Boycotttjng US Products and Services

[CovenOfCheeses]

Several of my friends have started a local campaign to boycott all US made goods and services. I have also started to do so because of the attitudes of the President to the rule of law and international co-operation. I have stopped buying from Amazon and have deleted my social media accounts and stopped using US made products. I feel that a country that is so antagonistic toward us should not be supported by our cash.

My eldest daughter is gay and has been saving up with her friend to go to the Dinah Shore weekend in the US. I said I would contribute some cash but now feel reticent to do so. She argues that she is going to support the people who are being attacked by Donald Trump, but I think that we should not give money to a country (even though it was only 50%) who twice voted for a menace to international order and the rule of law. I feel that during apartheid, it was only due to the economic boycotts that the system ended. It hurt the people who were in the country who did not agree to the system, but the economic impact forced the system to change. I think that by making a stand and making the people aware of how their president in impacting the world. Am I being unreasonable in withholding cash for her trip?

I use Argos for big ticket items, but really I have cut back on spending and feel much happier for it. I am not on social media, use a 6 year old Samsung phone which is adequate and an old laptop that is loaded with Linux, Ecosia (a web browser that plants trees) and open office that satisfies my needs. I shop local and support my local community. I think several local shops would be happy to deliver to you and support you.

No, it is usually little people who stand together that make a difference. I am not special, I am not eloquent or a fine orator. I think my super power is standing for what I believe in and trying to make a difference in the world rather than standing by and accepting injustice and saying, “this is how this is and I cannot do anything about it so I won’t bother”. If all the small people like me make a stand, then it will make a difference.

we have a man who wants to steal the mineral wealth of a country that has fought and died to prevent itself from being taken over and destroyed by its psychotic neighbour. A man who wants to ethnically cleanse Gaza. A man who believe that might rather than the rule of law, decency and democracy should prevail. We need to take a stand against it.

"Also; not sure what on earth Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg have to do with the actions of the US government."

Aside from all the (Zuckerberg owned) Facebook algorithms promoting right wing conspiracy theories to Magas? And now him promising to stop fact checking propaganda, which further serves US right wing agendas?

Bezos owns the normally left leaning Washington Post, which refused to endorse Kamala in the election, and as a result lost many, many readers.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/27/bezos-washington-post-non-endorsement-election

OP Ignore all those calling you a hypocrite for using some US products. As with all protests we cannot as humans living in today's society be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress. We can make small changes where possible. If that means continuing to use Apple products while boycotting Amazon or Facebook then so be it. That small change does make a difference.

All changes have to be practical and fit into our lives. They still make a difference.

Always a trumper somewhere. Elon stole the elections! Most Americans didn’t vote for the orange turd

If we all believed that our individual voices and actions had no impact then we would have to admit defeat in the face of the world's megalomaniacs and resign to a life of autocracic rule. We are a democratic people and our voices matter and our actions DO have consequences. My friends and I have sent tens of thousands of pounds of aid for Ukraine and we know those meds, vehicles, drones, generators have made a world of difference to Ukraine's front. I will not tire of standing up for what I believe in and influencing my small corner and I appeal to everyone to do their bit, including OP. Not everyone is a Gandhi clearly but don't be dissuaded, and therefore disempowered, by those who would put you down and laugh at your 'self importance.' It's a means to shut you up and put you down, don't give away your power.

Sounds like election denial. You should be careful with that.

OP - you promised money that you now don’t want to give. That’s on you.

@Hillsmakeyoustrong I would go so far as to say that those putting the OP down and trying to shut her up for boycotting, are complicit in furthering the agenda of the current US administration, Trump and Musk.

Totally agree.

Tiny changes replicated by lots of people can have a huge impact.

Tesla sales are plummeting already, for example. And there has been a huge swing away from people using X

It would be stupid and environmentaly damaging to throw away perfectly working equipment just because it was made by a US company.

That doesn't mean that there is no point in stopping buying anything new. Every little bit helps.

OP, I would give her the money. You promised it before deciding to boycot the US.

@birdcake no doubt. The agenda is being pushed hard as part of the war effort.

i don’t need to be careful. Are you through threatening me? Are we living in times where I am not allowed an opinions there is a video of Trump saying Elon does amazing things with computers, and made things happen in Pennsylvania. A lot of people can make of that what they want. It’s still a free world

Have you not read the news? The widespread support for Trump from the Tech bros? The threats to impose sanctions on the UK for having the temerity to tax US tech businesses with VAT and corporation tax, with the support of the tech bros. The compensation paid to Trump by tech firms for kicking him off platforms when he lied about winning the election. The removal of fact checking on social media platforms so that people can lie in the name of free speech without any consequences. The limits to free speech when people try and criticise Trump in the organisations owned by the Tech Bros. The limitless power to shape how people think I’m being imposed on us by US firms. The cosying up to illiberal regimes to further the US political agenda. The change to laws so that AI firms can steal copyrighted works and destroy our creative industries. This is all happening while your eyes are closed.

I am not perfect and I cannot remove all US influence on my life and it is not hypothetical to do so, but not doing anything is not a choice either. By making a stand, even symbolically is saying that I have morals and can live with myself.

Keep your promise to your daughter

Is damaging your relationship really worth it for a moral stance that honestly, will go unnoticed?

I dumped Amazon many years ago. More fun going to a bookshop anyway. Twitter and Reddit more recently - can't think what I ever saw in them. Ditto Starbucks.
My American are embarrassed about Trump's bluster and crude bullying. And they'd like to see someone putting manners on Musk.

OP if you want to boycott anything American then do it, but why the need to post about it? What do you hope from this thread, that you're going to influence a load of strangers on here to do the same? Because that won't happen.

Of course it will happen. People read things and are influenced by them.

You will make your life pretty difficult with this boycott but you do you. BTW have you actually had a conversation with people who live in the USA to understand why they voted the way they did? Just a thought.

I do agree by not supporting the huge multinationals and the uber-rich in the US is good, but I really don't think that the $200 or whatever you were going to give her for this one event is going to make a huge difference.
Stop buying Coke (and any of the products owned by Coca-Cola) and Kentucky bourbon/whiskey and any clothing brands from the US but I'd give her the money and make it clear that you're no longer supporting brands from the US.

You realise what a protest is right? Do you think Greenpeace would improve the environment by sitting at home and complaining and drinking from paper straws?

With Tesla sales in Europe down more than 50% in January I think it probably does make a difference ;)

What is hilarious is for a president of a country that is a net importer to think that tariffs do anything other damage its own economy first. Particularly when it depends on imported raw materials 😂

You should have made it clear to your DD that your financial gift was subject to certain criteria.

Sell something to someone in the US then you will be taking their money. So long as it is more than you would give dd you are still draining their wealth.

I am avoiding anything from the US. Not because I think it will have any effect but just because I don’t want their stuff anymore. The US revolts me.
I have always bemoaned the americanisation of british culture but a country which has elected trump not once but twice is not one I want any association with however tenuous.
I don’t buy products from china either.
Well at least not knowingly as their stuff is everywhere.
There isn’t much I can do about what is happening to the world but at least I can control my own purse.

The movements that these people spearheaded started with one person. Civil disobedience.
I didn't take it that the OP was comparing themselves to Rosa Parks or Gandhi.
There are loads of people over the world that are refusing to buy American products, getting rid of their "Swasticars" and trading them in for different makes. If everyone did a little less buying from these huge conglomerates, every bit helps. The reason it helps is because these companies have shareholders and stockholders that they have to produce annual reports to. A severe drop in sales = unhappy shareholders = less of a bonus (if any at all) to the big boys. It hits them where it hurts them - their bottom line.

Be mindful of where your hard earned money goes and what it's going on.

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk could each give just 10% of their wealth to school programmes to help the underprivileged in the US - do they? No. They prefer to spend their money on rockets. They could have great buildings and schools named after them but they want to play with rockets instead. I'm not saying that space exploration isn't important but feeding and educating the next generation is, in my opinion, a better use of their money. They'd still have 90% of their money and still remain billionaires.

So boycotting Tesla and Amazon are good places to start pushing back.