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Do you boycott anything?

**helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
Shops, brands, restaurants, Food from specific countries?

A friend of mine has said they're going to boycott Nandos this week, which I guess relates to stories like this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362445/Why-Nandos-chicken-isnt-wholesome-think-Celebrities-love-To-middle-classes-guilt-free-fast-food-If-knew-story-.html

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I try to avoid nestle and anything with plam oil in.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I try to boycott pound shops. Rarely, I will have a quick look but I hate pound shops!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Primark.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    I try to boycott pound shops. Rarely, I will have a quick look but I hate pound shops!

    What do you hate about them?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They just really bore me. I used to go in them a lot with people and have to spend nearly an hour in there so I hate going in now. They're too small and people just stand in the way. Also, nothing in there interests me. I'd rather go in to superdrug and buy things on offer :)
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Israeli pfoducts where I can.

    If Im shopping I wont buy anything but British Pork and free range chicken and eggs, but it wouldn't stop me eating at places which serve non free range or Danish pork.

    I also won't buy Argentinian wine.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **helen** wrote: »
    Shops, brands, restaurants, Food from specific countries?

    A friend of mine has said they're going to boycott Nandos this week, which I guess relates to stories like this:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362445/Why-Nandos-chicken-isnt-wholesome-think-Celebrities-love-To-middle-classes-guilt-free-fast-food-If-knew-story-.html

    Unless they go to Nandos every day surely not going to Nandos for a week isn't really a boycott? Cos if not going somewhere for a whole seven days is a boycott I've got a list as long as my arm...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Starbucks - because they treat their staff like shit and don't pay their taxes
    Vodaphone - same reasons
    Top shop and the rest of the Arcadia group - tax evasion
    Loreal/ester Lauder/bobbie brown/MAC/Avon/smashbox/etc -
    Animal testing
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Maybe Helen means they announced their Nando's boycott this week, not they are boycotting it for a week? If not then a week boycott really isn't much you're right!

    I make my mum boycott Herbal Essences, have heard some dreadful things about their practices. She used to buy their stuff all the time, has switched to other things now :)
    All my hair products etc are vegan so I guess I boycott a lot of things!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oooh what is it about Herbal Essences?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote: »
    Oooh what is it about Herbal Essences?

    I'm sure they do nasty animal testing and stuff, will try and find the article I read and send it to you!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I boycotted meat for an year but, missed it so back to meat eating again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I can't motivate myself enough to boycott anything really. I know Amazon really is a biggie, but a lot of the stuff I get from there (and mainly the people who trade through Amazon) can't be bought cheaper anywhere else.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Maybe Helen means they announced their Nando's boycott this week, not they are boycotting it for a week? If not then a week boycott really isn't much you're right!

    Yep, this - sorry my initial post wasn't clear.

    By the way, the EU banned the sale of all animal tested cosmetics earlier this year, not sure if that includes shampoo, though? I guess not? :chin:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21740745
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah but all of those companies still do animal testing on cosmetics that they sell in other territories.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Miss_Riot wrote: »
    Yeah but all of those companies still do animal testing on cosmetics that they sell in other territories.

    Fair point that I hadn't considered.
  • Danny!Danny! Deactivated Posts: 560 Incredible Poster
    Sad pigs, sad chickens, sad eggs.

    And those all-you-can-eat pan-Asian vegetarian restaurants, for crimes against gastronomy!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Illicit drugs.

    Drug wars, the Taliban, deforestation etc. Harm to people and the environment.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Not sure you should have to write off all illicit drugs. Its the illegality of drugs which do the harm, the bonkers laws that push it underground. Those that wish to criminalise drug use and keep the status quo, are just as guilty as those that buy them.
    It's only really coca and the white poppy that add to the problems youve listed. Necking a few magic mushrooms, smoking some weed or having a bit of ghb are generally pretty victimless activities.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really boycott anything, but I attempt to pick the more ethical choice if there really is a choice. I tend to buy Pepsi instead of Coke because it's a vaguely better company. When I buy bottled water (which I have to here, otherwise I'd never bother) I always get the Pepsi or local brand rather than Coca Cola or Nestle versions.

    Recently when buying flights, I've been willing to pay a little more for flight not owned by a totalitarian government in the Middle East (although admittedly had the flight been massively more expensive, I would've just gone on Emirates). In the end Air France was actually cheaper.

    It's really difficult to find out the history of any products here in Vietnam though. Most of the clothes I buy are fake designer, which means they've possibly been made in conditions worse than the clothes you get on the UK high street. But then the only other alternative is typically designer clothes or tailoring. I suspect tailoring is the most ethical of those, but that only really works for work clothes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Walkers. They once said there's no law on them having to label their foods properly.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    I agree about Walkers. Can't believe they colour labeled salt and vinegar, and cheese and onion the wrong way round. Disgusting.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote: »
    I agree about Walkers. Can't believe they colour labeled salt and vinegar, and cheese and onion the wrong way round. Disgusting.

    :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not for moral reasons per se (morals don't really exist). However, I do if a firm has mistreated me. I'll never by firm volition go to Specsavers since their staff are rude....:chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I boycotted chocolate ages ago, absolutely hate the stuff! Unless it's white choc... does that still count?! Aha. Cos I'm pretty sure there was something going about that white chocolate isn't actually made by cocoa beans.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ncoa1 wrote: »
    Not for moral reasons per se (morals don't really exist). However, I do if a firm has mistreated me. I'll never by firm volition go to Specsavers since their staff are rude....:chin:

    Something like rudeness can be quite an interesting one, is it a specific staff member or was it the whole store? Even if so is it reflective of the whole chain?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    G-Raffe wrote: »
    Something like rudeness can be quite an interesting one, is it a specific staff member or was it the whole store? Even if so is it reflective of the whole chain?

    Exactly. I boycott a shop (local and not a chain) because of how I was treated. I wouldn't boycott a whole chain just because of one incident in one store.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've been vegan for the past six years... I guess that's technically a boycott... Though for me it's more symbolic of the fact I don't see animals as objects for my enjoyment (same as I stand against racism or homophobia and refuse to engage with it). I try to buy most of my clothing from charity shops (not Sally Army type shops though), I get a veg box locally each week and use a food co-op in my university. I'm tempted to try "skipping"/dumpster diving, but am concerned I'd be taking food away from people more desperate than I...

    A lot of my relationship with consumption is to do with keeping living costs low too, as I'm a part time Masters student and part time worker and I'm also trying to drop some weight. I have to admit I use my local Co-op sometimes, as it's 24 hours and I work nights.

    I'm unsure about boycotts to be honest... If you look at markets from a wider perspective, you can see that actually, there aren't that many companies behind the scenes of what appears to be a huge amount of products.

    Depressing as sh*t, but true.

    I try and do things additional to boycotts, but that's probably another debate.
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