To hell with them

Just a curious and light-hearted questions for fellow O'ists. How many here actively boycott? Have you ever stopped buying the music of a favorite musician, or refused to support a movie that featured an actor who advocates an evil philosophy?

I have. I don't pay people to destroy my life.

Post 1

Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 10:39pm

I'm doing my best to boycott Yahoo for their collaboration with the yahoos who rule China.

Post 2

Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 12:08am

I have for sure! A lot of the music I used listen to has really lost its appeal. I've since expanded my palette and really do love classical now. For more modern stuff I listen to downtempo (somafm.com is great).

I actively avoid doing business at places that are known to use government intervention to get ahead. The one exception would be the local cable co. monopoly, Cox.

Post 3

Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 6:22am

I have as an exception avoided some purchases -- and heck, I turned down a free pen yesterday that had Made in China on it. But, no, I do not boycott.

You do not increase your freedom by limiting your choices.

We do not trade with our destroyers? Well, I was in the supermarket the other day, I was pretty sure that the checkout girl was a Christian, but I bought groceries there anyway. In fact, we buy a lot of our food at a co-op run by communists. If commies can turn $4.2 million a year selling tofu, you gotta give 'em their due. I actually prefer to buy gasoline at Marathon stations, because their HQ is in Ohio, but I went to a BP-Amoco yesterday -- without getting a written statement from the station manager that he never fell into the analytic-synthetic dichotomy.

The choice to boycott is emotional, not rational. You can indulge your whims, and I do, but they cannot control your life. Value for value is all I demand of the general market.

Post 4

Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 9:56am

Sometimes I do, never religiously though, for the reasons Michael points out. In the last few years I stay away from French wines because it�s no loss to me when our wines are as good as far as my mouth can tell. Same for cheese. Harder to pull off for cognac.

With gas, I try really hard to avoid Citgo (Dictator Chavez), plus I have ConocoPhillips stock and conoco stations are cheap and all over the place where I live.

If I am indifferent between two alternatives and one is made in the US instead of China, I�ll use that to decide.

That�s about it.

Jon

Post 5

Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 10:10am

The more I think about it, I engage in more discriminatory reward purchasing than I do punishing boycott. When the Dutch were with us (much to my surprise) on Iraq, I started buying a lot of Heineken and Grolsch. Same for Australian wines. When Smith and Wesson reneged on that awful deal they had made with Clinton back when they were British owned, I bought one.

Post 6

Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 1:42pm

Still haven't seen "War of the Worlds" for reasons I've made clear on several other threads.

Another one I did was I haven't been able to buy a Madonna CD since the Kaballah thing (of course I think it has more to do with the declining quality of her music).

But those are the two that come to mind.

But along Jon's lines, I've given other entertainers second thoughts after they said or did something exceptionally good.

---Landon

Post 7

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 7:58pm

I suppose you could say that I boycott television, since I refuse to watch even free-to-air TV, but I'll occasionally watch a TV series on DVD, like Firefly or Penn & Teller's Bullshit!

Post 8

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 8:01pm

Jody, when did you stop paying taxes? Want to share any tips?

I don't pay people to destroy my life.

Unfortunately, if you pay taxes, then you are paying people to destroy your life as well as your liberty and property. Even worse, there's no boycotting the government.

Post 9

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 8:22pm

I do a lot of "reward purchasing" also. When the French stood up to Emperor Bush over Iraq, I started buying every French product I could get my hands on!

Post 10

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 8:30pm

Matthew, maybe you know, did Penn and Teller ever do the episode about Jung that they mentioned they wanted to do in the second season?

Post 11

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 9:03pm

I don't remember seeing anything about Jung in the Season 2 DVDs. They had some cute girls, though.
(Edited by Matthew Graybosch
on 9/26, 9:03pm)

Post 12

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 9:25pm

I'm sure they did ;)

They mentioned on some season premiere that they wanted to debunk Jung for their first new episode, but the network wanted something bigger and more scandalous, so they did one on cirmcusision instead.

I'd much rather have seen the Jung one, for many reasons...ouch.

Post 13

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 9:42pm

I have the second season on DVD, no episodes on Jung.

Post 14

Monday, September 26, 2005 - 10:28pm

I think the people that made this (requires flash) have earned my boycotting.

Sarah

Post 15

Friday, September 30, 2005 - 9:18am