Have You Ever Formally Protested or Boycotted Anything?

[Pea-n-Me]

Generally when I've actively protested, such as with letters, it's been on behalf of animal welfare. Started doing that as a teen. These days ther might be products I don't buy, places I don't shop, channels I don't watch or newspapers I won't buy. I also still try to support worthy people and animal causes.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Also, on the subject of boycotts: it's hard to boycott a place that you wouldn't patronize anyway. Like, I'm boycotting Hobby Lobby, but I've been "boycotting" them my entire life since arts & crafts aren't my thing. Similarly, I'm boycotting Chick Fil A, but since I live a hundred miles from the nearest one, it's hardly a boycott. And when I'm near a Chick Fil A, I'm near a White Castle too. And boycott or no boycott, given the choice between Chick Fil A and White Castle, I'm picking White Castle every time.

I don't really like fast food, so I'm not a Chick Fil A or White Castle fan. I'd have to choose the chicken because WC burgers just don't "agree" with me

 

[rastahomie]

I don't really like fast food, so I'm not a Chick Fil A or White Castle fan. T'd have to chose the chicken because WC burgers just don't "agree" with me

I have never met anyone who was ambivalent about White Castles. Everyone either loves them or hates them.

 

[VillainFavs]

Also, on the subject of boycotts: it's hard to boycott a place that you wouldn't patronize anyway. Like, I'm boycotting Hobby Lobby, but I've been "boycotting" them my entire life since arts & crafts aren't my thing. Similarly, I'm boycotting Chick Fil A, but since I live a hundred miles from the nearest one, it's hardly a boycott. And when I'm near a Chick Fil A, I'm near a White Castle too. And boycott or no boycott, given the choice between Chick Fil A and White Castle, I'm picking White Castle every time.

We have Michael's, A.C. Moore, and Hobby Lobby within a mile of each other. I'll go into Michael's, I'll go into A.C. Moore. Won't set foot in Hobby Lobby.

The first Chick Fil A in this area is opening in the next month or so. Lots of buzz about it since we don't have any around here. But I'll never try it.

My little contribution probably doesn't make any difference to them at all. But to me it does.

 

[asta]

For the people boycotting news channels and newspapers, how do you stay informed about what's going on in the world? Just curious.

In my case, I kept the a total ban for two and a half months and have recently reintroduced the nightly news. I still don't read the newspaper. I figure I am saving a few trees.

My husband and daughters slipped a little news in when they thought I needed to know something. Other than that I was blissfully unaware.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

For the people boycotting news channels and newspapers, how do you stay informed about what's going on in the world? Just curious.

I don't. Not on Facebook either.

 

[lovin'fl]

Chick Fil A is awesome. They have the best service. And my teen DDs are addicted. Thankfully we have two within five miles of us and third being built now.

 

[EMom]

I won't go to Hobby Lobby. There's also a Chic-Fil-A opening in my town and I won't visit there either.

DD's two great loves are Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks, so I can't escape those. Although I will only use the drive thru at Starbucks, because that place is like the waiting room from Beetlejuice.

I'm in Hobby Lobby at least once a week, because craft projects seem to be thrust upon us with regularity. Can't escape it. The upside is that I like the hymns they play. I love traditional church music and loathe modern praise music, which is all you seem to find in church services today.

As far as movies go, if I boycotted every movie because I disagreed with the actor's politics, I'd have very few I could watch. Someone in the cast would be "on my list." I don't use that standard. I won't, however, see movies made by people who raped 13 year old girls or who married their might as well have been adopted daughter.

 

[diesel]

Here in MA there is a family owned grocery store chain (Market Basket) that had ousted it's very much loved and respected boss (there's a whole big background to the infighting of the family). I joined in with many, many loyal customers and shopped at a different grocery chain. I believe it lasted 6 weeks. In the end the boss came back after buying out the other half of the families share in the business.

 

[rastahomie]

The first Chick Fil A in this area is opening in the next month or so. Lots of buzz about it since we don't have any around here. But I'll never try it.

My little contribution probably doesn't make any difference to them at all. But to me it does.

My former hometown of Springfield, Illinois had just. so. much. controversy. over Chick Fil A. They were going to build one at the student center at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS), and half the students lost their minds and convinced the university to deny them their franchise. Made me so mad. I will never give that company a dime, but other diners should have the right to eat there, and you don't get to impose your views on everybody else. If the students at UIS don't like Chick Fil A, they are free not to dine there.

They wound up opening a location inside the city, closer to all the shopping and all the action. There was a line down the block on opening day.

 

[rastahomie]

I will only use the drive thru at Starbucks, because that place is like the waiting room from Beetlejuice.

That's funny right there, I don't care who you are.

 

[momto2girls]

No, I have never protested or boycotted anything. There has never been an issue that I felt strongly enough about to protest or boycott. I doubt that there ever will be. I just don't really get involved in "causes".

 

[EMom]

I guess my first boycott was the circus. I went with relatives as a child, back in the 70s and it really disturbed me. I just knew the animals weren't meant to do those things. I told my parents I never wanted to go again and I didn't. When DD came along and the big name circus would come to town, all her friends would go and of course, DD would ask to go. I had to explain why I didn't feel it was right to go. Same for Sea World. Back then, we were in the minority.

 

[BrianL]

Although I will only use the drive thru at Starbucks, because that place is like the waiting room from Beetlejuice.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Here in MA there is a family owned grocery store chain (Market Basket) that had ousted it's very much loved and respected boss (there's a whole big background to the infighting of the family). I joined in with many, many loyal customers and shopped at a different grocery chain. I believe it lasted 6 weeks. In the end the boss came back after buying out the other half of the families share in the business.

I'm from MA as well. I don't regularly shop at Market baset but seeing the way the employees stood up for what they believe in (who they believed in) was really inspirational.

 

[gotomu212]

Our family boycotts BP for how they acted and responded to the Deepwater Horizon spill.

My husband has boycotted Exxon since the Valdez. Sometimes it gets a little hairy on road trips.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

My former hometown of Springfield, Illinois had just. so. much. controversy. over Chick Fil A. They were going to build one at the student center at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS), and half the students lost their minds and convinced the university to deny them their franchise. Made me so mad. I will never give that company a dime, but other diners should have the right to eat there, and you don't get to impose your views on everybody else. If the students at UIS don't like Chick Fil A, they are free not to dine there.

They wound up opening a location inside the city, closer to all the shopping and all the action. There was a line down the block on opening day.

In response to the bolded:

Yep. That pretty much sums it up right there. It seems, in an effort to become tolerant of everything, we have become tolerant of nothing.

 

[wilkeliza]

Not really a boycott or protest but I did stop going to Chipotle for about a year due to the conditions of our local store (and later the whole outbreak). I use to go every Tuesday and Thursday for my go to meal at lunch that would carry me into my after work run. Now I have seen the conditions have improved at our local store but still do not go every Tuesday and Thursday as well.

There is a dog food company as well. I guess you could call it a formal boycott. It was due to their customer service and after talking with our vet and a friend who is a vet and comparing what we found in the food (a chicken bone) to what the vet said and what the company was saying (they claimed it was cooked so was okay both vets said absolutely not chicken bones are never safe) I wrote a letter saying how disappointed I was and that I could not longer in good faith buy their product since third party "experts" who I trusted were saying what was in the food was in not safe. This all started from our dog choking on a bit of the bone in the wet food.

 

[DisBabe94]

I "boycott" any cosmetics brands that are not cruelty free.

 

[BrianL]

I have never met anyone who was ambivalent about White Castles. Everyone either loves them or hates them.

We don't have White Castle here, but we have Krystal which s pretty similar. It does NOT agree with me either. I do believe you need to have a certain blood alcohol level to even tolerate Krystal (much less actually WANT it), and I'm not a drinker so that's out for me.