use those taxes for creating companies and job building here in the United States.
I believe the government is already imposing a tax on imports to some degree but you don't hear much about it - it can be done.
How hard is it to close your facebook account? People are just stoopid.
I agree. A food services industry Blackout for one day would do more for the arguement of Living wage than has been done, to date.
Now were on the right track. This is the only way this OWS, and us as americans can make real change!! Stopping the flow of money to a particular entity!!. Stop buying Mcdonald's, and ipods!
Boycotting is one of two good ideas I’ve seen lately (the other being petitions to remove NADA). I was starting to think no one was thinking about specifics.
The hurdle of boycotting is the same as most issues, you have to have public to support. In some ways you could say the BoA fee issue was a boycott; either drop the fee or we’ll drop you.
I think the trick will be to figure out exactly what the public will boycott. I can’t think of anything specific off the top of my head, but surely someone smarter than me has some ideas.
I tend to agree with that. A general call to boycott isn't going to inspire a lot of action. We should keep our eyes open for specific problems to boycott.
OK, here’s a crazy idea that might work. According to a recent poll I read, one of the biggest complaints people have about shopping at supermarkets is they never have enough check-out stations open. Therefore you have to stand in line. People are frustrated by that.
So, if we announced a one day boycott of a large supermarket chain because of too few open stations the public might buy into it. People will probably just shop the next day, but it will get the attention of retailers everywhere.
Yea, I know it’s kind of goofy, but it could give OWS credulity and help the public.
It seems a bit trivial on the surface to talk about waiting in line, but it is a strong idea underneath. I always get the sneaking idea that they actually intentionally make me wait in line a long time so I'll pick up one or two more item from the check out lanes.
I like the singling out of one place at a time, but for a better reason. Standing in line...not so bad...met nice women there. :-) oops, sorry the Viking in me surfaced.
boycott..boycott..stay with me now....boycott...yes, I know there are pretty woman...but..boycott..boycott..
OK..I'll try to concentrate...err what was it again?
..never mind.
I see you're not a fan of McDonalds. How come?
Also, I am not a fan of Mcdonalds. Our country is polluted with this junk. From the manufacturing, to the service!!!
I use McD as just an example. Simple to understand. Everyone knows what Mcdonalds is.
I see. I added them to my boycott list years ago after they got caught rigging their 'Monopoly' game. For a company as successful as McDonalds to turn around and make fools of their loyal customers was enough for me. Haven't spent a penny at a McDonalds since.
I haven't been to McDonald's in years. Never heard about them rigging their 'monopoly' game, but it does not surprise me. Recently, I saw parts of a documentary, Hot Coffee, about the woman who sued McDonald's over hot coffee. It shows how far big corporations go to distort and SPIN the truth. I was surprised to learn that they kept their coffee at a constant temperature between 160-180 degrees.
"Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman ranked it in his top ten list. And more than fifteen years later, its infamy continues. Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts? Hot Coffee reveals what really happened to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s, while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention, who funded the effort and to what end. After seeing this film, you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee."
I saw a promo on that recently and was surprised at what they were saying. That case was totally twisted by the media, portraying her as the 'bad guy' and McDonalds as the innocent party. I'm going to see the whole doc when it comes on.
Years ago they got caught rigging the game by funneling all the large winning tickets to relatives of McDonalds and the agency in charge of the game. No big winners went to the public-at-large. Seeing as it's almost impossible to win that game anyway, I was appalled they rigged it to benefit McDonalds associates exclusively. McDonalds claimed it was the ad agency and they didn't know anything about it, but, being the skeptic, I find that about as believable as Jamie Dimon claiming he was clueless about what was going on at his bank.
Rigged to go to McDonald associates. Damn crooks. I wonder how the lawyers kept that so quiet. Still can't believe I never heard even the slightest whisper about that.
It wasn't in the news very long. Once they made the ad agency the scapegoat, the news went away. Then, they didn't have the 'Monopoly' game for quite a while after, at least a few years. Long enough for most people to forget the incident.
Shhhhh...it's just another rigged monopoly game being played on the public.
Just one of many rigged games being played on the public.
Maybe we should boycott the maker of the Monopoly game. I'm really beginning to despise that game.
Heh heh heh. Not a bad idea really. The latest version of the board game has a tower in the center that monitors your moves, keeps track of your cash and other Big-Brotherly type stuff:
http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/new-monopoly-features-a-computer-tower-monitoring-every-move/
Seems the opposite really. This is a better monopoly. No back room deals. I like that.
"The newfangled Monopoly is sure to have detractors, however. Players have long considered the basic Monopoly rules to be more a set of loose guidelines, and have traditionally livened things up by encouraging sneakier tactics like hiding money and making deals with other players on the fly. With the tower overseeing every move, such casual cheating will be a thing of the past."
Woo hoo. No cheaters. Regulate, baby.
Ah, looking at it from the other side of the coin. Interesting. We never cheated at Monopoly when we were kids, but maybe that's why we got so bored with it. Just kidding, I don't advocate cheating at board games. Or cheating in general, for that matter.
But the board game monitoring the players? I don't know, it still seems kind of Big Brotherly to me.
All the protesting in the world is not going to get us anywhere! Boycott!!!
Been saying this since last October. Don't expect an organized OWS boycott any time soon, though. Can't get enough people to agree just yet. Personally, I've been actively boycotting businesses I disagree with for years. Coincidentally, McDonalds is one of the first ones on my long list. Please start boycotting and try to get your family and friends to do the same. It is effective.
Thank you for the comment. I am going to repost for a series of months. Boycotting is the only way in todays age.
I agree. What would come in handy would be a website for organized boycotting but I don't have the skills (or income) to start one just yet.
"All Americans can stop buying"
Good luck with that. ALL Americans have never agreed on anything. Ever. And just so you know....trying to manipulate the American public by boycotting businesses that the majority of them LIKE, only causes them to purchase MORE from those companies out of spite for the boycott in the first place. Last time Code Pink boycotted a specific company-the right plowed in and raised their company profits by more than double.
Well this is only way we can fight the corporation is financially. We can bitch and complain all we want, but if we don't fight them we are never going to make any change. Us americans need to change our ingorant mentality. And yes like you said "all americans should stop buying"
Don't let naysayers like BetsyRoss sway you. Hitting these corporations in their pocketbook, or bottom line, is the only thing they will understand.
Javi, Betsy is right, its not buying that need be stopped, think about it, we only need to get the employees of these slave wage buisnesses to stop working for one day. What does that do... Nobody can buy, when nobody is avail. to work. Message sent.
That won't work either. You'll never get all the employees to go along with that. And if they did, they'd get fired and their positions would be filled the next DAY by some of the tens of millions out of work. A one day loss of income is peanuts to these large corporations. That loss would be absorbed without them even batting an eye. That's why one day boycotts won't work either. It has to be a long enough time frame (either a boycott or walk-out) for them to actually feel it financially for it to make a difference.
So make it longer, but you don't understand, there aren't enough skilled people to take over all of those positions. Certainly not the next Day. You don't get it, THOSE tens of millions could be working at one of these places already if they wanted to be working. They are always hiring. Thats why this is the only place it could work. That I can think of at the moment.
Well, maybe the next day was extreme, but I believe they'd be fired and new workers would take their place, which makes a walkout ineffectual. It does depend on the business also. Flipping burgers is hardly a skilled occupation, but a machinist certainly is.
Did you know there are about five to six unemployed for most available job openings? Your statement that if they wanted to be working they could be is untrue. Right now there aren't enough jobs to go around (again, depending on the job, of course).
You must at least see that as a society, if we wanted these people to be working we would create jobs for them. It isn't that we can't find things for them to do. In fact, my stance has always been if we're paying unemployement benefits out we might at least give these folks something to do to earn it. People can and most likely will improve themselves from there.
Absolutely. There's plenty of things that need to be done, fixing our crumbling infrastructure is a prime example. But, these jobs won't be created by you or me. This is one of the biggest issues right now, getting people back to work.
It dosen't need to be complicated, and it dosen't have to cost a dime. By suggesting the employees not to go to work can help, but it's not necessary. I feel by cutting off the profits, causes change in policy. period.
I don't follow, can you go through the easy details of getting all Americans to participate. Not just why but how to convince everyone to stop enjoying Mcdonalds and Ipods.
Well I do not exactly know how to get everyone involved. That's why I am sharing this thought on this website; And again, I am using Mcdonald's as a n example. This method can be applied to any corporation. Get it.
I'm not a naysayer-I'm realistic. There's TWO important things you keep missing-
1) ALL Americans will not do exactly what you want them to simply because ALL Americans are not the same. They don't think/feel/act the same even if they agree on certain issues.
2) Support FOR Occupy is at an all time low http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/14/occupy-wall-street-people-power-popularity
The people who don't even know who or what OWS is and the people who do know and do not support you, make up the MAJORITY of the American population. This means that MORE people are likely to NOT support any boycott you come up with than are likely to participate in it.
You'll never get ALL of the employees in every city to stop working-even for one day because those people need the money they earn every day (or they wouldn't be working there). Some of the people LIKE their jobs. Most of them will not risk being fired.
But again, there are millions of people who LIKE McDonald's or don't care about corporate McDonalds at all-and they won't support your boycott. Period.