Writer's Block

[rockinhamburger]

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Oh yes. It's like a compulsion; I believe very strongly in responsible consumer choice. The first company I boycotted was Nike, when I was eleven, because I found out about sweatshops in China and child labour while I was researching the issue for a school project. Since then, I have not bought a single Nike product.

There are a few others, the main ones being American Apparel, because of the rampant objectification of women within their advertising, and Coca Cola, because of its environmental and political impact on the entire world - it's an enormous, out-of-control corporation that is responsible for depleting water sources in many third world countries, exploiting its employees, especially at the bottom most rung of the ladder (because they fucking can) and paying them a dollar a day while paying their head CEOs thousands of dollars an HOUR. They have paramilitaries that are put in place to kill citizens in order to stop them from exercising their freedom to speak negatively about how the company's presence impacts their home countries and native cities. It's a fucked up company. I would really encourage you to find out more about it.

I know this amount of passion can be exhausting to people who don't feel as strongly about these issues, but it's just a part of my nature. I'm very passionate about the issues I'm convicted in, and I try live my life in a way that reflects that. And the truth is, I feel guilty giving a company money if I know the deplorable ways they treat human beings, whether directly or indirectly.

Comments

[my-weirdness.livejournal.com]

I am not disagree or agree with you... but

I understand that sweat shops and poorly run companies are issues....
But to play "devils advocate": Without sweat shops or factories in third world countries, those citizens in those countries won't have a job or a sense of employment.

Children shouldn't be working but because of the way those societies are a lot of children don't have hope or means of education. With out employment children starve even more or even worse.

I agree that there are issues out there but those who want to fight are just a small number and the companies are too big. The companies don't care about one person or a small hand few because the are making money any ways.

China's economy is starting to thrive and get better when it comes to issues like workers' rights.

[rockinhamburger.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have heard the arguments you've made here many times in my life. Because this issue is so important to me, and because I've spent time researching it, I have educated myself about the debate.

Nothing you wrote here has swayed my opinion even remotely. I acknoweldge that those arguments have merit, but I cannot support a company that allows children to work in its factories, in unfortunate conditions, while making barely enough money to survive.

I agree that there are issues out there but those who want to fight are just a small number and the companies are too big.

I completely disagree with you on this. In the course of human history, had every leader said something akin to that, society would have come to a standstill. I'm not saying there's an easy fix, I'm not saying it's black and white, but I choose to fight these companies by getting the word out where and when I can and not supporting them financially. I'm not forcing anyone else to do so, and I don't expect everyone else to do so.

If the issue is indeed smoothing out, then I am happy to hear that.

But the problem is truly at the core of American politics, and it's all about the corporations. The mega-corporations that care only about money and think very little about actual people. Corporations run everything. It's dangerous.

[constancedobler.livejournal.com]

Yup, I boycott things all the time. There are times I feel like it matters, and sometimes when I feel like it doesn't--but you have to try, anyway, right?

There are various companies I won't support. Walmart is the obvious one because of their issues with child labor, environmental policies, and being anti-labor union. They also completely decimate the economies of small towns when they move in--and people don't argue, because they think Walmart brings jobs--too bad those jobs don't actually pay a living wage!

Walmart's policies have gotten marginally better because of boycotts--and it also puts pressure on their competition to not follow their lead. Any chain discount store has issues that they need to correct, in my opinion.

Monsanto's my other big one--most people haven't even heard of them and they don't realize how much of the food supply these yahoos control. Genetically modified seed, poisonous chemicals, exploitation of farmers...the list goes on. Not to mention Monsanto was deeply involved in the Manhattan Project as well as the development of DDT and Agent Orange. Why anyone thinks these people should have anything to do with the food supply is beyond me.

Here's one that disappointed me recently: There is a local ice cream company here that I always supported because, well, I just support local business. Unfortunately, they got bought up a couple years ago by members of the Prince family--as in Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, and Elsa Prince, who donated $450,000 to the Prop 8 campaign in CA. Now where am I supposed to get my ice cream? ;)

As a side note--what a great Christian Elsa Prince is! Wonder how many children $450,000 could've educated? (And ha, ha--she didn't manage to stop my church wedding to my dear wife in her own state!)

[rockinhamburger.livejournal.com]

As a side note--what a great Christian Elsa Prince is! Wonder how many children $450,000 could've educated? (And ha, ha--she didn't manage to stop my church wedding to my dear wife in her own state!)

SING IT!!