A boycott of america till they join the rest of the planet!?

Question

For 1 month

Don't buy:-

i) Mcdonalds
ii) watch a movie
iii) Drink Coke
iv) buy a computer
v) Log onto yahoo, face book or ebay
vi) Buy a pair of trainers

Add your own please.

I Know you'll say nothings made in america so what the profits go back to the big companies who are the villains not the people. the only language they understandd ends with kerching!!

You'll also say china well lets deal with one at a time people america is the world leader who everybody follows, lets srike with our cash!!

Nobody else is going to do anything but talk!

Answer 1

I was with ya till you jumped on the crazy train...what am supposed to do at work during the day if I don't log on to Y! Answers?!? What am I supposed to work or something?!?!?

Answer 2

You;'re right, corporate accountants won't let the companies' profits get impacted, so that'll just hurt normal American citizens as we lose our jobs. A decrease in American spending will hurt... your economy? Overall a global recession may be a good thing since a lot of our trade surplus is for parts and products made in China. The more we alll suffer economically, the less the U.S. and China will emit.

In defense of the average American citizen though, he or she is just trying to make ends meet.

Really.

Most Americans are in significant debt already, so we can't afford a new $30,000 hybrid vehicle or even the voluntary surcharge for monthly solar energy. We can't magically change the poor energy efficiency of our existing dwellings overnight. We wish that our houses were closer to our work and that oil companies hadn't removed public transit in the 1950's. We can't increase the 20% of our power that comes from nuclear overnight.

Vilifying America is a game that the world loves to play, but when you get bored with that maybe you can help us convince our government to start subsidizing incremental improvements to all of those things over time.

Meanwhile, the average citizen is trapped in circumstances that we can't readily change (including our government... we can change the faces but until we implement campaign finance reform the industry influence, the actions and results will remain the same).

But to get things going, maybe we can boycott products too (What are "trainers"?). For the next month, I will not buy:

- Kilts
- Scotch
- Kidney pie
- Spotted dick (what exactly is that anyway?)
- Gin (that's going to be a tough one)
- Anything with the british flag or Austin Powers on it

I guess I've already had the boycott underway for some time now...

Answer 3

This global warming issue brings intriguing contrasts.

Let anyone ask a question about global warming, and a host of replies will appear denouncing global warming as a scam, it's not happening, it's not humans, it's always been there, it's a fake to keep the climatology boys in a job.

Let anyone mention America and it's America out of step with the rest of the world, America preventing steps to control global warming, America putting the world in danger by generating more carbon emissions than anybody else.

Everything's America's fault, even when the 'fault' itself is disputed to exist at all.

Hmmm...

Answer 4

While an international boycott may put a temporary ding into our major corporations, they won't suffer enough until Americans decide they've had enough of being told who to be. And that's a long way off.

Don't be naive - this is a global economy and for corporations to continue growth, they need to expand. The only place they can continue rapid expansion is in foreign markets. And they don't sell internationally just because - they sell internationally where there is a market (demand) for their products.

Your country, where ever that may be, has companies that are existing on the same principles and bringing their profits back to your country, which you benefit from, albeit probably indirectly.

Although lots of people don't like corporations, that's how business works now. A one month boycott won't put a multi-national corporation out of business or even out of your country. They have too much invested in your country.

Start change by looking in the mirror, your backyard and your own community. That's how you get stuff done.

Answer 5

I will not be joining your boycott, although i do not buy McDonald's or coke anyway, because I don't like them.
Using the global warming issue to propagate hatred of America can only discredit the whole environmental movement, and relegate it to a loony left protest group, when there are real concerns to be addressed

Answer 6

I'm sorry, are you under the impression that your country (obviously the UK) is actually doing something more productive than claiming America isn't doing anything?

I would say I'll boycott you in return, but nothing has ever come out of the UK worth boycotting. Turns out we make/invented pretty much everything.

I apologize for my animosity, I'm just a bit tired of listening to British people go on and on forever about how everything wrong with the climate is the fault of the US, yet never being able to list an example of something the UK is doing to contribute to the solution.

We're all part of this world, buddy. The first thing you can do toward a solution is stop trying to blame everyone else. You live in a 1st world country that puts out above average pollution just like us.

Answer 7

The US is doing a lot at the State and local level.

"Republican governors team up against global warming"

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Republican_Governors_team_up_against_Global_0716.html

"ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS HAIL MIDWEST GOVERNORS’ HISTORIC AGREEMENT ON REDUCING GLOBAL WARMING POLLLUTION"

http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=110603

"At a time when the federal government is failing to act, these local leaders are moving America toward a safer and more secure future."

http://coolcities.us/

The President is a captive of the fossil fuel industry. The Federal government has muzzled global warming scientists, censored official government reports, toned down the IPCC summaries, and stands against the world.

That will change on 20 January 2009. Sorry that you have to wait.

Answer 8

Yawn... You'll be on your computer tomorrow logging on to the American company Yahoo, your friends will be at McDonald's, enjoy a Coke while watching a Hollywood movie, listen to iTunes of American rock bands while wearing Levi's.

You can't escape American culture.

Answer 9

It's a nice idea but do you think people in the US will notice?

If it was effective and it had an impact on the US economy, how do you think that would affect us in the UK?
My mortgage increased because there were a load of wakners in the US selling morgages to people whose dreams were beyond their means.
It's not the American people who make policy decisions it's the politicians and bankers. Sadly in the US their politicans are more corrupt than ours, they're in the pay of the companies who would be most impacted if America signed up to greenhouse gases reductions.

You won't change anything, radical action by the worlds people won't change anything - America has never taken notice of the rest of the world, even radical action by the American people wouldn't change anything, and that'll not happen they're too busy whinging that gas prices are up to $1.50/gallon so it's expensive filling their 6 litre jeeps.

Fundamentally America has always been isolationist, they didn't want a part of the rest of the worlds problems, and I believe that deep down that hasn't changed, so trying to force them into taking actions that adversely affect their profits is a waste of time.

Answer 10

Scott Evil - You didn't invent 'pretty much everything' at all, here's two biggies for you - the computer and the jet engine - both British inventions.