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.
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 03, 2014, 03:02:04 PM
I do drink gallons of seltzer, though.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/10487571_590071254447069_4783020685152855567_n.jpg)
Quote from: Cain on July 03, 2014, 03:26:07 PM
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?
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.
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.
Oh, for those of you boycotting Coke, Pepsi are not a much more attractive alternative, for their history alone (http://www.scribd.com/doc/524830/The-Politics-of-Heroin-in-Southeast-Asia).
Quote from: Cain on July 03, 2014, 04:03:01 PM
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.
:lol: 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.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 03, 2014, 04:41:28 PM
Quote from: Cain on July 03, 2014, 04:03:01 PM
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.
:lol: 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.
Quote from: Cain on July 03, 2014, 04:30:56 PM
Oh, for those of you boycotting Coke, Pepsi are not a much more attractive alternative, for their history alone (http://www.scribd.com/doc/524830/The-Politics-of-Heroin-in-Southeast-Asia).
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".
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".
I boycott Spike Lee films, because he is a douchebag.
Quote from: Hoopla on July 03, 2014, 05:21:30 PM
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.
Quote from: Junkenstein on July 03, 2014, 05:32:31 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on July 03, 2014, 05:21:30 PM
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.
Mine has nothing to do with the content of Spike's films... it's his behavior. I drew the line when he sued Spike TV over trademark infringement.
Wal-Mart for years. I kind of had to relax that, though, when I lived in their parking lot.
I stopped playing Candy Crush due to their IP shenanigans.
And there's a sandwich shop back home, Cheba Hut, that I wouldn't ever go to. All their sandwiches are named after strains of pot and their sizes are "nug", "pinner", and "blunt". I don't find their business practice unethical or anything, just offensively stupid and pandering.
Also, anything with Tom Cruise, Ender's Game, and any Wooden Allen, or Roman Polanski movie. I'd say I boycott Jenny McCarthy's work, but I'd have to first know anything she's done. And Gwyneth Paltrow is about 2 more stupid statements away from making me miss Iron Man 4.
Oh, and Hostess is one that nobody's mentioned...so yeah...them too.
I don't buy French apples, and I try not to eat them either. Its a longstanding boycott, nearly 25 years now. I normally explain it as "They don't eat our lamb so I don't eat their apples" but is a bit more complicated than that.
The reason http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/17/world/french-protest-of-sheep-imports-turns-ugly.html
its a shame for me because French Golden Delicious was my favourite variety
Quote from: MMIX on July 03, 2014, 06:11:20 PM
I don't buy French apples, and I try not to eat them either. Its a longstanding boycott, nearly 25 years now. I normally explain it as "They don't eat our lamb so I don't eat their apples" but is a bit more complicated than that.
The reason http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/17/world/french-protest-of-sheep-imports-turns-ugly.html
its a shame for me because French Golden Delicious was my favourite variety
QuoteThe United States is pressuring the European Community in trade negotiations to slash agricultural subsidies to allow for fairer trade of farm goods.
AAHHAAAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH :lulz:
I boycott synthetic fibers, automobiles, GMOs, toxins, and the number 9.
Quote from: Cain on July 03, 2014, 04:30:56 PM
Oh, for those of you boycotting Coke, Pepsi are not a much more attractive alternative, for their history alone (http://www.scribd.com/doc/524830/The-Politics-of-Heroin-in-Southeast-Asia).
I've been reading that most of the night and that's some seriously high quality reading. Strongly recommended if you have any interest at all in US/World history, politics, the drug trade and it's causes and consequences or shady shit in general. Cain, there's probably going to be a list of shit I'll want to pick your brains on over this.
And Junkenwife reminds me that it was Ben Stiller I meant earlier. A scourge on culture, the lot of them. They have literally never done a single good thing between them as far as I can tell and would generally be more use to the world as ballast.
I will pay good money, I'm very serious here, to anyone who happens to cause a rake to encounter any/all of their faces at great speed. It doesn't even have to be multiple times. I'm not joking, most of you people live closer to these fucks than me and the fact you've NOT FUCKING DONE IT YET is inexcusable.
Quote from: The Right Reverend Nigel on July 03, 2014, 11:21:34 PM
I boycott synthetic fibers, automobiles, GMOs, toxins, and the number 9.
THOSE ARE ALL THE SAME THING!
Quote from: The Right Reverend Nigel on July 03, 2014, 11:21:34 PM
I boycott synthetic fibers, automobiles, GMOs, toxins, and the number 9.
What do you have against the number 9? That's my lucky number. It's the BEST number. It uses ZERO GMOs, contains NO gluten, NO toxins, NO chemicals, is all natural, and manages to stay in the single digits. Simplicity at its best.
it's because it's odd, isn't it? Way to be oddist, bigot.
It's also 33.
CHECK YOUR CUBIST PRIVILEGE.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:00:01 PM
It's also 33.
CHECK YOUR CUBIST PRIVILEGE.
Hey man I think you mean 3
2. What, do all exponents look alike to you?
DON'T GO FLAUNTING YOUR BASE 10 SO-CALLED "MATHEMATICS" AT ME.
REALITY IS SUBJECTIVE, WHICH MEANS 33=3+3+3 IF I WANT IT TO.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:21:37 PM
DON'T GO FLAUNTING YOUR BASE 10 SO-CALLED "MATHEMATICS" AT ME.
REALITY IS SUBJECTIVE, WHICH MEANS 33=3+3+3 IF I WANT IT TO.
Speak for yourself.
YOUR reality is subjective. MY reality is reflective.
AND RUNS ON BASE 10 LIKE EVERYTHING SHOULD.
OTHER NUMBERING SYSTEMS ARE INFERIOR AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE USED.
So fuck off with your subjections and distortions of what we ALL know is REALLY good and proper... base 10 mathematics.
More like base-ASS mathematics
Quote from: trix on July 10, 2014, 06:30:37 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:21:37 PM
DON'T GO FLAUNTING YOUR BASE 10 SO-CALLED "MATHEMATICS" AT ME.
REALITY IS SUBJECTIVE, WHICH MEANS 33=3+3+3 IF I WANT IT TO.
Speak for yourself.
YOUR reality is subjective. MY reality is reflective.
AND RUNS ON BASE 10 LIKE EVERYTHING SHOULD.
OTHER NUMBERING SYSTEMS ARE INFERIOR AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE USED.
So fuck off with your subjections and distortions of what we ALL know is REALLY good and proper... base 10 mathematics.
I knew it.
ATTN: TRIX IS A BASSIST.
(http://www.fretbase.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/dereksmalls.jpg)
The Tampa Bay area shut down almost every Blockbuster video in 2 counties back in the early 1990s because Wayne Huizenga owned the chain, and he bought out the MLB to get the Marlins to Miami in Joe Robbie, when St. Petersburg had a brand new dome used to bring baseball to the area. There was a massive employee walk out and then a boycott. I still boycott Miami anything, even if he has little to do with the teams anymore. That was probably one of the single most sour moments in my youth. Of course now nobody is going to Rays games, because Tampa ripped the fuck out of 275, and it's adding an hour to the commute across the bay, which was already shitty. :argh!: So this is why I get exceptionally pissed when people say there are no baseball fans in Tampa Bay. It would be to Boston like if Fenway was in Dorchester, and you had to drive there from Providence with no access to public transportation and leave your car parked in the absolute worst end of town after making it through I-93 down to 1 lane at rush hour. I wouldn't go to fucking games, either.
Other than that, I'd boycott the fuck out of Wal-Mart if it wasn't the only store within walking distance of me. Unfortunately I need to eat, and I don't always have access to the car to go to Market Basket, which is also a fuckton of fail these days, so in concession to the fact that I have to eat, I need to go to these stores, because it's simply not practical to drive across town to the Hannaford's.
I don't eat fast food unless I absolutely have to these days, Dunkin Donuts doesn't count. This is New England.
I admit I would eat the hell out of Chick-fil-A if it was anywhere up here, open on Sundays and liked gays, though.
I love Target, because I can't afford to get stuff made in America, but I usually buy online from Amazon or eBay for other Chinese made crap instead, because it's usually cheaper with shipping and I don't have to actually drive to Target a town over.
Hobby Lobby, even if it wasn't owned by shitheads, is full of garbage anyway and I was never impressed with their stock when I can get the same thing I need from Joann's, where I also get a VIP discount for throwing them way too much money.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:46:23 PM
ATTN: TRIX IS A BASSIST.
No, I'm just a devout believer in the Good Book (Principia Mathematica) and it tells us which numbering system is superior and all the rest will BURN IN NULL
Err, more on topic,
I avoid Apple products (but i do have an iphone due to a really cheap offer =/)
I do not purchase games made by EA
I do not use PayPal
I do not use online Bitcoin wallets, or store bitcoins at any exchanges
I try to buy as much of my food as I can from a local farm I know run by a really great family
I avoid driving and using gas as much as in possible in a modern world without ever owning a vehicle made this century
I avoid chain stores as much as I can and try to stick with small business
I never buy clothing, shoes, or other products made by certain companies with a reputation for things like child labor or other BS practices.
There are probably more but I tend to remember them when actually shopping and seeing a brand name. One reason I like corporate obsession with brand recognition... recognizing a certain brand reminds me to avoid that product.
Quote from: trix on July 10, 2014, 07:01:05 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:46:23 PM
ATTN: TRIX IS A BASSIST.
No, I'm just a devout believer in the Good Book (Principia Mathematica) and it tells us which numbering system is superior and all the rest will BURN IN NULL
I'm interested in numerology and number theory as it pertains to Chaos. Would you mind referring me to literature you recommend besides the Principia Mathematica? Something simple for my simple mind preferably? Thanks either way.
Reminded of this today... any projects connected to Uncle BadTouch, Brenton Clutterbuck, or Adam Gorightly.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:46:23 PM
Quote from: trix on July 10, 2014, 06:30:37 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 10, 2014, 06:21:37 PM
DON'T GO FLAUNTING YOUR BASE 10 SO-CALLED "MATHEMATICS" AT ME.
REALITY IS SUBJECTIVE, WHICH MEANS 33=3+3+3 IF I WANT IT TO.
Speak for yourself.
YOUR reality is subjective. MY reality is reflective.
AND RUNS ON BASE 10 LIKE EVERYTHING SHOULD.
OTHER NUMBERING SYSTEMS ARE INFERIOR AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE USED.
So fuck off with your subjections and distortions of what we ALL know is REALLY good and proper... base 10 mathematics.
I knew it.
ATTN: TRIX IS A BASSIST.
(http://www.fretbase.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/dereksmalls.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/4NQd1zE.gif)
Quote from: Bu☆ns on July 14, 2014, 04:56:02 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/4NQd1zE.gif)
Ok sure but that guy /|\ is fucking awesome.
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(Edit: Added the quote)
Buddy Rich would fucking anybody.
The "Bodies" exhibit by the crazy German anatomist dude (or the rival offshoot exhibition).
I was encouraged to go see this in New York when I was at massage school. I did not for the following reasons:
a) I aced all my anatomy exams at school from good old fashion books & flash cards. Seeing cadavers is not as useful as you think, especially when you consider that the clients you work on are alive. Turns out working on living people and dessicated husks reeking of formaldehyde is not the same.
b) More importantly, the vast number of subjects in the exhibit are Chinese. Given how easy it is to get onto death row in China (and how very very hard it is to get off when you are innocent), I'm having a hard time believing that there's a torrent of adult Chinese men (and some women) whose burning ambition in life is to be turned into plastic medical mannequins. It's ok though, apparently executed 'criminals' want to help Westerners learn Science! The thought that maybe even one single person in there might've been someone on death row for a crime they didn't commit and ended up with all their flesh removed and posing naked holding a fucking golf club was a chance I wasn't going to take.
Thus, I didn't go, took the day off and went on a road trip with Mrs Mang instead. In boycotting this event I also forfeited my chance of meeting David Blaine who, apparently, hung around my classmates to remain in earshot of my anatomy teacher.
Others:
Facebook/Twitter - have never done either. No inclination to.
Walmart - Avoid as much as possible.
Dunkin' Donuts - Even if run by enlightened super-beings of the most elevated consciousness, the coffee is beyond terrible.
Amazon - Only buy from them after all other reasonable options are exhausted. I used to love being Mr "One Click" and getting all this stuff. That was until I started to talk to people who ran real bookstores, worked in publishing or are authors. The Amazon business model has made the publishing industry bland and overly conservative. The variety of what gets published has shrunk because, unless you drop a multi million unit-shifter in their lap, they have no interest. It's the literary equivalent of the music industry. Book deals are highly tied into Amazon sales rankings. One author I spoke to over 4th July weekend told me that his book was being sold through 'Amazon' affiliates as being 'used' on the day of release!
FWIW the German plastinated people tour, Body Worlds, is less shady than the other (plastinates only volunteer donor bodies who sign up while they are still alive, no Chinese prisoners). It's one of the most surreally beautiful things I've ever seen. The competitor one, Bodies, is all Chinese prisoners who did not give consent.
Quote from: The Right Reverend Nigel on July 15, 2014, 05:14:35 AM
FWIW the German plastinated people tour, Body Worlds, is less shady than the other (plastinates only volunteer donor bodies who sign up while they are still alive, no Chinese prisoners). It's one of the most surreally beautiful things I've ever seen. The competitor one, Bodies, is all Chinese prisoners who did not give consent.
Thanks Nigel - this is good to know. I wasn't against the concept in principle. It was the
sourcing of exhibits that bothered me. Mind you, how many museums out there are not full of plunder & bloodshed?
I think Body Worlds swings through CT every now and then, so maybe I'll get to see it and have less ick in my conscience! :)