Boycott for Your Conscience
Throughout history, boycotts have been effective tools for protest and activism. A boycott is a focused refusal to financially support businesses, organizations, or individuals. The idea is that the corresponding loss of revenue will motivate these entities to change their behavior. Usually boycotts are one-time events, aimed at one issue, and have defined end points (see the Montgomery bus boycott and Delano grape boycott for examples). Boycotting is also a tool of ethical consumerism - a form of long-term activism where consumers choose where they do or do not want to spend money based on their moral standings. Today I will present a few options for products, companies, organizations, and individuals to boycott, either as part of a coordinated movement or as a long-term ethical choice. This is not a complete list of options, but a starting point to help you decide where you, personally, want your dollars to go. It can seem daunting to try to buy ethically, but remember that it isn’t a zero-sum game. Just make conscious choices and try your best to move in the right direction.
OPTION 1: Boycott the president-elect and first family
In October of last year, after the leaked tape in which the current president-elect described his sexual assault on women, Shannon Coulter launched the Grab Your Wallet campaign. This boycott is designed to boycott companies that do business with the first family. Their very handy spreadsheet can be found here and includes contact information for the companies and a sample script to state why you are participating in the boycott. There has already been positive response to this boycott - the retailer shoes.com has removed offending products from their site because of the boycott.
If you want to extend your boycott to companies, individuals, and newspapers that endorsed the president-elect, head to this list and make your choices.
OPTION 2: Boycott the worst fossil fuel offenders
It’s very difficult for an individual to boycott fossil fuels, especially if they need to drive or fly for work, school, family, or other obligations. While going car-free is a great way to personally boycott the fossil fuel industry, there are a few options for those of us who need to drive. According to The Carbon Underground, three of the top oil and gas companies with the highest carbon emissions are Exxon, BP, and Chevron. These companies are also responsible for some terrible environmental disasters. You could choose to boycott these particular companies, including events, teams, and media they sponsor, for environmental reasons.
Another option is to boycott non-fuel products sold by fossil fuel companies or those opposing climate change legislation. The Koch Brothers have consistently opposed any regulation of fossil fuel use. Here is a list of Koch products (including many home paper products) that you may want to boycott.
OPTION 3: Boycott police brutality
Journalist Shaun King has been instrumental in the founding of the Injustice Boycott, launched December 5th with phase 2 beginning January 16th. To be honest, I find the current plan a little vague and the demands nebulous. However, this is a deeply important cause and King is right to remind us that the cities some of us consider safely liberal are often among the worst offenders. I encourage you to check out the site, stay tuned for updates, and decide whether participating makes sense for you.
OPTION 4: Build your own boycott
The above are just a few of many options for companies to boycott. Take some time to explore Ethical Consumer’s list of current consumer boycotts and look for categories that matter to you - animal rights, labor practices, political affiliations, environmental impact, etc. A great way to make decisions and keep track of your ethical consumption is Buycott - a site and app that lets you join crowdsourced movements and check individual items before buying. Make choices on what to buy based on what matters most to you.
