I've had enough. Will someone tell the religious right and the Conservative caucuses? I agree with 99% of what they say they believe (I don't actually know what percentage I agree with, but it's certainly most of it), but I can't take the boycotts any more. I just can't do it.
It stated innocently enough 10 years back or so when the owner of Hormel foods made some anti-Catholic remarks and even funded an anti-Catholic group. I've never been a huge fan of canned chili anyway (the homemade stuff is easy and cheap enough) and other people make pepperoni, so it was easy enough to keep his products out of my shopping cart.
Then a friend told me that she didn't buy Proctor & Gamble products because they were cruel to the animals they test stuff on, which is why I shouldn't buy them. I'm not in favor of harming sweet little bunnies, so I checked the list of stuff they make (holy buckets they make a lot of stuff!), and heaved a sigh of relief. We were poor and their stuff was too expensive for us except for Crest toothpaste. I switched to Colgate and congratulated myself for my moral superiority.
I read about the mean things KFC does to chickens (I couldn't find a link that wasn't disturbing. I'm not linking to that. I don't think it's necessary to show it in its glory. Google it yourself.). I resolved that Popeye's was the place for us.
Susan G Komen funded Planned Parenthood and I stopped buying anything pink (except girl clothes). I didn't even look for the dumb ribbon. If it was that SGK shade of pink, I just left it on the shelf. It killed me not to get the cute mixer, but I like babies better. I got the green one instead. (Yay me!)
Then Disney offered benefits to the same sex partners of their employees, and gay groups started having Family Pride Day at the parks. The Christians I knew started throwing out their VHS tapes and banning all things Disney from their homes. I tried to kick it out of my house, and mostly succeeded.....except for my 2 year old who loved Cinderella. She had an old tape she watched daily, and a tattered costume she had worn until the hem fell out. I let her keep them. I simply resolved to buy nothing new......
......which left us with very little for her to play with and very few house where she could go. What was the alternative? Bratz? No thank you. I'll take Cinderella and Snow White any day of the week. We weren't buying any more....but I wasn't going to take away the make believe she loved.
So grandma bought it for her. (We weren't on great terms at the time. A civil war wasn't worth risking.)
I tried to keep up with what we weren't buying now, but the list kept growing. We had to stay away from all toothpaste manufacturers. I can't find a single one who doesn't support gay marriage, planned parenthood, or test on animals. (In fact, that torturing animals thing is starting to look minor. I'm beginning to shrug my shoulders at it. Animals testing? eh. Worse things happen at sea.)
I can't figure out where to go on date night with my husband any longer. Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc all support Planned Parenthood. McDonald's has pink slime, and there's only so much Chick Fil A a girl can eat.
The truth is I can't keep track of them all. There are too many things to boycott and I no longer think it makes a difference. Companies would rather tick of the conservatives among us than be called intolerant. They've also reached a saturation point at which we have run out of options. We can sit around with funky breath, rank laundry, stinky bodies, and no oreos......or we can come up with something new.
I vote for new, because this boycott thing isn't working.
A friend of mine told me that this was all a cop out because it was too hard for me and I just don't want to make the effort. She's right. I'm copping out. I'm not going to burn all of this time, effort, and energy on something that makes no difference at all. I'm willing to make my own laundry detergent and eat the store brand of cookies....but Wal Mart is killing small business and the fluoride in the water is killing us all!
In just the past week, I've gotten emails calling for me to boycott 37 companies, products, television shows, and media outlets. That's just one week. It wasn't a special week. It's the average of what I get in my inbox.
It's too much.
So here's what I'm doing. I'm not buying the pink stuff because their flip-flop earlier this year just ticked me off. My daughter won't be a Girl Scout ....because don't use my kid to push your political agenda, that's why. And I'm still not buying Hormel. That dude is crazy, and I try to stay away from crazy folks.
Other than that...I'm buying what I like. The boycotters have overwhelmed me and made my life impossible if I try to get with the program. It would be worth it if it worked.....
so here's the deal......come up with something new and let me know what it is. Until then, I'm praying and doing my best to raise moral children. It's the best I can do.
42 comments:
YES!!!!! I, too, am still avoiding pink because their crap a few months back REALLY ticked me off.....but the rest.....ugh. I hope someone does come up with something new!
I am pretty much the same. Unless a company ticks me off or is too in your face about their lib agenda, whatever. We can't boycott everything.
But I def will not allow my girls to be Girl Scouts nor will I buy SGK stuff.
I've gotten to the point where someone says 'boycott' and I say "please just don't tell me".
It is too difficult to avoid *every* company that disagrees with my worldviews.
Monsanto
There's another good reason not to worry about this except the "biggies" (like the whole obviously messed up Koman flip-flop): A lot of watch-dog groups misrepresent or demonize companies that really aren't actively supporting anything immoral. I've worked for a company that was on the receiving end of a ridiculous boycott that was totally misconstrued in conservative media. Hey, I consider myself conservative and I am definitely pro-life and all that. No doubt. But it was infuriating to see the politics behind some of these watchdog groups that thrive off getting attention and more donors through their witch hunts (or at least, misguided ideas of what is and is okay for a functioning company). And regarding the boycotts not working... yep, at least in our case, all the folks boycotting sure were wasting their time and energy and not making a real difference at all, especially considering the company really didn't do anything wrong.
It's like an over saturation of good intentions gone awry. Like before the recycling trend hit and buzz words like "Carbon footprint" and "GREEN" came into every sentence. I was in the print industry and was privy to the "greeness" of a big name potato chip producer. They were all about recycled content and fancy green inks.. but the size of the flyer they chose was so odd- it had to be cut from parent sheets with so much WASTE!!! How's that for irony? *I* recycled before it was cool and trendy... Booyah.. I drank from Mason Jars BEFORE it was trendy and hillfolk chic... HA! I think I rambled OT, but I know exactly what you mean!
Not sure how I found your site- but I enjoyed it!
Bingo what you said, Rebecca. Sometimes I get the feeling the boycott bandwagon is the opposite side of the same coin in which the environmentalist crowd does their "green" thing just to make themselves feel better about the choices they make, but they're really not making any difference whatsoever.
Now, some boycotts/awareness have been effective - there was the fetal remains one from a while back that I *think* involved Pepsi. But that's a rare thing.
I agree with what you say. Let's pray and focus on getting our kids to heaven.
Andrea - ramble away! I'm the queen of ADD rambling and like to see where other people's minds take them.
LarryD - the fetal cell thing regarding Pepsi (and other co's like Campbell) looked very legit, and yes both Pepsi and Campbell dropped their relationship with the company supplying the fetal cell products. I think that's a great example of "picking our battles" and also making sure they are legit battles resulting in an effective boycott. But yeah, when you're getting 30+ alerts in your Inbox every week, something's not right.
Seems like maybe there's a middle ground here, which is to find a reliable information source, use your head, and do your best. We use the Life Decisions International and Million Moms lists, boycott the obvious ones like Girl Scouts, Komen and Home Depot, and avoid "Made in China."
What I have found is that avoidance of all this "blood money" spending has greatly improved our lives in the reduction of consumerist behavior and mentality. As Veggie tales' Madame Blueberry says: "I don't *NEED* a toaster oven..." or plastic junk, or McDonald's fries, or Red Lobster dinner, or the latest cosmetics or you name it. Our family has moved steadily in the direction of "growing our own" both literally and figuratively, and its benefits to us and our children are magnificent.
Certainly, boycotts are *not* all useless. Some are wildly successful in a worldy sense (look into the effectiveness of Life Decisions International). But all must be successful if you take the view from God's position, in which He watches His children make their little "widow;s mite" efforts at living ethically.
I think you can also bring the concept of the Divine Economy to bear, in which the spiritual benefits of the sacrifice (of the stuff, as well as the time and frustration of investigation) are a tremendous payoff both personally and for the world.
When it comes to food and necessary goods boycotts, I stick by my guns when it comes to anything tainted with huge ties to Planned Parenthood (like anything Girl Scouts or Komen-associated). Luxury items like coffees, etc. are bought at mom and pop shops or small businesses. I don't eat out much to really feel like I make a dent anyway... I also avoid anything music, movies, etc. with people in them that are anti-Catholic, anti-life, etc. Given the huge number of companies and people out there doing things I don't agree with...I think it's impossible to avoid EVERYTHING. However, I do think that at least making an effort is important...especially when it comes to my non-negotiables.
I'm with you on the over saturation. There are some things I avoid (Girl Scouts, Home Depot, Komen) but I just can't do it all. Like you I don't have time for all the research and I have other things to devote my will and emotions to. Pro-life, pro-family, and pro-faith activities are what I concentrate on and that is really all I can handle.
And, I don't appreciate people who condemn me if I don't feel the same way they do about boycotts (which rarely work against a company that doesn't even know you're boycotting them), shots (which have kept my children healthy and safe), etc. I try my best to not be judgmental (at least verbally) toward them, I wish "they" could allow me to follow my conscience and my faith as I see fit. What you buy, who you support, and how you keep your kids healthy should be left to your conscience and lots of prayer.
I have to say I am a fan of Life Decisions International too, because they do their research and have been very successful.
Boycotting is our modern day Colosseum. We don't get thrown to the lions anymore, they follow us every where we go. They are tiny and they bite our ankles. Personally, trying to explain to God at the end of my life why it was just to darn annoying to do my research, make a list and double check before I gave a company my money is NOT a position I want to be in. With awareness comes responsibility.
Ancient Christians had to worry about being beheaded, shot with arrows, ratted out by friends and neighbors. We have to worry about being complicit to evil just by living our daily lives. I judge we can't just bury our head in the sand.
Seriously?
Wow, what a self serving rant- think of the impact we could make in the culture if we as Christian consumers were willing to make the right choices, rather than go with convenience.
Dear one, how will you handle real persecution when it comes?
Maria- the point is that we as Christian consumers are not making an impact. We need to try something new because this isn't working. I hope this doesn't mean you'll be boycotting the blog.
Keep up the good wor raising your family. God bless you and your family. However, not all the "boycotting" urges and rhetoric is coming from the religious right and conservatives. Do not be too harsh on those who try to make known to the public some of the secular activities and of corporations and organizations that are undermining Church teaching and religious liberty. Pray for them - Yes!
I live in a state (WA) fighting the marriage redefinition battle on the ground right now. And Starbucks is using its $$ and clout to push for a redefinition of marriage here, as is General Mills (based in MN, another marriage battleground state). I do limit what I will boycott, but those two have made the list for me (and you don't need to do much in the way of source research, since they're so proud of their stands). Every time I wonder if it will matter, really, someone will coincidentally mention the Bus Boycotts, and I take heart again. But--when you boycott, do you also let the boycotted brand know you are doing so (and why)? If not, it's unlikely to change anything except your own household.
Mandamum- I don't drink coffee, and we buy store brand cereal already.
I think you make a good point that you have to notify companies why you are no longer buying their products. I've called the girl scouts, hormel, and sgk as well as the few others I avoid.
I don't really find a boycott list to be helpful. I'd rather have a list of whom I should patronize.
mandamum: a fake father, husband and a fake mother, wife are perjury in a court of law. A letter written to a corporation is counted as 86 consumers. I tell them: "I will tell everyone who will listen that you do this." Bad publicity works better than boycott, but I boycott Pepsi until it changed. Do I think it changed or are they yanking my chain? I will never know, but they have been served notice. Keep your boycott letter on the computer and change the name and dates and register your grief. Once Mars Dove started putting risque thoughts on their wrappers. It took three letters and then some to our representatives. Always cc the company, makes their lobby work overtime. I enjoyed reading your thoughts.
The Hormel situation is an interesting example. Jim Hormel who made the quotes is not an owner -- it's a publicly traded companies. I don't believe he's even on the board of directors.
Starbucks is one I gladly don't patronize. I don't consider it a boycott; I just don't want to do business with a company that as much as said it does not want me as a customer. And there are so many better options, anyway.
I am with you Rebecca. I boycott the in your face ones, like Komen & Girl Scouts, & JC Penney because they make my children look at same sex couples in their advertisement. But if I boycott everything everyone told me to I would live in a box on the street.
I too would rather have a list of places to patronize, not every company that may or may not have some possible potential connection to something immoral. You simply cannot effectively research and get the truth on those lengthy lists and still function as a human being.
I personally try to buy local or buy Catholic. For example, my Dh and I do love coffee so we buy ours from Mystic Monk (coffee made by a Carmelite order in WY. They have a website to make ordering easy and will ship!). I also try to buy natural, healthy cosmetics made by smaller companies (like Badger sunscreen products). I am constantly on the look-out for businesses I want to support and will put extra dollars towards them.
One issue we have tho is that I have major dietary restrictions (as many have these days). It's just NOT economical to buy according to my restrictions and also worry about who manufactured what. If I have a choice between buying super expensive, organic allergen-free breakfast cereal that (who knows??) may or may not have a political agenda or a national, mainstream brand for half the price that is certified allergen-free, guess what? Our budget needs to give somewhere, and at 7 mo pregnant, I gotta eat. So yes, I'll buy produce locally or make my own make-up remover after researching some methods (olive oil or coconut oil takes off make-up wonderfully!), but I can't do this for every.single.product.
We're also dealing with moving targets here... I can't count the times I've become "married" to a product or way of doing things, only to find out later it's harmful or "bad."
I boycott all the pink ribbon crap because it annoys the hell out of me. But it's impossible to boycott everything questionable. Also, I love Starbucks WAY too much to ever boycott them. Good post.
Also, I think real persecution would be much easier to handle than making oneself a completely neurotic mess by spending hours and hours researching every possible connection any company might have to Planned Parenthood or the LGTB community.
Susan G Komen funded Planned Parenthood and I stopped buying anything pink (except girl clothes). I didn't even look for the dumb ribbon. If it was that SGK shade of pink, I just left it on the shelf.
Well...without reading the comments as of yet and aware that you MIGHT be exaggerating for effect....
Checking to see that the "komen" pink is actually going to them is important; I've found a lot of pink ribbon stuff that doesn't go to Komen or similar causes.
Also, the "pink slime" BS is... um... BS. It's a really easy to manipulate people way of saying "meat that's had fat removed and been treated to prevent germs in the same way that boxed chocolates are treated."
Sure, it looks gross. So does a slab of raw flesh. Raw meat isn't yummy, kill me with shock. (Rant enabled by having a mother that use to be in the Cow Belles, and so is familiar with all this stuff.)
To echo TheCatholicScienceGeek -- I avoid movies that are openly insulting to my religion or the entire half of the polesphere that I inhabit. (Word totally made up.)
If a movie company can't have low level respect for my philosophy, they can go f*themselves.
As mandamum says--choose your battles.
Some things, like Target.... I got a text from a family member, who works there, going "really?" with a picture of two guys hugging and something about the registry helping you "be yourself." So...dumb.
No Girl Scouts, SGK, Starbucks here (stopped buying Starbucks when McCafe started & is just as good and way cheaper--that was before their stupid same-sex "marriage" position). The new ones that are hard for me are Target and JCP, because I LOVED both of those stores! How stupid that these companies are taking these controversial stands in this tough economy, with retail being hit so hard. Well...better to buy less stuff anyway!
Viva Christo Rey!
Good for you! I don't really boycott anything that supports gay marriage, because in my brain, it's not like their giving the money to couples to get married. And I like Starbucks a lot. I buy girl scout cookies because my little cousin is a sweetheart, and I like a lot of other values that girlscouts has. The hardest for me is Komen, because when I say I like pink, I really like pink. Plus there's that part of me that's like "poor breast cancer victims"... :( Maybe I have a lot to learn.
Not much of a boycotter myself but I am loath to ever let a whiff of Sam Adam beer ever touch my lips after the stunt that company tried to pull at St Patrick's Cathedral. I am not sure if a boycott was ever called for but I know in my mind I could never, ever enjoy a product made by a company that would do such a vile thing. Plus the owner of Sam Adams sounds like such an ass……..
OK. Do you feel better now? You got to whine about being a burdened Catholic parent. Now shake it off, bounce back, use the sense God gave you, and fight smart and indefatigably.
You daughter needs you doing it, as you know. Pick the organizations/boycotts you agree with and do your best to redemptively suffer, offering it up for your daughter's future and let it strengthen her as well. The companies don't need to know, you don't need to be "successful" at all, you don't have to be in the majority - just STAND by Christ, for the family.
Well, if you are anything like me, a boycott would be darn near useless. We buy nearly everything store brand, our clothes (except for underwear and shoes) come from resale shops or garage sales. I don't have disposable income for extras. What can I do? Pray, honey. Long and hard. Boycotts may or may not work, but prayer works every time!!!
Sometimes my motivation to boycott a company is not so much to change the company, as it is a reaction to being told how to think. If you ran a business, would you tell a customer, "You must believe X, or you're not a moral person." I think that is what corporations are saying when their marketing departments take positions on controversial issues -- these companies talk about building a relationship w/ the consumer, then basically insult anyone who thinks differently. Often, buying products from smaller, regional companies who are concerned about making a good product instead of social engineering, can be a workable alternative.
Thanks so much for this article! I definitely agree!
In the world that is becoming more and more bent on accomplishing the will of Satan (knowingly or unknowingly), rather than the will of God, 'do not purchase/use product/service' boycotts are becoming more and more impossible to sustain.
I'm still in favor of boycotting events, hotels, and basically things that we can actually sustain and have some influence. As for the rest of it, even this google platform where your blog is hosted, we just have to use their products and services for God's glory.
For all you expressing distaste at the Girl Scouts, I agree! I think everyone should Check out the American Heritage Girls. It is a Christian alternative that allows troops to be owned and run by the church that charters them, so you can have a Catholic Troop. All monies that go to the organization are only for administering the program and giving support, no donations to other groups.
Boy, that "feel better now" anonymouse makes me feel bad to be anonymous!
I understand what you mean about boycotting. I am bombarded with animal cruelty e-mails and the latest just irks me: mute swans. Mute swans are exotic animals that destroy the natural habitat of native fowl and have injured other animals during their nesting periods. But they look pretty, and who doesn't like pretty?
I think what you're doing makes sense. BTW I didn't know Disney supported homosexuality, but now I do. Thanks.
Since I buy local, I boycott local. I don't eat at the Jew-hating couple's café. I don't buy hardware from the guy who called the new Episcopalian priest "an unconvicted pedophile" in front of me. I get my coffee from McDonald's because the owners treat their employees well and walk the pro-life talk. I frequent a mom-and-pop health food store relatively far from me because they aren't New Agey-creepy like the one nearby.
I think it helps if you confine your boycotting efforts to just one cause. Decide what issue (ecology, animal rights, culture of life, etc) is most important to you and focus on companies that are offensive in that area. For me, while I love animals and the environment, I only boycott brands that are anti-family anti-life.
I agree with you. These days boycotting is useless. Just look at these comments. Everybody is boycotting something different. There is no sticking together for a common cause. Our society has become too self involved for that. Prayer is the best answer! Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I love you; pray for us.
Rebecca Frech- The reason boycotts aren't working is because Christians aren't actually boycotting!
Case in point- the "Dump Starbucks" petition currently has 45,000 signatures-aren't there more Christians than that?? Come on, Folks! It does not help when people like you give a DISCOURAGING message and give people an "out"
Let's come together as Christian consumers and fight this culture war!
Rebecca, my family and I struggle with the endless companies that deserve to be boycotted as well. I'm glad you wrote about it.
However, I don't think your accusation against Hormel Foods is accurate. I have family members who work there and I was shocked by your claim because I had never heard it before.
I looked into it and I believe you're associating the wrong Hormel person to the Hormel Foods company. James Hormel, the person featured in the article you referenced has no ties to Hormel Foods except by family relation. He is the grandson of the founder, George Hormel. James Hormel never owned the company, like you claim. He worked at a Law School and later entered politics. Maybe you're confusing James Hormel with his father, Jay Hormel, who did run the Hormel Foods company during the mid 1900's.
If you have other evidence of Hormel Food's association with anti-Catholicism please share it. If not you may happily have one less company to boycott. Thanks.
I live off the grid as much as possible, boycott companies and charities that don't share my values, have refused to go to Disneyland for decades because of their pro-gay stance, and have saved loads of money in the bargain. We need to speak in the public square with our words and our actions in order to evangelize.
Popeye's Chicken??? You should be arrested for child endangerment!
Good suggestions, Sarah!
Maria, Rebecca is a sincere hard-working, wonderfully loving mother. It is hard to keep up with homeschooling, Church, pray life, romantic life, and living out the Gospel. I know. It is emotionally and physically taxing especially when you have children with physically disabilities. I was going to say more but I will stop there.
We should be supporting each other in a positive way, not in a judgmental way.
Rebecca, follow Our Lord, the Holy Spirit will guide you. Don't let anyone's words get you down. I love you and pray for your family.
+JMJ+
With you. I don't buy anything pink-labelled at any time. Other than that ... I can't keep up.
You know what I'd like to see? A nationwide organized boycott-of-the-year ... one company or one "charity" or one type of product for a whole year for everyone in an organized movement. That, I think I could keep up with.
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