# When is a boycott justified? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 14, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731 "2008-11-14T17:44:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/81 "2008-11-19T22:55:02Z")
Oh. Carry on, then. Maybe we need to dream up a funky Doper symbol to put in our advertising, so we can recognize each other’s businesses and scare away people who don’t understand it. Maybe we could just use the old Proctor & Gamble logo. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/82 "2008-11-19T23:00:24Z")
Would it be a left-facing Doper sign, or a right-facing Doper sign? I’d need to know. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/83 "2008-11-20T00:11:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Whenever they want to. > > About the Focus on the Family tactics, the relevant number isn’t the membership of Focus on the Family itself, it’s the number of people who would tend to agree with FotF. If they were a truly fringe group, then when people heard that FotF were boycotting Coca-Cola, they wouldn’t care, and since the customers don’t care, the Coca-Cola company wouldn’t care, either. If they were actively _un_popular, then their boycott might even convince others that Coke must be doing something good to attract their ire, and they’d gain more customers. In fact, this probably does happen already to some degree: Some people will preferentially select the companies that don’t knuckle under to FotF. It’s just that those numbers are currently less than the ones who go the other way (or at least, so the Coke executives think), so it makes business sense to heed FotF’s threats. > > It’s the ultimate democracy: People have influence in proportion to their numbers. Large groups have large influence, and small groups have small influence. No, it doesn’t always give the best results, but I can’t think of any system that would give better results. I agree with this 100%. To provide an example of this in effect, a friend of mine whose family attends a very conservative church in Northern Michigan related to me a story in which, several years ago, the congregation decided to boycott Procter & Gamble and all of their subsidiaries to protest P&G’s support for the abolition of an incredibly anti-gay ordinance in Cincinnati. The boycott was, of course, a failure (the ordinance was abolished, P&G is not in tatters) and was actually abandoned long before the ordinance was even considered for vote. The reason it was abandoned was twofold: Most congregation members did not realize how many products are manufactured by P&G, their subsidiaries, and their partners. But, more importantly, P&G is a global corporation with a yearly revenue of over USD 80 billion. Frankly, a congregation of a few hundred in a remote corner of Michigan are not going to even be noticed, let alone considered. FWIW, I don’t think they bought into the whole P&G is satanic rumor. I miss the old logo, I thought it was classy. ETA: The company’s name is spelled Procter & Gamble. Although Proctor & Gamble would be a great name for a combination Academic Testing Service and Lottery ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/84 "2008-11-20T01:10:02Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > But with a swastika, you know who you’re dealing with. I give you the [Red Swastika Society](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Swastika_Society). ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/85 "2008-11-20T01:24:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I give you the [Red Swastika Society](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Swastika_Society). [QUOTE=Guinastasia] (But um, if you honestly are comparing a Christian symbol to a swastika, you’ve got some issues) [/QUOTE] Along these same lines: Japanese maps use swastikas (卍)　(called “manji” here) on maps to indicate locations of Buddhist temples. Just as a map might, say, use a cross to indicate a church. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/86 "2008-11-20T04:06:46Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Would it be a left-facing Doper sign, or a right-facing Doper sign? > > I’d need to know. Why, it would have two faces - facing inward, of course. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/87 "2008-11-20T14:54:59Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Wow, you’re hyper. > > The question is, what is supposed to be included in or discovered from such a phone call? What is the exact information that I’m trying to find out? You do due diligence to find out specific information, and you’re acting like that specific information is obvious, but what IS it? You ask them directly what the fish symbol means to them. SOme might give you a radical right diatribe; others may just say they believe in Christ. If that’s not enough info then press on. Assholes will fight you or come down on you. Harmless people will show their true colors quick enough. Talk to people. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/88 "2008-11-20T16:39:56Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > You ask them directly what the fish symbol means to them. SOme might give you a > radical right diatribe; others may just say they believe in Christ. If that’s not enough info then press on. Assholes will fight you or come down on you. Harmless people will show their true colors quick enough. Talk to people. Frankly, the idea of grilling a stranger about their religious beliefs is pretty creepy to me, but I’ll take you at your word that you would do this. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/89 "2008-11-20T17:17:15Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > You ask them directly what the fish symbol means to them. SOme might give you a > radical right diatribe; others may just say they believe in Christ. If that’s not enough info then press on. Assholes will fight you or come down on you. Harmless people will show their true colors quick enough. Talk to people. I get your point, but lacking any other reason to talk to you, I see no reason to ask you about the Jesus fish. If I’m looking for a light bulb store in the phone book and there are two stores and one’s got a Jesus fish in the ad it’s just not important enough to me to ring up the Christian light bulb store and quiz them on their politics. They took the time, and spent the money to put that symbol there, and right now you can’t blame me for smarting after this last election. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731/90 "2008-11-20T17:57:45Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I get your point, but lacking any other reason to talk to you, I see no reason to ask you about the Jesus fish. If I’m looking for a light bulb store in the phone book and there are two stores and one’s got a Jesus fish in the ad it’s just not important enough to me to ring up the Christian light bulb store and quiz them on their politics. They took the time, and spent the money to put that symbol there, and right now you can’t blame me for smarting after this last election. Of course I don’t. I’m just saying that for me if something is questionable about a business I will in most cases seek further info rather than just look for another business. But that’s just me. If it takes me into religious territory so be it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-a-boycott-justified/472731.md?page=4)