# Do you go out of your way to buy American? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 14, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224 "2004-06-14T02:11:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/21 "2004-06-14T23:42:05Z")
Nope. In fact, when we’re talking cars, I go out of my way to _not_ buy American. Both makes of my cars are now Ford subsidiaries, though. [sub]For some reason, that last sentence just doesn’t seem grammatically correct…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/22 "2004-06-15T03:05:31Z")
Yes, we all try and buy NZ products as often as we possibly can and failing that Aussie products. I always check the owned and made by information. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/23 "2004-06-15T03:39:22Z")
Very good points, **LLM** but my Dad would slap me if I didn’t ask “Where does the profit go?” when you buy a Honda vs a Dodge then? Growing up around Detroit, driving American cars was a way of life, when I was little I’d see Japanese and German vehicles keyed in grocery store parking lots, my father refused to let his daughters go out on dates with kids who drove ‘furrin’ cars, etc. I agree there aren’t any ‘made’ here or there vehicle choices anymore, the argument I hear most often now goes to which company is going to benefit your community, their logic being keep American $ here, blah blah blah. Not endorsing this, since it’s not a very well-designed argument, just thought I’d throw it in for Dad’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/24 "2004-06-15T04:42:43Z")
> [@jastu](#): > > Yes, we all try and buy NZ products as often as we possibly can and failing that Aussie products. I always check the owned and made by information. Really? I thought it was an unwritten rule in New Zealand that Aussie products be avoided at all costs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/25 "2004-06-15T11:21:42Z")
I buy the things that give me the most value for my money. If those goods happen to be Swedish I don’t care. I could consider buying an American product just to piss off an anti-american protestor though. 🙂 I have quite often chosen not to buy something online (roleplaying game materials for example), even when it would have been a little cheaper, just to support the local brick and mortar store. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/26 "2004-06-15T11:48:33Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Really? I thought it was an unwritten rule in New Zealand that Aussie products be avoided at all costs. 😃 Ohhhhhhh but Vegemite and Roo steaks are so good:D I think you will find Jatsu is a recent and very good import from the land of Oz. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/27 "2004-06-15T12:23:28Z")
I’ll buy kiwi if it’s available. My preference is to buy NZ made, but failing that, I’ll buy Aus made on behalf of an NZ company. I don’t do it blindly though, I won’t buy NZ beer just because it’s NZ, I’ll buy things like beer based on taste first. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/28 "2004-06-15T13:00:55Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This is an interesting and important point, i think. Anyone who preaches the idea of free trade and global capitalism really has no place trying to appeal to soome sort of unreflective patriotism when trying to sell products. To my surprise, I actually disagree with this. I’m a big fan of globalization and free trade and will defend it to my dying breath, but it’s not incompatible with exhorting people to buy domestic products. There is no contradiction between saying that borders should be open and that people should be FREE to trade internationally, but at the same time to freely choose for yourself that you will buy domestically produced goods - or even to try to convince others to do the same, as long as they’re free to buy foreign products if you can’t convince them otherwise. Freedom of choice means the freedom to choose between domestic or foreign. > [@](#): > > I think, however, that when the OP asked if you buy American, it was not referring to where the company itself is located, but where the product is actually made. So, as you point out, for the purpose of this thread it’s actually quite difficult to define many “American” cars (GM, Ford, Chrysler) as American. Actually, a great many GM and Ford vehicles sold in the USA are made within a thirty minute drive of my house. I’m in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/29 "2004-06-15T14:38:28Z")
I don’t much care where something’s made, I only care that it’s made well. I do often go out of my way to give business to local stores, and will even pay a bit more to do so. Somehow Walmartization is more soul-sucking to me than globalization. ---
**Author:** ![Aitara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aitara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aitara)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/30 "2004-06-15T15:17:01Z")
I agree with **Dogzilla** that every dollar is a vote. While I will give American-made products a slight edge, I pay more attention to the store itself. I try to shop local whenever I can; farmer’s markets for most produce, 2 locally owned supermarkets and only then will I go to Fred Meyer (Krogers) or Safeway. I have not set foot in a Walmart since September 2001 and I do not plan to change that. It is important to me that a company pays its employees a livable wage as well as offer benefits. I can support those stores that do by voting with my dollars. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224/31 "2004-06-15T15:55:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > To my surprise, I actually disagree with this. I’m a big fan of globalization and free trade and will defend it to my dying breath, but it’s not incompatible with exhorting people to buy domestic products. There is no contradiction between saying that borders should be open and that people should be FREE to trade internationally, but at the same time to freely choose for yourself that you will buy domestically produced goods - or even to try to convince others to do the same, as long as they’re free to buy foreign products if you can’t convince them otherwise. Freedom of choice means the freedom to choose between domestic or foreign. Sure they’re free to buy whatever they want. And there’s no contradiction for an individual to choose to spend his or her money domestically. Where the contradiction lies, in my opinion, is in American companies that send all their manufacturing or customer service jobs overseas to take advantage of lower wages and lax health and safety standards, and then turn around and try to make people feel guilty for not buying from an American company. It smacks of “Do as i say, not as i do.” It also seems to me that if you’re a real supporter of globalization, you should really only buy domestic products if they are cheaper and/or better, i.e., if they represent better value for money to you. Buying a domestic product _for no other reason_ than because it’s domestic undercuts many of the key arguments in favour of globalization, which rely on notions of comparative advantage, global specialization, and efficient iuse of available resources and labour skills. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-go-out-of-your-way-to-buy-american/250224.md?page=1)