Forum Post: Time To Flex Our Economic Muscles
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 15, 2011, 11 p.m. EST by rosewood
(543)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The power elites are flexing their muscles, and isn't it time we flex ours. We know we can occupy, but we have yet to wield real power using our dollars. The corporate world is rolling over us, with casual disregard, and we have yet to fully meet that challenge. We've begun by occupying and transferring our money out of large banks. It's time to now learn that we have the power to change corporate values by withholding our dollars and using them like rubber bullets. Once we didn't realize that we could globally occupy. Now we know we can. We have a global consciousness now, and we can create global boycotts.
Max Keiser suggested some time ago that we boycott Pepsi, as a corporation that could easily be brought down using consumer power. The public at that time chose not to economically boycott Pepsi, it's such a Americana product that we love and enjoy. The company's dangerous and criminal behavior in developing nations never bothered us. Now we discover Pepsi is using aborted fetal cells to develope a sweetner. Pro-life groups asked Pepsi too stop to no avail.
At this moment of OWS re-configuring we need to learn to flex our economic muscle, using global OWS, against PepsiCo as our first economic boycott exercise and target. If we suceed, we then can move on to possibly Monsanto which is weaponizing our food, and possibly killing the honey bees. We need to create a shot that will be heard around the world, in all corporate boardrooms, as we sink Pepsi like the titanic.
OWS needs to demand respect, create change, and warn the corporate world that they will comply with global consumers and humanity or suffer the consequences. This could be just one action that could easily be taken by NOT buying Pepsi products.
This might also create more support for OWS in other communities. This is an opportune moment to now launch the economic potential of global OWS. We need to seriously bring down one of the corporate minions of the 1%, and establish OWS as a serious movement that can impact the bottom line of corporations. This combined with other strategies that we will create, will warn the 1% to respect global OWS; and give us the skills and experience to bring down corporations using our economic power.
Personally, I think we need to collapse Pepsi, to the extent that they plead for mercy, change their policies, get a new corporate board; reduce CEO salary, and perks, and move factories back to America. If they can't do that...sink them. This is a serious proposal that I'm asking OWS supporters to put forward.
lets double down and get Coke at the same time.
One target would suffice which has numerous documeted worker and enviromental abuses. We have yet as a generation and a movement to prove that we have the discipline to use our dollars lazer like, on one targeted corporation, and to take it down with the global power of OWS. Th more targets the more diffuse the results.
I didn't know that about Pepsi, although I had heard about some of Coke's human rights abuses in foreign countries. Personally, though, I believe we should be boycotting ANY corporation we think is guilty of serious violations, although I don't find fault with the idea of targeting one, but it should be a permanent boycott. A temporary boycott would have temporary results. That said, I'm not sure if you realize what a big target you're picking when you decided on PepsiCo, although I have no problem with the choice. You would, however, have to boycott many if not all their products to make a difference, you couldn't just stop buying Pepsi the soft drink. PepsiCo is the third largest food and beverage corporation in the world, after Nestle and Kraft. Here's what PepsiCo owns, which is what you would have to stop buying:
Drinks: AMP, Brisk, Mountain Dew, Ocean Spray, Mist, Aquafina, Lipton Ice Tea, MUG, Pepsi, Sobe, Gatorade, Tropicana, No Fear Energy Drink, Propel Enhanced Water, Starbucks (retail products)
Food: Lays, Doritos, Tostitos, Cheetos, Fritos, Sun Chips, Baked!, Frito Lay Dips, Baken-Ets, Chester's Puffcorn, Cracker Jack, El Isleno Plantain Chips, Frito-Lay Peanuts, Funyuns, Gamesa, Grandma's, Matador, Maui Style Potato Chips, Miss Vickie's, Munchies, Munchos, Natural, Nut harvest, Quaker, Rold Gold, Ruffles, Sabritones, Santitas, Smartfood, Spitz, Stacy's
PepsiCo also owns a spin-off company called Yum! which owns restaurant chains including: Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Hot 'n Now, East Side Marios, D'Angelo Sandwich Shops, Chevy's Fresh Mex, California Pizza Kitchen and Stolichnaya
Wow, it's great you researched this. Max Keiser has put this idea out numerous times but no one wants to implement it so far. He analysed why Pepsi would be the most vulnerable and easy to take down; but I don't remember his rationale. I use about ten of their products so I'd have to have a list of their products on my refrig.
It would be an evolutionary leap, if OWS could launch this, but it's unlikely it will happen as people seem to believe they can impact the power structure by just demanding, occupying or protesting. We say it's about money, but there's something about economic boycotts that we shy away from. If we could do this, it would prepare us to take on Monsanto, whose creating the GMO food and seeds.
The pro life community is boycotting Pepsi because of the use of aborted fetus cells to develope a sweetner. This would be an opportune moment to launch this and unite with other groups in boycotting Pepsi. It would put us in the news, uniting us in this action with religious groups, pro-lifers, and other groups; and allow us to exercise our economic impact on corporations.
People have difficulty just focusing on one target, and you want many ? ...and they don't seem to get the concept; to scare the heck out of corporations/politicians;and teach us to unify, lazer like on one target. If done well it would make the politicians, corporations and 1% take OWS seriously; so when we say put back Glass Steagle, or else we'll take down another corporation...we'll have some notches on our belt to prove we mean business. Thanks for the info awesome. Wish the idea could be considered by OWS.
PepsiCo is such a huge corporation it would be an ideal target. We should let them know, once this is coordinated (needs to be as world-wide as possible) and implemented, that it's coming from OWS. This would send a powerful message to the powers-that-be that we are a force to be taken seriously. Here's why they would make a great first target: they are a 'premium' member of the Council of Foreign Relations and of the Brookings Institute, two of the most important organizations for the world's elite. PepsiCo's chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi, is part of the World Economic Forum. Within these three organizations (and others) executives from PepsiCo and other mega-corporations (like Nike and Sony) work alongside various heads-of-state, policy makers, and image makers to develop political, social, and economic opinions and recommendations that affect entire countries, so PepsiCo is not only a huge corporation, they are, in fact, a major player in world affairs. An ideal target once we have the numbers we need.
Well I'm glad you see the value of this. I can project that many people won't get it; and have their own agendas. If only we could get the concept that this is training so that we have a economic arsenal, now possible because this is a global movement. Bring down one of their corporations, and that is power.Train a global populace to move as one and you have a fighting force that hits them where they live. Then you can make demands. Also expect a charge of economic terrorism and blowback from the 1%. They'll fight back in earnest.
The occupy movement is too fragmented just now to be effective, of course, but once it gets more coordinated and has built up the sufficient numbers, then we can pull it off. That doesn't mean we can't start making plans now, though. I'm a firm believer in boycotts and think they should be one of our primary weapons outside of what we do politically. I believe the best approach to getting this country back on track is a two-pronged attack. From the top down through the political process and from the bottom up from our individual actions, by changing the way we think and act as individuals. Stop being such wasteful consumers, start thinking locally and buying American products, etc. Boycotts can be one of our bottom-up weapons.
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If you're going to be flexing your economic muscle, shouldn't you guys get to working out those muscles, ie working? Just saying, college debtors and homeless people don't have too much muscle to flex.
I agree completely, The only thing I will say is to get creative and do research. Last months bank transfer was a great PR win for OWS, but it failed in the damage department.
This guy has a good idea:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/make-them-lose-money-and-they-will-listen/
Yes but the concern is that the banks will be charged, but the profits will then go to google, another arm of the surveillance state. We need to take the profit out of the system...not roll it over to another segment of the 1%. A boycott takes the money away...hopefully.
Yes, but still target the banks first and then worry about google later. Anyone can do this from their own home without really any excuses. I like the boycott idea as well. I'd just hate if people stocked up on the boycotted products in advance of the actual boycott.
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