If you hear of a company that mistreats its animals or employees or the enivironment, etc., do you boycott even it you love the product? I try to. For example, I have been avoiding KFC after I read how terribly they treated chickens before slaughter.
I think it's an admirable things to do. I don't really boycott any specific companies although if given an option between two similar products, I tend to go with the company that is known for being morally strong. There are a lot of companies that mistreat people, animals or the environment in order to save a few bucks. A lot of these companies are now rightfully being exposed.
I'm frequently boycotting. To be effective you do have to notify they company that you're doing it, and if you're fortunate enough that the practice they were engaging in stops, you really should thank the company and let them know you'll be purchasing their products again. I was just boycotting Pepsi (it was painful, because I do love Pepsi!) and I'm happy to report that they relented and stopped using aborted fetal cell lines to test flavors for their products. They tried to deny it at first, but after a lot of bad publicity and pressure they got the company they were contracting to, Senomyx, to stop this disgusting practice. Boycotts do work, but you have to be diligent.
I do not boycott. if there is not a large amount of people participating then the boycott will be ineffective. If something nothers me enough I will not buy the product or return to the store or restaursnt. But that is not due to boycotting, more like health safety issues.
I respect the person who is boycotting Pepsi for standing up for her beliefs. However, the allegation that Pepsi was using "aborted fetal cell lines to test flavors for their products" was largely false. Snopes has an explanation about this rumor for anyone who is interested. I also boycott products and retailers with whom I disagree. My boycotts are based on not wanting to help corporations profit from unethical business practices.
If I am to boycott... I tell everyone I see about why I'm boycotting. I'd like to make a difference other than one customer, haha. I haven't boycotted anything, yet. One time I came really close to, but then they changed their business practices and improved things, so I didn't.
deecee, touched on something important. It is slander to accuse a company of doing something it isn't, not doing something it should, and not following up to check the status. If boycotts are a jumbled mess, they're not effective. I just checked Snopes and as to the real reason of the boycott, which I gave, they simply said "undetermined." Snopes hasn't updated it and are still going by old information. Pepsi backtracked and pressured Senomyx to change it's policy since Snopes last update. Snopes is notoriously left leaning so I can see why they're aren't killing themselves over this issue. As to what Snopes said was "false", well, that's a strawman. No group was boycotting because of "aborted fetuses in its products." Misinformation like that is why people start avoiding all boycotts.
I don't consider it boycotting, I consider it not wanting to deal with someone or something who I don't respect. So no I guess I don't boycott. Um, Stephanie if you could... how exactly were they suppose to be using aborted fetal cells for taste-testing? I mean reading that sentence does it even look right? Also how does one's alledged political leanings really factor into how honest one is and why would you bring that up?
I think if you are boycotting something, it's awfully important to do your research. The idea of boycotting is to make a difference. If you want to make a differences, you need to know the ins and outs and of the ethical mistakes being made by a company. If you know what mistakes they are making, you can pinpoint and highlight them for others to notice. If one is going to boycott, you should go all the way and spread the word.
Yes I do boycott companies that have had bad records of ill-treatment although sometimes they are popular brands like Nike which are said to have sweatshops in developing countries. Given the steep price of a Nike product, I don't see why these low-level workers are paid measly pays and ill-treated. As for KFC, I have heard of that too though I think they have changed their policy along the way.
Yea I have boycotted some companies in the past for different things they did or stood for. I know it may not mean much to other people, but I know that even if I am the only one that I know of that is boycotting the company, I still feel like I am making a difference. Its a matter of conscience for me.
Yes I boycott some things, for example foods that contain aspartame or monosodium glutamate. I wonder why such ingredients are even allowed on food products as they cause headaches and other symptoms. Ughhhh.
Yes, I do and I have been doing it for years. I boycott all the companies selling cigarettes. It's not that I have stopped smoking. I still do, but I roll my own cigarettes with reeds grown locally and tobacco grown locally, too.
Does this save you a lot of money? My husband is still a smoker, and I am disgusted at how much money he spends on cigarettes. Of course, I'd prefer he quit altogether, but saving some money would be the next best thing. I doubt I could persuade him to roll his own, but it's worth a try.
Yes, I boycott companies that go again my moral beliefs. However, I do not go out of my way to research each company I buy from. I think if we all did that you would find you would have to make everything yourself! I did boycott Pepsi for the same reasons as Stephanie and I am not sure since I got all the information from my mother in law but that same issue of using fetal cell research also covered Kraft and Frito-Lay.
My dad also started rolling his own smokes (well, he has a roller thingy), and it smells cleaner than store cigarettes. I cannot handle the smell of cigarettes but I can just about stand the smell of pure tobacco - it is sweeter, cleaner etc. I still get a reaction but not as severe. As for boycotting, I definitely do abstain from buying products that I have discovered to be less ethical. I do research further and once I am convinced I simply stop supporting them and will pass on the word to friends. The power of the word will always spread. But I do make sure first...or say that I suspect, it would be awful to slander. So, I tend to just stop buying until I am sure.
My boycott comes in a different form than most. It is basically against any "processed" food that contains preservatives, additives, colorings or sugar which is toxic to our bodies PLUS contains a very low nutritional level. When you read a label on a product (which, by the way, leave me with a suspicion of cover up), it shows it contains colorings, additives, preservatives and more often than not, sugar. Sugar affects the hormone Leptin which controls the "I am full" switch in the brain which never goes off so we keep on eating ...and eating ...and eating. (Much to the delight of manufacturers.) To me, this is why we have so many obese people around the world -- not because we sit at computers all day, it's because we are hungry all day. Manufacturers have also genetically modified our food so much that it has "processed out" the natural antibiotics that we need to survive. Why? Because it had a bitter taste and affected the amount of sales. What is worse ... they also processed out the plants natural defense system at the same time so they have to turn around and spray pesticides on the corn fields to kill pests - which also affects us. When they put food in a box, bag, bottle, can, jug or jar, they have reduced the nutritional value so much that it barely helps us to survive. Nature had an original plan that would help the planet, and us, to survive with raw fresh vegetables and fruit (not juiced). We should honor that plan. Boycott all processed foods. Leave those boxes, bags, cans, jugs, and jars on the shelf until the corporate world can realize that we can only thrive on fresh organic food. It is the only way out of the increased cycle of disease, allergies, and mental disorders we are currently experiencing.
