Do you ever boycott a company or product? What would it take for you to boycott a product? For instance, many Christians right now are boycotting Ford because of Ford targetting gays with their advertising. There are those who boycott diamonds because the proceeds support wars and oppressions in Africa. There are those who boycott Disney because of Gay Days at the disney theme parks. If you are against boycotts, would you ever reconsider? If, for instance, Ford were to announce on network television tomorrow that a portion of the proceeds from every Ford sold funds satan worship (note, I'm not making this accusation; I just made it up), would you ever buy a Ford again?
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
I enforce certain personal boycotts all the time. I think it is called being a discriminating consumer... I don't need someone else telling me to not shop here or there, I choose for myself where I will shop and who I will end up boycotting by not patronizing the location or individual.
For example (despite their popularity when I was a teen and the fact they were played frequently at youth dances), when I became an adult and realized what horrible lifestyles and deviants they were, I have enforced a ban in the family on certain headline grabbing musicians like Micheal Jackson, Madonna, Elton Jon, and George Michael. There are probably more, but I'm thinking on the fly, and those ones are the ones who stick out. Will not allow their music to be played on the radio, will not purchase their music, etc. Why? Because I don't think in these cases you can totally seperate the artist and the artist's agenda to promote immoral lives from patronization of their music.
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
I have a personal boycott on Citgo gas (being a Venezuelan owned company - though based in Houston). I also refuse to buy gas from a local monopoly convenience store chain. They pretty much control the market and are the leader when it comes to increasing gas prices around here. We often have the highest gas prices in Texas (on average). Those are easy boycotts as there are other choices when it comes to buying gas.
I don't know if you can call it boycotting but I do tend to spend my dollars to companies I approve of. I don't buy Citgo because of Hugo Locohead of Venenzuala. I don't knowingly buy products made in France because I think they are a closet enemy of the U.S. I don't eat at Mr. Bill's resturant because I was treated shabbily by a waitress there. I don't go out though and try and organize a national campaign or boycott.
Since oil and gas are fungible, boycotting CITIGO may make you feel better, but as long as gas demand remains at a certain level, the prices will too. I think reducing overall gas usage will have a greater long term affect.
Boycotts do cause damage to some countries but also divert attention from the real problems. Consider Cuba, which suffers from a US boycott. European companeis have long since made up for the the boycott the US has put forward, but Castro is able to continuing blaming the US for the inefficiencies of his system because of the Cuba boycott. Though the reality states otherwise, the Cubans don't necessarily all know this.
It is said the boycotts worked in South Africa, but I don't know.
Boycott's are more of a domestice issue and are more effectively on a domestic level, rather than an international level, at least from my perspective.
Oh yes, Nauvoo. I have fond memories of Nauvoo, but have exiled myself from it. I can and was extremely aggressive, and while Kathryn and I were great friends, I was also making her life difficult with, shall we say, less informed ,posters who tended to have different and less orthodox views of the gospel.
Since oil and gas are fungible, boycotting CITIGO may make you feel better, but as long as gas demand remains at a certain level, the prices will too.
It does make me feel better. I don't boycott Citgo because of of the price but because of ownership. I'm not the only person (as already evidenced here) but corporations such as 7-Eleven are saying no to Citgo also. They are concerned and have started an ad compaign trying to show how "American" they are.
I use price (or profit), because that is the key indicator as to whether boycotting is working or not. I agree, if it makes you feel better, that is as good a reason as any. i just don't believe that it has punitive value.
Post script: 7-11 was ending its 7 year contract with Citigo and had already planned to extend its own 7-11 gas, which it may be able to provide at a cheaper rate. I think Mobil or Exxon are looking to get in on the deal as a joint venture (the possibility for an extended distribution system is huge).
,posters who tended to have different and less orthodox views of the gospel.
