- Apr 5, 2010
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One thing I see as lost in all of the OWS hooplah is, that while concepts on what the protesters want are floating around, very few ideas on how to execute plans designed to bring about the concepts are circulating around.
What results is the usual rallying point of those with modern left politcal leanings, "The government must step in to do X"
In my opinion, wouldn't a far more effective strategy be to go after these corporations directly, either by organized boycotts, or if there is evidence of wrondoings, civil litigation to recover any percieved damages?
If enough people don't like the BOA $5 debit card surcharge, they should move thier accounts from BOA. Enough people do that, and either BOA changes its policy or goes out of business.
When people blamed BP (rightly so) for the Gulf oil spill, they could have ended BP as a retail gas provider in the US by refusing to purchase from BP stations, or any station that recieves BP product.
The same goes for any other product made by a corporation you don't like. Dont like GE? no more GE appliances. Can't stand Home Depot? Don't shop there. Want to really get rid of them? Organize an offical boycott.
The reason that this doesnt actually happen is that doing this is hard, possibly life changing work. You would have to be willing to do research, modify your behavior, and possibly have to do this for many years. Most people simply do not have the ambition or willpower to do this, at least if it means they have to change thier lifestyle. They would rather put the minimal effort required to pressure an elected offical to take up the mantle for them, feel like they did something, and go back to using the items made by the very corporations they despise.
What results is the usual rallying point of those with modern left politcal leanings, "The government must step in to do X"
In my opinion, wouldn't a far more effective strategy be to go after these corporations directly, either by organized boycotts, or if there is evidence of wrondoings, civil litigation to recover any percieved damages?
If enough people don't like the BOA $5 debit card surcharge, they should move thier accounts from BOA. Enough people do that, and either BOA changes its policy or goes out of business.
When people blamed BP (rightly so) for the Gulf oil spill, they could have ended BP as a retail gas provider in the US by refusing to purchase from BP stations, or any station that recieves BP product.
The same goes for any other product made by a corporation you don't like. Dont like GE? no more GE appliances. Can't stand Home Depot? Don't shop there. Want to really get rid of them? Organize an offical boycott.
The reason that this doesnt actually happen is that doing this is hard, possibly life changing work. You would have to be willing to do research, modify your behavior, and possibly have to do this for many years. Most people simply do not have the ambition or willpower to do this, at least if it means they have to change thier lifestyle. They would rather put the minimal effort required to pressure an elected offical to take up the mantle for them, feel like they did something, and go back to using the items made by the very corporations they despise.
