Unfortunately, it’s hard to identify which products to boycott…this list below shows Nestle’s US products, which as you can see is a fairly substantial list once subsidiaries are included:
There’s also the matter of high-street banks furthering third world debt problems, or financing arms manufacturers supplying less-than-pleasant regimes abroad.
I’m at a loss to know where to start, sometimes.
My brother’s an attorney and quit his very well-paid job at a prestigious firm because they represented R.J. Reynolds in something. My brother’s a very principled man.
I’d forgotten about some other protests and boycots of mine that I’ve held for so long that they’ve become, well, a regular shunning:
**Blockbuster ** Been boycotting them since they moved in down the block from the small family mom n pop video store I worked at. THEY refused to even stock *Last Temptation Of Christ * citing it was morally offensive, but had a dozen Sorority Jello Wrestling videos out on the floor.
(We, on the other hand, did rent out LTOC, but kept the Coed Mazola Rompus Videos in “back”, if ya know what I mean.) Hypocrites.
But the main reason I am boycotting them is the one time I went into Blocksucker I asked where the Gene Kelly Movies were and the kid said, " We don’t have any of hermovies.
**Starbucks ** For making it nearly impossible to get regular coffee at a fair price. AND for changing the name of Small, Medium and Large to Miniscule, Not Enough and Caffeine Rush. I won’t even go into their outrageous prices.
**Hershey’s ** Their chocolate smells like dog shit. Seriously. Open up a bar and sniff it one day ( along with a bar of, say, Ghiradelli) and you will never ever again eat this crap. You’ll thank me later.
**Phillip Morris ** Gee, it’s nice that your company supports shelters for abused women, runaway teens, comforts the elderly and feeds starving children. But why in the hell don’t you fess up to where you get the money from in the first place, you wankers? The teens and GI’s that you got hooked on your cancer sticks forging a life long addiction.
I’d like to see an ad by them with some eighty year old guy with his larnyx removed and talking with the aid of what looks like an electric razor pressed to his throat thanking the Philip Morris company for providing him with a addictive habit filled with questionable ingredients at a low cost. Flashing across the screen would be the cost of how much Mr. Smoker’s life time habit cost him and the equivalent purchased if he’d spent his money more wisely ( House, trip around the world, etc) Then I want to see him hock up a section of his lung before spitting it onto the floor for the camera.
Yeah, that would stop a teen cold from buying his next pack.
I am also protesting the news stations in the Detroit Metro Area. All they talk about is Detroit. Well, you know, there is the rest of the state and things going on that are not related to the crime infested crack den that we call the arm pit of our state. When I watch the news, I get it from either Bay City or Saginaw.
In conclusion, I am actively protesting any strip of land that until recently, was just a crappy section of land until some obscure indian tribe decides to reclaim it, build a casino and scalp not only the white man, per se, but the pensioners and chronically unemployeed. Look, you have to live on that land at least 100 years in my book before you can turn it into an MGM Grand AND, everyone who works there should be required to wear the traditional indian gear and head peices and greet everyone saying, “HOWDY PALEFACE, YOU LIKEM FIREWATER?”
It’s only fair.
As long as this is IMHO, I’d like to say that I don’t consider not eating somewhere because their food tastes like “crap” (e.g.-Taco Bell, McDonald’s, etc.) as suggested here, as “boycotting,” but rather, a choice. I don’t refrain from eating seafood because of principle…I just don’t care for it. (I did once boycott tuna, which I do like, for many years, but that was for other obvious reasons.)
That being said, I don’t eat veal, which I used to enjoy, for ethical reasons. And Mrs. Chalupa won’t step foot into a Denny’s for their racist practices, which continues even today here in SoCal.
:mad:
Can anyone link me up with more information regarding Nestles’? The missus will be devastated if the reports are true, as she depends on Nestles’ Semi-Sweet Morsels for her Tollhouse Cookies. But she is a woman of extreme principles and will not buy their products if, in fact, these stories are substantiated (and I can’t believe neither of us have heard anything about this).
Hershey’s chips “suck,” so please tell me everything’s okay regarding Ghiredelli’s…
Keep in mind there was a boycott on this same issue in 1977, which Nestle spent millions of advertising dollars publishing claims that they had stopped doing these same things.
Spit out that Butterfinger.
Tris
ANY gas station/mini-mart that won’t let me use the bathroom, or charges me to use the air, or won’t let me use the air unless I’m buying something today. ANY restauraunt that charges more than 35 cents to use the phone or doesn’t keep the Bathroom clean. ANY business at all that treats me like I’m not “always right”. Most businesses that don’t speak English.
there speaks a truly principled man :rolleyes:
you avoiding the people of a different colour too? Just to get some consistency in your racism? Actually I think you need to check into the manufacturing policy of all the firms you patronise and make sure they all speak English
:wally
So? They are under no obligation to let you use their bathroom. they are there for you to obtain automotive related products and supplies. anything else they offer you is an added bonus. If they don’t want strangers coming in and using their bathroom, they don’t have to. A public bathroom in a gas station is a very good place to take out a gun and put a mask on.
Agreed that they shouldn’t charge for the air, but once again, they aren’t obliged to let you freeload either. It’s
a very nice convenience if they do supply it free, but they don’t have to.
Agreed on the bathroom, they are OBLIGED to keep a hygenic bathroom. But as it is their phone, and they have to pay for the line rental, they can charge what they want. they are keeping a price that the market will tolerate.
sometimes, the customer is wrong. They have to protect their interests. I hate being pandered to by a salesperson. It is totally phoney and they are only buttering you up to increase their commission. I know I am not always right, just as I know the salesperson is not always right. I will buy from somebody who is completely natural, rather than have some little brown noser tell me how much a product would suit me.
I’ll take xenophobic statements for $100, alex.
Pizza Hut
Because they had planned to carve their logo on the moon with a laser for all to see until they realized the cost of it all.
For those who have asked, Baby Milk Action is one of the groups that stays on top of the Nestle thing. Here is one page, many links from the main page that may help.
http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html
The basic thing is, you just can’t formula feed safely in underdeveloped countries. Too many families lack the money to keep buying it (and mixing it in the right ratio) and the water supply isn’t safe enough for the babies to drink it or the bottles to be sterilized in it. It’s not a good idea except in certain medically necessary cases. For this reason, WHO developed a code on the marketing of artificial baby milk. Nestle violates it. It’s promoting formula feeding in some of these countries like it would to a developed nation. That’s the nutshell.
Sorry for the hijack, but several people asked…
My deepest thanks, Cranky for the info. While it will surely adversely affect my wife’s business and baking habits as she locates alternatives to Nestles’ products, this practice is exactly the kind of thing that she will not stand for.
Mrs. Chalupa assembles gift baskets professionally and bakes all of her own cookies and pastries herself. Her baskets have found their way into many homes, businesses and even entertainment venues and restaurants. Her cookies are actually well-known in these parts and she has utilized Nestles’ Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and a number of their other products for years. Until this selfish, inhumane practice discontinues, I’m certain she will no longer support their product.
Wow! This is a damned good thread.
I found this on dictionary.com:
That being said, I guess the only place I actively boycott is Denny’s for their institutionalized racism.
Institutionalized racism at Denny’s? I don’t think I know about that, although I seeem to remember some Denny’s being sued a few years back for something racist their employees did.
Tell me about this, Juanita, maybe you can convince me to boycott them too.
TwistofFate, since Moderator slythe is either not paying attention, or insists on proper SDMB etiquette only on certain topics, let me enlighten you.
To my understanding, as explained to me by slythe on a previous posting (on the subject of what it takes to be a Christian), on the IMHO board you are to only give your opinion on the OP, not debate on other Posters replies to the OP. If you want to trash my humble opinion, you’ll have to go to The Pit, where I’ll be happy to reply to your comments about my replies, which you seem so enthusiastic to comment about.
Juanita, Denny has really kicked ass and taken names on revising policy. Fortune recently put them on some “best of” list for diversity–the exact list escapes me. They’ve done a lot in six years.
It might be time to revisit your boycott and indulge that longing for Moon Over My Hammy.
FOX TV programming – the new show they’re touting – Temptation Island – putting four “committed couples” in a tropical hotspot with a bunch of horny singles to test the strength of the relationships.
Oh puh-leeeze. That’s just sick. And the people who lend themselves to it deserve whatever happens. I hope that the condoms leak and everyone develops silicone allergies.
Cranky-- that Moon Over My Hammy remark completely blindsided me. I’m still laughing even as I type this.
On to the topic: any food/restaurant chain in general, to include all fast food, Perkins / Denny’s type places, etc., I’ve crossed off my list for awhile now. It’s just not worth it. The food’s always really mediocre, and there is always something better among the locally-owned restaurants, in terms quality of food, service, being treated as a ‘regular’, and many other qualitative factors. No big ethical reason really, although I’m much happier giving my dollars to the local folk. It’s just not worth it to go to the chains anymore; I can’t describe it any other way than to say those places simply don’t do the job for me.
Wilco Fuels - They absolutely refused to settle out of court with my father after their faulty pump allowed water to get into the tank and ruin a very expensive part of a car. My dad had to take them to court to get his money. Turned out the guy at Wilco who took claims had been skimming money from insurance companies.
Four Seasons Mall, Greensboro, NC - They instituted a “No Loitering” policy that if you aren’t there buying things they could kick you out. The rent-a-cops used it to harass black teenagers. The boycotts been going on for awhile.
Wal-Mart - For their ridiculous (not to mention unstated) policy of censoring cds, both album covers and the actual music. If they made it clear they censored cds, that’s one thing. But the fact that it isn’t stated plainly is awful.
The Wal-Mart near my house has a sign saying that the cd’s may be edited. I don’t know why your’s doesn’t say anything, but it doesn’t appear to be a corporate policy to not mention their cd policy.
I boycott the tall plastic handwash only plastic glasses my mom bought a year ago.
Yet sadly, it is all that’s big enough to hold the large quantities of coffee I wish to consume, today.
sigh