#buycott

Obviously, this is a hot button issue that no one wants to talk about, but we as a community need to come to a consensus or at least open dialogue before things get worse. We all hate Marriott Hotel’s policy of training the staff to spot and report sex workers in the name of stopping human trafficking, and people on here have discussed how policies that claim to be aimed at stopping sex trafficking actually target us instead.

But aside from decriminalization (which would be great but I doubt will happen in the next decade), what should be done and what policies enacted to stop human trafficking instead of our consenting sex work?

The #buycott against sex slaves will never work, and we live in fear that we will be hurt and targeted by police who should be looking for victims instead. Decriminalization is the best option, especially since victims are often charged with prostitution... even children. Disgusting, but true. Even when there is decriminalization, biases against us will remain.

I’m really interested to know what the SW community’s thoughts are. Non SWs can boost but don’t comment.

Gather around y’all, cause I’m back on my bullshit again.  So, if you happen to browse reddit at all, chances are you’ve encountered the silly, well-meaning, and you best damn BELIEVE well hydrated folks of /r/hydrohomies. Well, much to my pleasant surprise, they’ve started a bit of a firestorm by jumping on the #FUCKNESTLE bandwagon pretty hard and it’s gained traction. That’s fantastic. But I’ve also seen posts on “I can’t convince X to quit buying Y, wat do?” And that’s where we, as conscientious consumers often fall short; we want to feel like we are doing the right thing, but often have precious little understanding of why it’s the right thing. Or worse yet, the true reach of the company they are trying to boycott. So, considering this is a public health issue (you’ll see why later) Imma ‘bout to learn y’all sum shit.  So, first things first, why Nestle and Coca Cola? Why not Unilever or any other massive corporation that objectively also sucks? Well, because it’s not every corporation that claims to be using sustainable harvesting methods while also using child slave labour, or hires paramilitary groups to hold populations as captive workers, respectively. Also, while in America corporations are the highest class that can be obtained vis a vis rights, it’s rare for them to straight up be draining lakes for free while there is a water crisis literally miles away, or to “fund” education and public health research, only to stipulate that if they don’t like the results of that research, they can pull funding and have it never released to the public.  Don’t get me wrong, plenty of other corporations do shady shit for their own self-interest, it’s basically their modus operandi. That being said, we as a populace determined nearly 2 centuries ago that “hey, maybe FUCKING OWNING PEOPLE IS A BAD IDEA, YEAH?” And a decent chunk of fucking everyone agreed (sans the prison system, a topic for another day that I have previously touched on). Also, it doesn’t help these corporations are so insidious, so pervasive, that many people feel they don’t have a choice BUT to use their products, or that researching to see what is or isn’t owned by these companies is prohibitively expensive or time consuming. Hell, I know this feeling first hand. I’ve known Coca-Cola curbs academic and public health research all the time, but what’s in the lunchroom at my public health job? Coca Cola products and ONLY coca-cola products. I’ve tried to bring this up, and the reply? “Well we have an obligation to our tax-payers to use the cheapest supply contractor”. Fair, we do owe our tax-payers some level of accountability and frugalness. But come fuckin’ on, I’d rather just not use the cafeteria then at all (which I have done my best not to, but I have slipped up due to habit) and we save the taxpayers all the more. Why can’t we be transparent in the fact that “hey, these people are shitty assfucks, and we refuse to buy from them”? Oh right, because they’d sue our collective balls off, and we’d be seen as unamerican, because the only thing more patriotic than Baseball or Global Conquest is doing it with an Ice Cold Coca-ColaTM in your hand. And if you don’t think they’d have the media, public backing and money to put us “back in our lane” ohoho, I’ve got a bridge to sell your ass in the middle of the fucking Sahara.  Now, back to Nestle. These fuckers have been so neocolonialist that Johan van Oldenbarnevelt would have creamed himself like a cadbury egg had he the foresight to see what would be done. Like, do I even need to mention to y’all the time Nestle ran a global PR campaign that essentially stated to the common person that their formula was as good as or better than breast milk? Or the time that they gave African women enough samples of infant formula to ensure they would quit lactating just to hike the prices of infant formula to the point they were killing whole families for profit (among other scandals)?

Vote with your wallet.

Throughout history, boycotts have been effective tools for protest and activism. A boycott is a focused refusal to financially support businesses, organizations, or individuals. The idea is that the corresponding loss of revenue will motivate these entities to change their behavior. Usually boycotts are one-time events, aimed at one issue, and have defined end points (see the Montgomery bus boycott and Delano grape boycott for examples). Boycotting is also a tool of ethical consumerism - a form of long-term activism where consumers choose where they do or do not want to spend money based on their moral standings. Today I will present a few options for products, companies, organizations, and individuals to boycott, either as part of a coordinated movement or as a long-term ethical choice. This is not a complete list of options, but a starting point to help you decide where you, personally, want your dollars to go. It can seem daunting to try to buy ethically, but remember that it isn’t a zero-sum game. Just make conscious choices and try your best to move in the right direction.

OPTION 1: Boycott the president-elect and first family

In October of last year, after the leaked tape in which the current president-elect described his sexual assault on women, Shannon Coulter launched the Grab Your Wallet campaign. This boycott is designed to boycott companies that do business with the first family. Their very handy spreadsheet can be found here and includes contact information for the companies and a sample script to state why you are participating in the boycott. There has already been positive response to this boycott - the retailer shoes.com has removed offending products from their site because of the boycott.

If you want to extend your boycott to companies, individuals, and newspapers that endorsed the president-elect, head to this list and make your choices.

OPTION 2: Boycott the worst fossil fuel offenders

It’s very difficult for an individual to boycott fossil fuels, especially if they need to drive or fly for work, school, family, or other obligations. While going car-free is a great way to personally boycott the fossil fuel industry, there are a few options for those of us who need to drive. According to The Carbon Underground, three of the top oil and gas companies with the highest carbon emissions are Exxon, BP, and Chevron. These companies are also responsible for some terrible environmental disasters. You could choose to boycott these particular companies, including events, teams, and media they sponsor, for environmental reasons.

Another option is to boycott non-fuel products sold by fossil fuel companies or those opposing climate change legislation. The Koch Brothers have consistently opposed any regulation of fossil fuel use. Here is a list of Koch products (including many home paper products) that you may want to boycott.

OPTION 3: Boycott police brutality

Journalist Shaun King has been instrumental in the founding of the Injustice Boycott, launched December 5th with phase 2 beginning January 16th. To be honest, I find the current plan a little vague and the demands nebulous. However, this is a deeply important cause and King is right to remind us that the cities some of us consider safely liberal are often among the worst offenders. I encourage you to check out the site, stay tuned for updates, and decide whether participating makes sense for you.

OPTION 4: Build your own boycott