The Brand New Serious Discussion Thread - 6/20-Support for companies sharing your views

Here we go, guys! It's back and sponsored by my sleepy pooch.
What do we think of this? Tons of corporations are on record through their own political donations, the bent of their executives and boards, and we know where they stand on issues important to us.
The question is, how do we feel about directing our finances towards/against these companies? Does it really help if you're pro-union to boycott Wal-Mart? Is it better for you to support Best Buy, a company which actually has a program to PAY for its employees' sexual reassignment surgeries, over Radio Shack?

I meant to make mention of Buy Blue as being a GREAT resource for those of us with left-leaning tendencies. Of course, in its own way, I suppose a very conservative buyer could use that website for their own purposes as well, although I'm sure there's a Red think tank out there publishing its own pro-conservative publication.

I admire putting one's money where one's mouth is. I don't do it quite as well as I probably should, but my BF does, in his own quiet way, make these political stances to support the companies which practice standards he admires and to boycott those which do not.

as a away to make you feel better about your purchases, i think it's a great idea. as a way of influencing policy and punishing those companies who do not share your views and rewarding those comapnies who do i think it's not very effective without p.r.

in the case of smaller local firms it could be very effective. but in the case of larger corporations, in order to actually affect the bottom line and thus merit much attention, it requires organization and p.r.

i mean look at how much you as an individual spend at the particular place and then look at their annual sales and work out how many similar spending persons would need to avoid that store in order to affect them financially. that's the practical side of it. however, the power of your buying dollars i would argue are less effective than the power of an effective grass roots campaign against the company. while not buying there might make you feel better, setting up a website declaring why you avoid that particular store has the potential to get national notice and garner real change in their corporate policies or alert more people to the offensive polices and to alternatives.

so, yeah, buy from folks with whom you agree, but if you want to change them or punish them or really help the alternative vendor, you'll need to do more than that.

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Updated On: 6/20/06 at 10:49 AM

I have a problem with PapaJohns, as tho the company leans to the right, he is kinda cute...and come on...he likes to be called Papa!

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leans to the right...likes to be called papa

where's my f***ing royalty check, john?

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E-Harmony won't do gay matches, apparently, but that Neil Clark Warren dude freaks me out anyway.

Well, I guess, Papa, this is why I tend to support larger boycott movements.
My church urged us to boycott - I think it was - Johnson & Johnson because they donated to some scientific research that Jesus would have hated (of course and unfortunately). We also had to boycott Levi's because apparently they donate (or did) to some gay rights groups.

but, i think if it's something that's important to a person, bway, why not take the extra steps? with free blogware all over the place it's so easy to set up a blog decrying whichever company. then a few emails to larger blogs or websites that might be sympathetic to your cause and with a little luck they're talking about you on the today show or at the very least you get a mention in the paper. the internet can expose your cause to more than just a local audience and allow a truly global response. i mean if it's important, do something about it.

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I think you make a good point, papa. (Not about staggering, about boycotting) but I dont think it matters if you are part of a large boycott or not, tho it would be better, at least not being a hypocrite to your convictions is something.

HATE to bring it up, but the Macy's response last week to me was, well...weak. I dont mean to reopen a debate about those issues again, but I was disappointed in the lack of support and coverage of my, and other's demonstrations. That said, what did I do but let a bunch of people know? Was I out organizing or calling the media to make sure the word got out? Nope. Doesnt say much for me.

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another issue on which i disagree with my party, bway.

i should say that have more respect for people who back up their convictions with their wallets.

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Hey, Papa, this thread is good for this tangent. When you disagree with your party on something, do you let your senator and representative know?
I've actually written Hil Clinton three times about her support of the Iraq War and her milquetoast stance on several other key issues, specifically gay rights.
I'll keep voting for her as senator because, as we noted, you have to go with the platform that suits your needs best, but god, I hope I bore her to tears with my repetition enough to make her acquiesce just to see me shut up.

Not really the same issue here, Calvin, but wouldn't you know that, every now and then, I just HAVE to go into Mcdonald's to get some fries.

And back when I had a car, if I got a flat tire on a Saturday night (OK, that happened only one time), Wal-Mart is one of the few places where you can get a new tire installed on a Sunday. So sometimes situations can trump ethics.

Besides, just looking at donation breakdowns doesn't always work. The Republicans are the majority party, so it makes sense that they might be getting more contributions than the Democrats. It also depends on who is the ruling party where that company is headquartered. Corporations are always going to ultimately be looking out for their own interest. That's why I make it a point to avoid blatant offenders, but I don't use BuyBlue as my shopping bible.