Proud to Boycott

I mentioned that I might go see Pirates of the Caribbean after Johnny Depp recanted his poisonous anti-American remarks were published in a German magazine, and someone calling him/herself "c" made this comment:

so you would not watch a movie based on one of the actors own personal politics? thats pretty lame.

did you stop listening to the dixie chicks as well?

To which I have one reply. The single, most important vote that you can make is cast every time that you reach for your wallet, your purse, or your checkbook.

Each and every one of us vote nearly every day, over and over again. Whether you intend it or not, each dollar that you spend is a vote for or against some position that you may or may not care about.

Every time you spend a dollar at WalMart, you cast a vote for sending manufacturing jobs to China.

Each time you buy a Hallmark card or a Disney toy, you cast several votes towards the erosion of the Second Amendment.

Every time you buy a Gateway computer, you cast hundreds (or thousands) of votes for the Democrat agenda. When you buy a Dell, you cast those votes for the Republican agenda.

So yes, "c", I deliberately do not go to movies that have anti-American stars, producers or directors, nor do I buy the DVD. I do not listen to music of, much less buy CDs of, musicians that parrot moronic cliches about how stupid our president is. This is a choice that I make.

I don't care about their personal politics, but when an uneducated, uninformed, limousine liberal loudmouth misuses their position of having ready access to the American psyche, then I choose not to aid them in retaining that platform. I work hard for my money and value the votes that it represents. If you want any fragment of the fruits of my American dream, then be supportive of our president in time of war.

But as you can tell from the list above, it goes further than this. I choose to use my money to support a variety of positions, and withhold my support from those with whom I disagree. For instance, I do my best to avoid purchasing anything made in China because I know that a portion of the dollar that I spend will help fund missles pointed at California or direct-ascent anti-satellite systems.

It seems that everything is made in China these days. Can you really boycott a whole country? I admit, it's hard. Sometimes we actually do without buying something because we can only find one (whatever it is) that was manufactured in China (or France). Other times you may have to spend a few dollars more for one that was manufactured somewhere else. But you would be surprised at how many choices you have if you just take the trouble to look around a little:

• A few weeks ago I put up new shelves in the laundry room and pantry. Closet Maid - made in America.
• Last weekend I completed another 35' of gutter covering with leaf guards from Layman Plastics Corporation, made right here in America from recycled vinyl.
• A big purchase (birthday present for the Mrs.) was made last week - four new dining room chairs from a factory in North Carolina.
• Recently, I was looking for a new pair of shorts, but the only ones at the store were made in Jordan so I did without. Later, Mrs. A purchased a pair made in Mexico. I'd a lot rather spend my money to help build industry in a neighbor than send it to a country that harbors terrorists.
• I wrote the SciFi Channel telling them that I would not be watching the mini-series Dune, because it starred Susan Sarandon. And then I did not watch it.
• The last fishing reel I bought (and promptly lost to the bottom of the lake) was a Shimano - a Japanese company and the product was made in Canada.

Can you always do this? No, of course not. For instance, it is impossible to buy a computer that does not have some parts made in China. You can only do what you can. But China has lost hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars a year just from my household alone.

What will my not buying Chinese goods do? Nothing but give me piece of mind. But if Americans reduced their China purchases just 10%, it would erase 10 billion dollars going to China each year, and that would hurt. If just half of America refused to buy Chinese goods, it would cost them over 50 billion dollars per year, and that would hurt enough to make them rectify some of the human rights abuses that take place over there each and every day. In addition, it would drive dollars to other countries - who are hopefully more deserving of our dollars.

Do boycotts work? Ask Smith & Wesson or Kmart. Ask the people of Georgia and South Carolina. Ask Jesse Jackson's victims, like GE, Anheuser-Busch and Toyota. Ask the French wineries. Yes, "c", boycotts work.

And if you think that American reaction to the Dixie Chicks didn't have anything to do with Depp's hasty retraction of the comments attributed to him, then you are a very challenged person indeed. But you should be able to remember this one, irrefutable fact:

The single, most important vote that you can make is cast every time that you reach for your wallet, your purse, or your checkbook.

They are your votes. Use them wisely.

Blog post #1247 in category I Believe

Truly superior bloggers that reference Proud to Boycott:

» Always Excellent from Say Uncle:

The always excellent AlphaPatriot has been on a roll lately. Using capitalism to vote! Is there anything capitalism can't do? I think someone should create... [Read More]

Tracked on September 8, 2003 9:30 PM

» The Council Has Spoken! from Watcher of Weasels:

The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Proud to Boycott by Alpha Patriot, and Don't Tell Me This Is "Progress" by Electric Venom. All members, please be sure to link to both winning entries (and to the full results of the ... [Read More]

Tracked on September 11, 2003 9:36 PM

» The Watchers Council Speaks from e-Claire:

This week we have quite a few juicy posts. The top contendahs are *drumroll* Proud to Boycott by Alpha Patriot and Don't Tell Me This Is "Progrsss" by The Venomous One [a difficult piece to read, and a worthwhile... [Read More]

Tracked on September 11, 2003 10:07 PM

» Council Winners from damnum absque injuria:

Once again, it's time to announce the Council Winners. Congratulations to the Alpha Patriot for the winning Council entry, "Proud to Boycott," and to Venomous Kate for the winning non-Council entry, "Don't Tell Me This is 'Progress.'"... [Read More]

Tracked on September 12, 2003 9:04 AM

» THE COUNCIL HAS SPOKEN. from The SmarterCop:

Excellent entries abound this week in the Watcher's Council. Congratulations to our new winners: Alpha Patriot, with Proud to Boycott and Electric Venom, with Don't Tell Me This is 'Progress'. Again, congratulations, and thanks to whoever cast that sin... [Read More]

Tracked on September 23, 2003 8:28 AM