Forum Post: An Idea - Please post your thoughts
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 7, 2011, 7:52 p.m. EST by corporateshakeup
(0)
from Las Vegas, NV
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Hit big corporations where it hurts.....in the wallet
We choose one large company and collectively ignore it, (refuse to do business with it), for a predetermined amount of time. ( a month, a quarter)
If done effectively, this will cause a dramatic drop in profits, stock price will nosedive, board of directors and stock holders will sweat.
I like this idea. But I have thoughts on how to expand it. For example pick the three largest publicly held companies in a given sector (Banking, Oil, Retail, Insurance, etc.), collectively ignore all three until the stock price of at least two drops by 40%, and stays at that level, or drops further over six months.
I have been hearing many suggestions on this board about a Black Friday Boycott which I was initially for, but now I am not because of the collateral damage it would cause--mass layoffs of retail employees and cause further damage to our economy.
Well, if you do target a specific organization then put Walmart on top of that list. There are dozens of reasons why they should be on top of that list, but I won't get into it. Boycott them to show who really is in control because Walmart has been getting there way for such a long time--they need to learn a harsh lesson. However, with that said, try not to go too long with the Boycott, just enough time to pack a nasty wallop and make them rethink their evil business practices and how they deal with their employees. I don't want to see their employees laid off. People who live in rural America rely on the local Walmart for employment, so I don't want to hurt anyone's livlihood. Just enough to send a powerful message.
We could choose a target then move to the next target. Once again we must pick the worst offenders of corporate greed. These corporations should be put on notice, and then we given them some time to change there ways, while we move onto the next target. If these companies continue with their b.s. then we go back for a second round of boycotting. We must let them know that the People has spoken and the jig is up. The gravy train ends here. Change the way you do business or else.
Oh, I wil come down off my soap box now. Boy, I feel good about saying this.
Glad to see someone sees eye to eye with me about Walmart. I had a guy give me all kinds of crap a few nights ago when I told him I stopped dealing with Walmart years ago after doing research about them on line.
But the 10-year-old Chinese girls need to support their families too.
Hilarious! Yeah, slaves need to make a living too, what the hell was I thinking? ;-)
Do you know they have to live in quarters attached to the store there?
Serious?
Yeah. It was in a documentary. I can't remember the name but I'm sure you can find it online. Here is an article. Not quite exactly what I said, but close. http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/wal-mart-campaign/news/11587
Damn! More people need to know this. Thanks.
Found that article above. There is one on YouTube. It's 1hr 37min. Not sure if it's the one I saw or not. Didn't watch it yet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hftb_DVuelo
I'll definitely check both out. Thanks.
Accumulations of capital are the most susceptible to boycott. Banks and investment managers like Fidelity and Vanguard which manage hundreds of billions in retirement funds. If withdrawals at one of these firms increased by just a couple of percent in one month they would really hurt. And they would have to report it to the world.
Union people could get their unions to change to investment managers who invest mostly in America.
Individuals with IRA's and 401-K's in Fidelity and Vanguard could move your money to places where the managers focus on U.S. investments.
Fidelity and Vanguard have, for decades, been taking American worker Union and other pension dollars and investing it in companies that then close American plants for short term capital gain.
Find yourself investment funds that care about the long term growth of America. Move your money into them.
And you loose all that geographic diversification and thus your retirement account becomes more risky.
All of my analysis and investing is in American companies. I have diversity and quality gains. the only time this has failed me is when the big multi national investment gangsters like Fidelity and Goldman-Sachs game the entire markets like what happened in 2008.
Well, I buy what I need when I need it when I have to. Otherwise, I research and wait for a deal. EVERYBODY gets boycotted, people have been boycotting Disney, Walmart and who knows else for years with seemingly no hurt to the bottom line.
They have websites for the express purpose of boycotting companies that are still around and thriving.
there is a company called algehny that owns j&J dow, pepsico and a few others. so how would you target the mother company? for instance,, glad is owned by clorox who is owned by dow chemicals that is owned by algehny. how would you do that?
You should be refusing to do business with companies you deem to have acted unethically anyways. Companies have no motivation to act ethically if they are going to get your dollars either way.
It demends on how many people participate. The transfer of funds from big banks to small ones seems to have had some effect, even without being massive.
I quite like this actually. I think it would have to be proposed in a major city, just to get everyone to actually do it. Take it to a General Assembly. See what they think.
Gridlock all the cities and malls the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving and kill their sales projections. Walmart would be a perfect target
I personally think a strong organized anti-consumerist, anti over-consumption trend should develop from this movement. Hit the bastards where it counts on their P/L statement.
Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. - Gandhi
Boycott all destructive entities permanently and plant a garden to provide abundant fresh food. Get out of money slavery. http://occupywallst.org/forum/family-food-gardens-this-is-the-solution/
While I do dig the idea of family/community gardens, I do worry for the farmers. These people work very hard and are barely making ends meet. What is going to happen to them if the idea of family/community gardens grow and people no longer buy produce or are buying less and less of it from their grocery stores.
Why not look into farm shares and pay farmers for the products they produce for us in addition to planting some stuff in our family garden. We don't want to hurt the farmers. Let's work with them.
I don't think this is a problem for the farmers. They will be able to sell some of their land to make way for family food gardens and switch to organic permaculture on their smaller more manageable farms. Farmers used to be very comfortable with practically every sort of fruit and vegetable growing fresh on their farms before they became slaves to agri business and they can be again.
the best way to hurt a corp is from within; by having its employees discreetly turn against it, costing it billions
problem is, everyone's too much of a pussy :)
Worked for MLK and his buses. I say pick the Wall st. entity with the most egregious dealings and BOYCOTT.
That idea probably wouldn't work. However, there are intelligent ways of going about these things. For instance, market speculation. Stock options usually reflect what people think will happen. The stock prices can be pushed down if shorted in times of uncertainty. If we had all agreed to short News Corporation during the Rupert Murdoch scandal, the analysts would have concluded that there exists even more bad news and the stock price would go down further. One thing I've learned from observing is that if a stock goes down 10% in a week, it might bounce back or remain stagnant. But if a stock goes down 30% in a week, it's likely to collapse. This concept is called "Reflexivity". It was devised by Karl Popper, who taught it to George Soros, who made billions of dollars applying it in the markets.
The targeting would have to be laser sharp.
I would recommend Apple Computer the next time they introduce a new product. Apple has something like $80-BILLION that it is keeping offshore to evade taxes. It also makes most of its products with Chinese and other Asian slave labor.
Every time they introduce a new phone or other product young Americans line up for days to be the first to buy. Mount a protest at one of those introductions and confront the people in line to buy. It would get great press if done in the right locations. San Francisco and NYC.
I had been an Apple owner since the 1980's until this year when I heard how they prey on workers to maximize their profits. I changed over to PC this past summer.
And in the wake of this it will let its rival company take over the whole market and have a monopoly... Brilliant idea though!
You wonder what's the importance of being a country? Well, look at the diversity on these forums. Imagine all the differences, and life styles, thoughts and dreams. We're all in this together. Our spreading of ideas make a catalyst for change. If we cannot find a common goal, we will fail. The 1% will win and along with it, the American spirit will die. Remember, we are the 99%
Why not just focus on the label of what you buy, and if it's not made in America? put it back on the shelf. That's the most simple solution to our economic woes. you'll never get the ultra rich to share their wealth with you. this country isn't converting to Socialism because of .0099% of the population marching anyplace.
BUY AMERICAN ROOT OUT CORRUPTION and for gods sake quit voting for leaders just because they are young or black. Listen to what they are saying before we allow the next idiot in the white house.
Here is a fund that is 85% or more invested in the U.S.
https://www.americanfunds.com/funds/details.htm?fundNumber=4
If you buy individual stocks Intel has one of the largest work forces inside the U.S. of any U.S. company. and they actively organize companies nd investment venture capital groups to invest in America.
supporting American investments and communicating with them that you prefer to invest in companies that invest in America's long term growth will return growth and middle class jobs to America.
And your point is? Oh I see all corporations are bad. Yes I forgot. Based of course on objective data and analysis of course.
Of course the first thing a company will do when revenues go down is cut people who work there. Not sure who you are trying to hurt?
Are you all really listening to yourselves? How on earth does bringing massive companies' stock prices down help ANYONE? The fact is that it does not! We are still in this recession because the wise investors of the world are terrified to invest because they know that the company they invest in could get nailed at anytime by regulations or increased taxes from your liberal representatives in congress. If you really want to help the 99%, get rid of Obama in 2012.
Yea! lets all try to screw over Apple! then No one will have an ipod, PCs will be an even bigger giant, and the music industry will fall apart!
What a brainiac