Boycotts

                                             

A columnist in my home town newspaper recently wrote a tongue in cheek essay on the strategy of boycotting companies whose owners have objectionable political positions or who have contributed to objectionable causes. The columnist is unabashedly liberal and even though he objected to conservative causes, he admitted that it was not always possible to toe the boycott line.

For example, he claimed that he had boycotted Hobby Lobby for years although his original motive had faded from memory.  Moreover, he admitted that he was not a hobbyist and had no idea of Hobby Lobby’s product line. Obviously, this boycott represented no sacrifice on his part, nor did it have an effect on Hobby Lobby whose large ads appear regularly in his newspaper.

It was somewhat different with New Balance, the sneaker company. Despite the objectionable politics or political donations of one of the company’s owners, he liked the sneakers and had recently bought two pair. Moreover, he even admitted to patronizing notorious Chick-Fil-A on occasion to satisfy the needs of a hungry daughter.

I do not object to boycotts in principle and do admit that I have been tempted to participate in my own personal boycotts. For example, I have often thought of cancelling my subscription to his newspaper, the CT Post, not because its political views are objectionable, but because it increasingly obscures the difference between reporting and opinion. However, I persist, largely because the obituaries are very important to someone of my age.

I would like to suggest, however, some potential boycott targets for liberals and progressives.  First, I suggest they boycott or at least protest real estate companies and agents that deal in fourteen-million dollar estates especially on secluded hideaway islands like Martha’s Vineyard. Why should a family of four need a home with seven bedrooms and 29 acres?

Second, I suggest that they follow the lead of NYC Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and boycott the airlines. Since she lives in NYC it would be easy for her to take the train to Washington D. C., but fellow members of the “Squad” might have more difficulty. Actually, it would make it very difficult for the “Squads” Ilhan Abdullah Omar to visit her grandmother in Israel (Palestine). Since steamships still must use fossil fuel, she would have to sail.

Senators from northern states like Vermont could lead a boycott against companies that supply and deliver oil and gas to heat their homes. That would involve real sacrifice on their part since they also might be averse to cutting down trees to heat their homes. 

They may also want to boycott the meat and dairy industries. After all, methane from cow flatulence is a greenhouse gas and can impact global warming. I know many have already given up on beef burgers and substituted veggie or turkey burgers but what about the milk and cream in their “lattes” from Starbucks and other coffee chains?

Personally, here are some of my own boycott targets. I boycott cable news stations like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News which spew millions of words into the atmosphere each and every day. It is truly sound and fury signifying nothing. I would like to boycott my cable company since I use only a couple of the hundreds of channels provided even in my basic package. However, it includes my Internet access and I’ll stick it out for now.

Actually, I can’t think of any products or companies I boycott because of the political, religious, or cultural views of their producers or owners. I am a film buff and like to watch films from all over the world. I don’t care to even know about the personal lives or political views of the directors, actors, and actresses who make these films come to life. In my retirement I have become an amateur art historian specializing in the art of the Venetian Renaissance. I know many of the artists led scandalous lives but they were great craftsmen and their works are still things of beauty.

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