I realize personal boycotts are next-to-useless (when compared to mass boycotts), but for me
it’s a matter of principle. I won’t willingly support any companies that
outright promote evil in the world. They can get their money from someone else. These I call
“hard boycotts” below. I won’t subsidize them in any way. Other companies
either (1) seem to be participating in an evil without truly being aware, or (2) I
sometimes don’t have a choice. These, I try to stay away from them but can’t call them
outright boycotts. Below I refer to these as “soft boycotts”.
Hard Boycotts
Following are companies I won’t patronize in any way until they withdraw their support
for harmful ideologies and/or practices.
Following are companies I try to avoid when possible (but probably sometimes will spend money
or time there) because their practices are harmful — but I either sometimes can’t
avoid them or don’t think they’re quite as bad as those in the “hard
boycott” category above. In some cases (like fast food), the entire industry isn’t
great, and I some offenders seem worse than others. For these, I will look for better options
when available and spend as little as possible at these companies.
Aside from their food being bland and absolutely without variety, I avoid In-N-Out because it’s
more of a religion than a business. I won’t knowingly subsidize the promotion of religion, and
In-N-Out intentionally prints Bible verses on their packaging. It is ridiculous to expect
me to pay them for their proselytization effort.
In April 2018, I deleted my Amazon wishlist and removed all links to Amazon from my website after
I learned Amazon
refused
to pull advertisement from alt-right “news” website Breitbart. Further, I learned about
that same time that Amazon still
broadcasts
NRA-TV, an online-only TV channel for a
known
hate group.
In September 2018, I learned that Amazon is not only selling books by white supremacists,
but continues to
publish
works by some of them.
Tucker Carlson is a talking head on Fox “News” who regularly utters white
supremacist, Neo-Nazi hate speech. In October 2018, Carlson
aired
the alt-right conspiracy theory about “white genocide”. In September 2018, he
insisted
diversity is bad for America. There are older examples as well.
Laura Ingraham is a talking head on Fox “News” who actively harms our nation
with her absurd and hateful statements. In June 2018, she defended the Trump administration’s
horrific child-detention policy,
saying
it wasn’t that bad because the detention centers were “essentially summer camps”.
In March 2018, she publicly
mocked
a school-shooting survivor. In February 2018, she
dismissively
taunted black men speaking up about politics.
Walgreens doubled-down on the company policy of allowing individual pharamcists to
refuse
(for any reason, but especially absurd religious reasons) to fill duly obtained prescriptions. As it
turns out, this only happens to women who really need prescriptions filled. I won’t give any
money to Walgreens until they rescind this hateful, harmful policy.
Admittedly, I was already watching fewer football games due to waning interest. But I determined
to stop watching the NFL altogether for several cumulative reasons.
1. CTE [citation needed]
2. Response to protests
(source)
3. Heavy promotion of ultra-nationalism [citation needed]
4. Heavy promotion of religion [citation needed]
Recently renamed “AdventHealth”, Killeen’s Metroplex Hospital is still a
“faith-based organization”, according to its webpage, “proudly sponsored by
the Seventh-day Adventist Church”. It says its mission is “Extending the Healing
Ministry of Christ” (seriously). Not only do I not want to be “treated” by
prayer warriors, but I think it should be illegal for religious organizations to masquerade
their missionary centers as “hospitals”.
Until July 2020, we regularly purchased multiple Goya products, but then CEO Robert Unanue
got up and began praising the corrupt and incompetent GOP president, saying we’re
“blessed to have a leader” like this one.
Chick-fil-A has gone on record too many times as being anti-LGBTQ (mostly through
millions
of dollars of donations to hate groups) and only began to shy away from that after tons of
negative publicity. Not to mention that the restaurant isn’t open on Sundays, which is a
perfect day to eat out.
McDonald’s knowingly sponsors the NFL, a company I want nothing to do with. Not to mention
the company’s
longtime
militant stance against its own employees.