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?

Is this what passes for teasing among MAGA folk then?😆

Are you still buying Chinese products a politically problematic country?

As a Trump hater who lives in the US I do find these boycotts to be a bit pointless and coming across as a little high and mighty. The whole country doesn’t support Trump, I get that boycotting specific companies that have been outspoken and generous with their financial support for him but in general these boycotts aren’t going to send a message to Trump, if anything he probably enjoys this. If boycotts have a real financial impact the only people they are going to be hurt are the employees, many of who work minimum wage jobs and for who working at an Amazon warehouse may be the only decent job on town. And for OP it is really unfair to not give her DD money, she is going to CA, a state that is run by Democrats (and that Trump hates) to an event that celebrates diversity and represents the polar opposite of a lot of the MAGA agenda. I hate that our whole country is being judged and deemed immoral for the actions of this orange buffoon, it’s not like we can all up and leave in protest so I could do without Brits acting like they are so much better than us!

Quite often the decision is not to not spend the money at all, it is to spend the money closer to home. So the boycott might be detrimental to the employment and wage of employees in the boycotted company or country but would be beneficial to another group of employees in a different country or company.

It's a decision we make daily, anyhow. There are two big supermarkets in my town - Tesco and Sainsbury's. The fact that I really dislike the Tesco and rarely shop there isn't great for the Tesco employees but it does mean that the employees of the cleaner, tidier and altogether more pleasant Sainsbury's store get the benefit of that portion of the money I had planned to spend at a big supermarket, instead.

I thought just the same thing. China is beginning to have a disturbing presence in the Paciifc, but that's okay because it's not Europe!

Can you not understand? That poster was pointing out that there are other countries who are doing things which are not good, but OP has decided that the US is the only one which should have its goods boycotted. People who are really serious about this don't cherry pick which country they try to punish.

Funnily enough, as someone living in Canada, I find the US's threats to start a trade war, that would be crippling to our economy, with a view to annexation, to be just a little unpleasant.

While I am certainly sympathetic to the many Americans who didn't vote Trump, the reality is that, here, our workers (particularly those working for minimum wage) will be among the hardest hit, and most of us will feel the effects - and possibly quite profoundly.

We did not ask for the US to start this "war" and most of us will do all we can to protect our own workers, business and (ultimately) sovereignty. We are not going to throw our own people under the bus to protect the US's, and we will support each other as best we can. That does not mean that I wish harm on those American workers that could be impacted - far from it - but you cannot reasonably expect us to quietly accept economic catastrophe for the sake of shielding Americans from the fallout of Trump's actions.

I appreciate that the picture is not the same for every country, and that Canada is among the most impacted, but surely you can appreciate that the new and particularly radical strain of "Ameirca First" policies, which will make the US's (former?) allies poorer, will cause plenty of non-Americans to react with their wallets.

I sympathize for you as a Canadian and I understand why Canadians are doing what they are. I am really talking about the mumsnet morally superior posters from the UK who typically find any excuse to trash the US and think we are all Trump loving bigots (who eat unhealthy food and want to destroy the environment). It is just short sighted because states and corporations are fighting back and challenging his agendas but people are still labeling us all together and acting like we are all terrible people for living here as if it is easy to just get up and leave! I am British, horrified at what is going on and in an ideal world I would explore leaving but that isn’t reality and continuing to live here does not make me complicit.

Well said @britinnyc. I can understand Canadians boycotting US goods, they have a good reason, and it is likely to have some effect, but people in the rest of the world are doing nothing more than vitual signally to make themselves feel good.

I think that most, reasonable people appreciate that not every American (or person living in America) is a Trump supporter or otherwise lamentable.

I also agree and acknowledge that people in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere can have unfairly anti-American attitudes. That's likely a result of the power and influence of the US, and our cultural exposure to it. That doesn't make it right but, were UK politics more often a headline news item in the US and if UK cultural exports were as prevalent in the US, as US ones are in the UK, the reverse would likely happen.

I'm sure that many of us are grateful for the efforts of those Americans pushing back on Trump but, again, (1) many people will stand up for their own country against an aggressor, and (2) it's unreasonable to expect others to bear the harm, without complaint, that will arise in the interim.

I do also think that when Trump is centring US financial interests, in lieu of international cooperation, then the most sensible retaliation is an economic one. If the boycotts were to put a noticeable dent in the US economy, that has a far more likely chance of seeing Trump pressured to reverse-course than empty moralizing and complaints.

FWIW, I've seem quite a lot of Americans saying that they too will make a greater effort to buy Canadian, in solidarity. Those efforts are, of course, greatly appreciated.

"I hate that our whole country is being judged and deemed immoral for the actions of this orange buffoon, it’s not like we can all up and leave in protest so I could do without Brits acting like they are so much better than us!"

But Americans could protest. I haven't really seen much mass protests ( I know there have been some, but really insignificant) nor much fight from the political opposition.
I think way more people just agree about America first. Which might seem understandable, but it's also understandable that citizens of countries that are threatened by trade war will retaliate.

Well, some British people were always likely to show some Candian solidarity. It isn't even 50 years ago that Canada became fully independent from the UK and we continue to share a head of state.

Trump's policies are also likely to hurt the UK, financially, and threaten it's national security. EU Member states, clearly, are even more vulnerable. I would also posture that the Trump administration running election interference in EU states (including JD Vance's recent speech a d subsequent actions) and Musk's misinformation campaign against the UK government (also then angering Reform supporters by turning on Farage) are also unwelcome by many.

Yes, perhaps only Ukraine, Denmark and Panama have a right to feel as aggrieved to Canada and yes, it probably is long overdue that Europe invested more in defence spending, but if a country is going to act in an antagonistic manner, it's naive in the extreme to not expect a response.

And it's certainly more than virtue-signalling; it's choosing to act in the national interests of your own country, even to the detriment of others, when the US's current administration has made quite clear that is it's own guiding principle.

To underscore this - there was no meaningful boycott campaigns during his first term. The difference, now, is his extremely aggressive (and sometimes tyrannical) foreign policy.

Trump will also impose tariffs on the EU.
Judging by Starmers stand on Ukraine, UK might be next.

At this point we just can’t win. I have a Tesla, I’ve had it for 4 years since back when Elon and Trump were enemies. I bought it because I cared about reducing emissions (yes I know the batteries have other impacts but carbon emissions and air quality were a bigger concern for me) and on a practical level Tesla made the most sense and was made in my own state. I am now seeing constant vitriol towards anyone driving one (which seems to be 1/2 of CA at this point) and judgment of being MAGA for having it when even less than a year ago MAGA mocked people driving EVs as woke sheep. And the market has dropped and I can’t afford to sell it for nothing and buy a new car which also contributes to unnecessary additional cars on the road! It is a no win situation so I wish people would stop trying to feel superior for choices that are much more complex than they see on the surface. Living in the U.S. these days is exhausting!

Funnily enough yes you can vote for him, and yes others can choose to work against his actions
You really aren't doing the reputation of Maga supporters any good here
I thought you were in favour of free speech and democracy? Or at least what passes for it in your country

I appreciate that's a crap position to be in, but it feels like your complaints are less to do with international response to Trump's antagonistic foreign policy and more to do with the behaviour of various Americans (on either side of the political divide) to you and each other, the general state of US political discourse and Elon Musk.

I just don’t want to buy American anymore. Whether it had an impact or not. I don’t want to buy American or be anywhere near America. I say this as somebody who has family there, got married there and has visited several times. It was an amazing country and I’m deeply shocked how it has spiralled. Yep it’s neither here nor there to Trump supporters but money my choices so threads like these are useful.

I try not to buy Chinese goods either as much as I can. Definitely don’t support the like of Shein etc.

Where are you all? Why aren’t you out marching, why aren’t you more vocal? Where is the American spirit we always thought you had or is the truth of it the vast majority have been taken in.

People who are serious about having morals absolutely do one boycott at a time. Of course they do. They do what they can. However small , however inconsequential. They are trying. We should all be trying to do what we can. The sales of Tesla are reducing for example. If all one can do is not buy a swasticar then that's a start.

Hth

There are loads of protests going on , Chris Kluwe protested very recently. There's a plan for a 24 hour boycott of buying all items that aren't absolutely necessary on 28th Feb. AoC is protesting. There are law suits going through. The Gov of Maine is standing up against the bullies. There are a whole host of companies ignoring the no DEI order.

I'm not even in the US and these are just a few I know about.

Where are you reading/seeing this?

Maine Gov Janet Mills was reported in the Independent and New York Times.

Chris Kluwe protest reported in the Guardian 7 days ago.

Washington post has an article on the boycott of the 28th Feb today.

I doubt that the right wing press is reporting the voice of the dissenters, so that might explain some of the lack of information.

Not being funny but Maine isn’t exactly the most populated state. Is that it?

Blimey. Is this your point??? Oh, ok then.

This is unfair. Trump is only recently elected and people want to give him a chance. However, they are not doing nothing.

Americans are challenging Trump's destruction, on the streets, in the courts, online and even in their workplaces.