Boycotts: Are there Any Causes of Products that you Refuse to Support or Buy?
As someone who grew up and finished school in the 1970s, there were always causes which we supported, or products, people, places or things that one boycotted. For example, I can remember when the Farmworkers in California were trying to earn better wages, and there was a boycott that I supported by not buying grapes. Surely those can remember the entire issue surfacing several years ago regarding France, and how the name 'French fries' were changed to 'freedom fries.'
As a Jew, my parents and family members, when we were growing up, did not buy anything made in Germany, since much was associated with the death camps, and products and machines were made inside this country whose leader believed in the extermination of more than 6 million Jews and countless others. Hence, anything German was considered non-purchasable. Frankly, I had a difficult time with this concept, as it has been my position that not all Germans were Nazis, and that we should move forward with our lives as they exist in the year 2006. With that being said, I even drive a German car.
But there is one country, I must confess, whose products I continue to boycott today, even in 2006, and that is Switzerland. I remember when my dear friend, for more than 20 years, found out about this 'quirk' (she calls it) of mine, and her conclusion was, 'no Swiss cheese, no watches, wow....!'
Switzerland, which claimed neutrality during Nazi Germany, was anything but un-involved, and one can pursue the many books and materials that speak about the role of the Swiss banks during the Holocaust. As a point of fact, many of these lawsuits still have remained unresolved, today, in 2006, where the survivors are still waiting for compensation for bonds and goods (including art works) taken into the custody of the Swiss government.
Of course my acts may have gone to extremes when I would walk into a store and hide any items that were marked, "Made in Switzerland," and refusing to own a Swiss made watch, but my own personal emotions ran high after reading so much of the literature on the role of the Swiss during this time, that I was, and remain firm about boycotting any products that come from Switzerland.
Here is the question for the day: Are there any causes or products that you boycott, and if so, why?
Women on the verge of Thinking will be on a hiatus for the rest of the week, due to a heavy work schedule and some personal commitments.
Thank you for your minds.
As a Jew, my parents and family members, when we were growing up, did not buy anything made in Germany, since much was associated with the death camps, and products and machines were made inside this country whose leader believed in the extermination of more than 6 million Jews and countless others. Hence, anything German was considered non-purchasable. Frankly, I had a difficult time with this concept, as it has been my position that not all Germans were Nazis, and that we should move forward with our lives as they exist in the year 2006. With that being said, I even drive a German car.
But there is one country, I must confess, whose products I continue to boycott today, even in 2006, and that is Switzerland. I remember when my dear friend, for more than 20 years, found out about this 'quirk' (she calls it) of mine, and her conclusion was, 'no Swiss cheese, no watches, wow....!'
Switzerland, which claimed neutrality during Nazi Germany, was anything but un-involved, and one can pursue the many books and materials that speak about the role of the Swiss banks during the Holocaust. As a point of fact, many of these lawsuits still have remained unresolved, today, in 2006, where the survivors are still waiting for compensation for bonds and goods (including art works) taken into the custody of the Swiss government.
Of course my acts may have gone to extremes when I would walk into a store and hide any items that were marked, "Made in Switzerland," and refusing to own a Swiss made watch, but my own personal emotions ran high after reading so much of the literature on the role of the Swiss during this time, that I was, and remain firm about boycotting any products that come from Switzerland.
Here is the question for the day: Are there any causes or products that you boycott, and if so, why?
Women on the verge of Thinking will be on a hiatus for the rest of the week, due to a heavy work schedule and some personal commitments.
Thank you for your minds.
20 Comments:
I don't boycott anything in particular, but I refuse to turn my child into an advertisement by dressing her in clothes featuring commercial logos or characters. When she's old enough to BEG me for a t-shirt featuring some Disney character I'm sure I'll probably cave, but as long as I have a choice in the matter, she's not going to be a billboard for corporate America.*
*Levi's tags and such don't count. I don't make my own clothes and I won't make my child's clothes, so I'm going to have to accept tags. I'm talking about clothing with Elmo and The Little Mermaid and all that kind of stuff on it. A friend gave me a baby t-shirt with a screen print of The Clash's London Calling on the front. I'm going to let that slide. And anything with the Beatles on it too, of course.
Side note: Was the whole nation of Switzerland complicit in this, or just the bankers? I ask because you've allowed some diversity of perspective among the Germans, so why not the Swiss? (This isn't a challenge; you know this aspect of world history far better than I do. I'm genuinely curious.)
Yes, turning our children into advertisements seems to be a huge pastime!
Good quesiton, K...
It was not the entire nation nation of Swiss, but for years, this government maintained absolute neutrality during the Holocaust. There was even a period when survivors relatives asked for access to bank accounts. They were charged money, and all told that they needed proof of a death before they could be even investigated. Of course, there were no death certificates in Nazi Germany.
There is an excellent book: Holocaust Justice: The Battle for Restitution in America's Courts by Michael J. Bazler. He is here in Los Angeles, I have met him, he is an attorney and the son of 2 Holocaust survivors himself. This is a very emotional issue for me, personally, and I take an extreme position on it, I suppose.
Hi there.
The last time that I conciously boycotted certain products was during the South Africa apartheid era. Canada imports S.A. produce mostly in the winter when our fruit and vegies are non-existant. We import their wine as well.
Child slave Labour is the most contentious issue for me, but I find it very difficult to know or keep up to date on what products are made in warehouses that force children to work in their sweatshops.
Once again, you've got me thinking. Ouch, my brain hurts!
Have a productive and interesting week.
I try to think about everything i buy. Not so much as boycotting anyone product or anything, But, just being a conscience(?) consumer, and not wasteful.
I do not boycott any particular products but I do boycott Wal-Mart as a protest of their poor corporate citizenship.
I remember the grape boycott and since we had ties in the central coast Ag community we had a much different view of it. What was the truth? The truth was that once labor costs went up the relative cost of mechanization went down and now fewer people are employed in the industry. Not the fall out any one foresaw I think.
I think it's fantastic you boycotted Swiss products. Indeed they were hardly allies during those horrific times.
I'm also somewhat of a boycotter of German brands.
Anything owned by a known antisemite or racist I try to avoid as well.
There's a local restaurant that's put a sign it it's window - "This is America. Please place your order in English." I'd never eat there. In comments to the media, the owner is clearly bigoted against Hispanics, who of course are doing what every other immigrant group has had to do: learning English. But between arrival and fluency, they need to be able to order coffee and a sandwich...
I agree with you, Darius. What you describe sounds to me like discrimination.
My own feelings about this Swiss boycott issue may not be shared by many, however, I feel quite passionate about it. Until reparations are paid, and property turned over by the Swiss, included looted art, to Holocaust survivors, my personal boycott will stand.
I never really gave this much thought until recently and the truth is that I do boycott one thing intentionally, though it didn't start out that way.
Tom Cruise. I no longer patronize any product that I know he has any part in. It's not because he's wacked out of his skull (he is) or because he's rich or famous or shallow. Not even jumping on Oprah's couch would be enough by itself.
It's his attitude towards mental health, although even that is not enough to turn me against him. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But the fact that I know what his opinion is because he puts on his shrinks hat on national television telling everyone that medication does not help mental illness - that trained doctors don't know what they're talking about and HE does - that he uses his fame to push his opinions - ignorant opinions at that - on unimformed fans and those fans may actually listen to him... THAT makes him dangerous. It's one of the few causes that I stand behind 100% - not one dime of mine will ever end up in TC's pocket.
Don't worry, he won't miss it.
~Mike
you dont make sense you say you buy from germany because not all germans were nazis yet you refuse to buy from swiss were they all nazis?
I haven't boycotted anything lately. My one mission it to try and find things that are made in the USA, which becomes more difficult to do on a daily basis.
I agree with Mallory. I refuse to buy anything at Wal-Mart.
Oops, I forgot -- I don't eat Domino's Pizza because of owner Tom Monaghan's pro-Catholic (i.e., anti-woman) politics. And because it's bad.
from WW
Dear Barbara,
I remember that boycott on grapes from my childhood.
The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, mostly Filipino, started the Delano Grape Strike in 1965.
Soon after the strike started, Cesar Chavez and his group, National Farmworkers Association, mostly Hispanic, joined in.
The two groups merged and became the United Farm Workers of America. And they convinced the consumers to boycott table grapes.
Amazingly, their demand was to be paid minimum wage.
But they did not come to a collective agreement until 1970. It took five years.
That was a successful boycott. The beef boycott around the sametime was also successful.
But a successful boycott takes mass numbers of consumers and/or laborers joining in.
I feel the same way about Wal-Mart as two of your other commentors....but what would it take to successfully boycott Wal-Mart? They are so huge, they seem to have a lock on the market.
Other than that, I am a vegetarian... one reason being my statement against the gluttony of many Americans. So that is my own personal boycott.
WW
My piano teacher in Grad school was Lili Kraus, a Hungarian woman, a well known Mozart player at the time. She had been in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. However, she played in Japan all the time, and boycotted everything German.This was a serious hindrance to her career. I was puzzled because I knew that by sheer numbers, more people died in the Japanese camps under horribly brutal conditions. I asked her, and she simply said, "The Germans knew better. The Japanese didn't."
(And so did the Swiss and Austrians).
I don't buy or support cigarettes at all...Which has made my husband mad a few times because....I will be in town and he will be out of cigarettes and want me to pick him some up....I don't smoke them...don't want nothing to do with them!!!
Have a great day!!!
I boycott porn. To me, porn is disgusting. It is trashy and exploits women.
Just my humble opinion.
Don't judge me!
While I do not adamantly boycott anything, I try to be a very conscious, aware consumer in all my purchases. I give whole-hearted preference to organic, environmentally-safe, recyclable/biodegradable, ecologically-sustainable, and socially-responsible products, wherever they come from.
I try to buy local whenever I can, and I try to be aware of the processes involved in the creation and distribution of non-local products (e.g., buying clothing that has been woven from organic fibers by people receiving fair wages and fair market value for their products, and whose employers are concerned about the welfare of their employees' communities).
In truth, I cannot possibly say that I am 100% responsible in these consumer ethics, because everything from the computers I own to the rice I eat has potentially negative impacts all along the processes of their respective production. What I can do, is work hard to be an informed, concerned, and aware consumer, so that at the very least I stay conscious of my choices, and work hard to make better ones whenever possible.
Today, there are several bans announced.
Whole Foods bans sale on lobsters,
the Economist magazine is banned in Iran, because they call the region "The Gulf" and not the Persian Gulf, and JZ has banned his drinking and advertment of the champagne Crystal for some remarks the company made about its image.
I have not purchased anything Tommy Hilfiger since his appearance in Oprah and the famous 'I do not make clothes for the inner city' words.
T
You see, here is an example of the issues facing the Iraqi people. Hatred. Hating Germans, not buying german goods, etc, etc, when most of the people who were in that war, are long DEAD.
Our family considered changing it's sur name during the war, because it was unpopular to be German. Even though these family members were law abiding, upstanding citizens.
So easy to dislike, distrust, those we do not know.
So easy to place all, into the same category, because we do not know them as individuals...
Remember the "not buying French" awhile back? As if the French people were all at fault. Hurt their economy. I'm SURE that will really help the situation.
Meanwhile, back on topic.
I don't buy brand name stuff, unless it's at a second hand store. I don't see the point of having a logo on to impress someone. I want things that look good, taste good, whatever, but who makes it? I could give a care.
However, I won't let my kids buy stuff with inappropriate things written on them. I mean what is a teen trying to say, when their butt says "PINK". I don't get it. So much out there is so slutty, so derogatory, so demeaning. Don't we have enough of that in the world aready to not have it plastered onto our chests? Why add to it?
Very difficult to find clothing at normal prices that does not have words plastered on it some place.
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