Boycotts

[nightshade]

Have you ever boycotted something, whether it be a certain product or company, or even gone on a rally against something.

I remember being in college and there being a Nestle boycotts and people trying to get the vending machines removed as they were stocked with Nestle chocolates.

This is a list of the ethical concumers current boycotts: http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/boycotts/boycottslist.aspx

Do you think that these companies should be on that list?

 

[Mr Trick]

Boycotts are tricky espically when its over something where there is some grey area such as tax dodging. Another thing with that example is although I think Starbucks for example should be declaying their taxes in the UK, you also have to look at it from the point of view that it is a company who employs people and those people don't have anything to do with the scandel and need to make a living their selves. I just try to limit me going there. I live in a city where there are plenty of smaller, indie chains, so I am quite happy to spend my money in those places more often than not.

 

[thetopher]

I don't really buy into big brands- their rarely worth the money- but I don't consciously boycott that much.

I only thing I try and clear of is Microsoft stuff (which can be pretty tough) mainly because, even though the products dominate the market place they're considered to be some of the worst products of their type out there.
Plus Bill Gates is a blatent tech thief and I don't like the idea of supporting somebody for stealing other people's ideas.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I don't like the idea of supporting somebody for stealing other people's ideas.

I make a living stealing other peoples ideas. Most in commerce or manufacturing do. If not for stealing peoples ideas you would not have automobiles or airplanes, cell phones or fax machines. You wouldnt have TV shows or movies. Every idea that is worth anything is stolen. You would still be wearing flannel longjohns (assuming you dont) if the idea of the bikini bathing suit wasnt stolen.

 

[thetopher]

I make a living stealing other peoples ideas. Most in commerce or manufacturing do. If not for stealing peoples ideas you would not have automobiles or airplanes, cell phones or fax machines. You wouldnt have TV shows or movies. Every idea that is worth anything is stolen. You would still be wearing flannel longjohns (assuming you dont) if the idea of the bikini bathing suit wasnt stolen.

Obviously I mean that Bill Gates stole patented ideas from other people and profited from them when the original creators DID NOT. That, for me, is the difference.
It's only through sheer luck that he wasn't sued for it.

Also, note to self, must buy another pair of flannel long-johns. 😉

 

[Skanky Vamp]

But again, Apple does it, Samsung does it, Motorola does it... my previous employer did it. It's common practice. You copy patents and trademarks and work around them. Thats why they make the patents and what they pertain to- and limited to- common information. So anyone can look-up a patent, duplicate 90% of it, excluding the 10% that is actually covered, and call it their own.

Hell, the vibrator I am designing we are ripping off other peoples patents left and right. I think because you can put a face to Microsoft and Apple it makes it more notorious versus say when Fun Factory steals a patent.

And besides, if no one was stealing patents then patents lawyers would go broke! and we dont want to see any lawyers going broke now do we?

 

[Buffy Summers]

I don't buy or use Bayer products because they built their company by testing on people in the concentration camps. I don't know why, when I read about it years ago it stuck with me.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I don't buy or use Bayer products because they built their company by testing on people in the concentration camps. I don't know why, when I read about it years ago it stuck with me.

Fascinating. It wasn't just Bayer. It was Agfa, BASF, & Hoechst (now part of Sanofi).

 

[thetopher]

But again, Apple does it, Samsung does it, Motorola does it... my previous employer did it. It's common practice. You copy patents and trademarks and work around them. Thats why they make the patents and what they pertain to- and limited to- common information. So anyone can look-up a patent, duplicate 90% of it, excluding the 10% that is actually covered, and call it their own.

Not 80%, or 90%, or doing some clever tricksy thing with the law. Bill Gates straight-up stole 100% of somebody else's idea and profited from it while they went bust and got nothing.
Loopholes in the laws of the time stipulated that because the old company no longer existed, the patents were no longer valid- so he didn't get sued by the friends he betrayed.

Like I said its a personal thing for me, his products have so many bugs/glitches in it that they're basically the worst thing on the market. I'm better off using other stuff as well as the fact that I find him and his morals odious.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Bill Gates straight-up stole 100% of somebody else's idea and profited from it while they went bust and got nothing. Loopholes in the laws of the time stipulated that because the old company no longer existed, the patents were no longer valid- so he didn't get sued by the friends he betrayed.

I just dont see anything wrong with that... it's the way business operates.

his products have so many bugs/glitches in it that they're basically the worst thing on the market.

That is a valid reason though not to use microsoft.

 

[Mr Trick]

It does make sense when the boycott is linked to something which is way more serious than tax dodging.

Another one with me which is slightly different, but it depresses me how English football club use betting firms as their sponsors. Our country remains in debt, and these betting firms just feed on that, and the whole culture has gotten out of hand, and yet the Football clubs just turn a blind eye. So yeah I've decided not to buy my teams kit while they are sponsored by these firms.

 

[sk]

Guess I can boycott companies that annoys me in some way but overall I don't really boycott stuff.

I feel that if I am going to boycott something for real I should know that the alternative actually is better and that they do stuff differently.
And the truth is that I'm just way too lazy to keep myself informed enough to know that.
Can't say that I'm particular fond of blindly trusting some organization to tell me what's okay and not either.

So in the end I just keep buying the stuff I like and that I can afford.
It's not something that I am proud of perhaps but that's how it is...

/SK

 

[Fuffy]

I'd like to boycott Microsoft as even the best anti-virus software out there can't protect windows from getting a virus.

Getting a virus caused me to stop using windows because an OS that gets a virus while a good anti virus program is installed on it is never to be trusted 😛