Personal Bias and Boycotts

[Junkenstein]

I've been considering my personal biases and boycotts list of late. You'll be shocked to know that I have more than a few. I'm sure I'm not alone in having a fairly extensive list of companies and such that I try to avoid handing any kind of money or information to. I'm fairly sure that we all despise different corporations and products to varying degrees.

So, with that in mind, I'm somewhat curious as to who/what you good people try to avoid. Here's (some of) mine:

Facebook - If you need explanation on this one, you really haven't been paying attention. I've avoided it thus far as well as most other forms of social media.

Coca-Cola - From the sponsoring of the Nazi Olympics to deplete wells in third world nations to killing Union reps where it can get away with it, few brands match it in how shitty a corporation can really be.

Any Bottled water sold by anyone anywhere - Paying over a quid for something that falls out of tap for essentially free is madness. I've broken this when in countries where drinking the tap water was verboten but with considerable resentment. Also, various environmental issues and scams abound.

Obviously many, many more as well, but I'm more interested in yours.

[LMNO]

I don't know if they're "boycotts" or just "preferences", but:

- I try not to eat at any place that is a multi-state chain or franchise.  No fast food, no TGI Fridays, no Domino's pizza, etc.

- I avoid shopping at as many "big box" retailers as possible: Target, Walmart, Best Buy, etc.

- I don't drink soda, but that's because I just don't like it.  I do drink gallons of seltzer, though.

[Junkenstein]

I'd say any deliberate choice to not use a product/service would probably count as a boycott for the purpose of this. The ones I listed I've kept going for a number of years so I would suggest anything where you've actively abstained for over a year on ideological reasons would fit.


Amazon - Terrible treatment of workers has become increasingly apparent over the past couple of years. This one is a bit of a bastard for me as it's a very easy way to obtain various books that can't be obtained by other means. There's also associated PRISM fuckery and other unsavoury things.

[Cain]

I boycott MacDonalds because they gave me food poisoning once.  I boycott Starbucks and Caffe Nero because they don't pay their taxes.  I boycott Pret a Manger because in addition to being pretentious as fuck, overpriced and actually not all that good quality, they treat their employees like shit.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I do drink gallons of seltzer, though.

[LMNO]

I boycott MacDonalds because they gave me food poisoning once.  I boycott Starbucks and Caffe Nero because they don't pay their taxes.  I boycott Pret a Manger because in addition to being pretentious as fuck, overpriced and actually not all that good quality, they treat their employees like shit.

Interestingly, they're trying to open a Caffe Nero in my neighborhood. Anything else I should know about them?

[Cain]

Their coffee is shit?  That's pretty much all you need to know.  They're an Italian Starbucks clone, IIRC.  Only actual Italians wont buy their shit, because it's weak and poor quality for the price.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I avoid WalMart and McDonalds like the plague, I try to boycott Georgia Pacific (the Koch brothers' very profitable paper empire), and I try to avoid soda for health reasons, although Coke has presented some very convincing political reasons to avoid them as well. I don't beat myself up to badly when I fail at holding those lines, but I do try to keep them.

[Cain]

Oh, for those of you boycotting Coke, Pepsi are not a much more attractive alternative, for their history alone.

[LMNO]

Their coffee is shit?  That's pretty much all you need to know.  They're an Italian Starbucks clone, IIRC.  Only actual Italians wont buy their shit, because it's weak and poor quality for the price.

  Well, good to know I won't be missing much.




This is probably too broad a criteria to even follow properly, but I do my best to avoid companies that are blatantly anti-LBGTWTFBBQ.  Yes, I realize this can be defined as "most companies", but still.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Their coffee is shit?  That's pretty much all you need to know.  They're an Italian Starbucks clone, IIRC.  Only actual Italians wont buy their shit, because it's weak and poor quality for the price.

  Well, good to know I won't be missing much.




This is probably too broad a criteria to even follow properly, but I do my best to avoid companies that are blatantly anti-LBGTWTFBBQ.  Yes, I realize this can be defined as "most companies", but still.

Oh, that reminds me: Chick-Fil-A and Barilla, too. The latter makes me irrationally happy in the grocery store because they NEVER take it off sale anymore.

[Junkenstein]

Oh, for those of you boycotting Coke, Pepsi are not a much more attractive alternative, for their history alone.

Handy. I had always assumed Pepsi was equally shitty just in different ways/areas. Just read the fist couple of paragraphs and it looks like good reading. Thanks!

Annoyingly, Glaxosmithkline is one I'd love to be able to boycott. Unfortunately Lucozade has me by the balls and isn't letting go.

Starbucks and pretty much any chain coffee place (The main competition here is Costa) I try to avoid too. Partly tax reasons, partly terrible fucking coffee, partly the subway issue (see below)

Subway - Built their brand on deceptive ads, and that's being kind. Also, I hate anywhere where I order something and get 30 questions about it. I just want a fucking cheese sandwich, this shouldn't be a challenge. Fuck you Subway, you and your "Sandwich artists".

[LMNO]

I don't mind getting specific about my sandwich, but I do expect the end result to be somewhere in the realm of "enjoyable food" rather than "a variety of bland".

[hooplala]

I boycott Spike Lee films, because he is a douchebag.

[Junkenstein]

I boycott Spike Lee films, because he is a douchebag.

I have the same stance with anything by Adam Sandler, Jack Black or that other fucker who looks like and is about as annoying as Sandler but I can't recall his name. He's the guy in all the shit films. Face you'd never get tired of slapping.