Boycott List

One lunch time at work, a friend and colleague of mine, said, "Hey, do you want to head over to McDonald's and get a burger?"

"Yeah, nah. I don't do McDonald's."

"Why?" he said.

This got me to thinking - Why don't I eat McDonald's?

Well, there are a number of reasons, first among them is that it's shit food.

There is more to it than that though. This company does not make the world a better place and there is plenty of evidence to support this claim.

My philosophy, which I have espoused for many years is this:

You make a political decision every time you open your wallet.

The way the modern democracy works is through economics. If you give your money to a company, you are providing tacit approval of their practices.

If you don't give your money to a company, their profits go down, less people invest in it and the world becomes $3.50 a better place.

For example:

In the ten years since I stopped eating at McDonald's, their profits have fallen dramatically and for the first time in their history, they have actually closed stores.

I like to feel as if I have played some small part in their downfall.

There a number of companies that give me the shits. So I would like to pass on this list and the reasons:

• McDonald's: See the Mc Liable case on Mc Spotlight. The longest running legal case in British history when the largest fast food chain in the world tried to sue two hippies for giving out flyers.

Also check out "Super-size-me" if you haven't already.

• Disney: Part of the one of the largest Media owning conglomerates in the world, that has also been known for using contractors who employ child labour. They also never responded to my letters.

• Nike: "Just don't do it". Once again, poor corporate ethics but also the whole concept behind this company is evil.

"In Greek mythology, Nike (meaning "Victory") , was a goddess who personified triumph. She was the daughter of Pallas (Warrior) and Styx (Hatred)..."

There has been a lot said about this company by many people. My main bitch is anyone who feels the need to walk around with a giant swoosh-sticher on his chest might as well change his name to Bill, Bill Board!

http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/nike/index.html

• Coke: Have you had to deal with kids who are jacked up on caffeine? Check out Killer Coke

• Kraft: This is not only the largest food and drink manufacturer in the world, but it has also been owned by a tobacco company since 1988. I only like to buy tobacco from tobacco companies - they don't need any more of my money.

www.mediarights.org

• Nestle: The second largest food company in the world and subject of International Boycott since 1977. There is too much on this company to note here.

There are more but this is a start. If you have any other additions please feel free to let me know.

I'm not saying you shouldn't grab a "red ambulance" when you are hung over and need that sugar-caffeine fix - just that the world would be a better place if these guys had less money.

It's up to you.

You create the world with your choices.

Just make sure you know what you're buying into.



For more interesting stuff - check out:

Merchants of Cool
Watch the whole doco online from PBS.

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Adbusters

Micheal Moore