To think about boycotting American products and services

[Taytoface]

I feel so helpless in the current madness. It seems like the only act of objection possible is not buying american. Boycotting Israeli products, and South African back in the day, was relatively straightforward, but I have no clue how to de americanise my life. Anyone come across any helpful resources?

Would I ‘like’ to? Not really but here you go. It was actually 2 days ago, but anyone searching my username would see it. You said you had searched my username and I had only posted on this thread. You were wrong. I’ve also posted in other usernames.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/amibeingunreasonable/5476762-to-think-current-chart-music-is-good?reply=149918659

Eta I also just realised that I posted in this name on a thread to support a woman dealing with a ND child, but that thread has been ‘withdrawn at the OPs request’ according to the deletion message so won’t show.

You were wrong, whatever your post about me ‘only posting on this thread’ was supposed to be.

🤪🤪🤪

I certainly won't be boycotting Estee Lauder or Clinique - the majority of my facial and make-up products are from them and they suit my skin. Why cut off your nose to spite your face?

You were wrong, whatever your post about me ‘only posting on this thread’ was supposed to be.
Mea culpa. I have a horrible feeling that I may have put a date-range on a previous search and it carried over. Apologies.

You haven't explained why you are so gleefully anti the boycott.

Alternatives to AWS, are primarily US companies, MS, Google, Oracle, IBM...

Plus AWS has hosting sites all over the world, inc Europe/UK, so boycotting them would be shooting ourselves in the foot.

So, despite your spurious claims, you re talking nonsense.

Same here.

I don't have Netflix and have been boycotting Amazon for ages because of bad employment practices at UK depots. I'll be making a point of checking that I buy Unilever rather than Procter and Gamble from now on, though, and the next time I need talc it won't be Johnson & Johnson! Estee Lauder etc is out of my price range, but anything Heinz is now off my shopping list.

The sample of Estee Lauder and Clinque products I selected on the John Lewis website were manufactured either in the UK or Europe. I understand why people are saying to boycott such brands but to do so could affect British and European jobs. Surely the quickest way to send a message is to avoid holidaying in the USA until normality returns.

Yes not travelling there sends an obvious message but it is also about offsetting the damage that US tariffs on British goods in America will do to our economy. If American have to pay 25% more for our goods they will look gif alternatives and buy things made elsewhere. So we need to offset that as much as we can by buying British rather than American.

its not difficult to avoid shopping in Morrisons for example or to actively chose a brand if washing powder made by a European or British company rather than one owned but Americans. Or to buy own brand cornflakes rather than kellogs.

every bit helps.

I mean if someone wants to boycott stuff it’s not a necessity like something else might be. Ditto X, BlueSky or Facebook.

It might feel harder due to a connection. I’m not on any of the others I’m ok with mn but ok with what I use generally.

As PP said, it doesn't have to be "all or nothing". You do what you can.

We're buying EU as much as possible now.

I've changed my browser to Vivaldi, my AI search engine to Qwant, my Keeper password to Proton, cancelled Prime etc

I also don't like the idea of US companies keeping my sensitive data anymore, considering how cavalier and complicit the tech companies have been during Trump's mandate.

The rest is simpler... Unilever over Proctor & G. when possible etc.

You do what you can and vote with your wallet.

As an aside, I heard a woman talking about the concept "vegan + bacon", i.e. doing as much as you can, instead of doing nothing just because you can't do it "perfectly"

I was wondering this earlier and it’s so hard to think of companies which wouldn’t have a knock on in other countries/communities and that feels very unfair.

The only thing apart from travel that I came up with was Hollywood and TV/movie related stuff.

Wealthy Hollywood stars have a global presence and influence, would be quick to speak up and largely dislike Trump, but this would also impact make-up/wardrobe people, camera operators, caterers etc. and everyone behind the scenes, who don’t have millions of $ to fall back on.

An effective way would be to close American armed forces bases here and in Europe but we’d then be sitting ducks wouldn’t we, or maybe he wouldn’t defend us anyway.

What a mess the world is in, it’s seriously worrying.

According to its website, Morrisons employs around 96,000 people in the UK, so it is a fair bet that a few MNetters work for the store, and in 2023/24 it made net tax contributions in the UK of £1.18 billion. The Heinz products in my cupboard were made in the UK/Europe etc and in the UK, Heinz employs around 36,000. I am up to boycotting American products and will investigate changing my browser etc, but my boycott will be strategic. We are all different but may be, in a small way, we will make a difference.

Yes but Morrisons has a significant market share. Therefore if Morrisons closed stores the uk supermarkets would increase stores and provide jobs in their place

Presumably I've missed something here but what have Morrisons got to do with this? British company, Northern roots to my knowledge

Thanks for this thread. You have inspired me. I have deleted my Amazon account and switched my phone browser over to Ecosia (laptop already was) I will look at making more changes over the next few days.
Far from virtue signalling, this is how movements start. I well remember the SA boycott, it was huge here.
I will still have an apple phone and laptop and I will still have to use American services that support all our lives, but I will do what I can.

Morrisons has been owned by an American equity firm since 2021.

OK but their stores are here, their staff are British, their supplies will be in large part British? A big chunk of the impact will be on British people if I stop shopping there. Not doing that.

I agree and this is what makes it so complicated.

Agreed - I have argued this upthread.

Are you saying that we have already sleep-walked into being the 51st State? And there is no escape?

Yes but if morrisons ended up closing stores it would be because people were shopping elsewhere not because there is no longer a demand for groceries. As such the sites (or others close by) would in likelihood be taken over by other supermarkets and new UK jobs created.

This would just be silly. Why make your life harder when its not going to make one bit of difference.

of course it makes a difference. Tesla sales in some EU countries are down over 30%

In my family, we are using Skred instead of WhatsApp and Messenger. It is French, and they don't sell your data. So far, it is only me, DH, our two kids, and my best friend who are on Skred, but my brother has shown interest as well. So maybe we can get him and his kids to join.

And that's fine. But there are British people in other shops and supply chains that I would be supporting if I stopped going to Morrisons. I'm not going to totally stop shopping.