Today’s guest blog comes from Steve.
I look silly, actually. Every time I go to buy paper towels or toilet paper I stand in the supermarket aisle in confusion, staring at the brands.
“Okay, so who makes ‘Viva’? Kimberley Clark, it says here. But do I hate Kimberley Clark? Or is it Scott Paper I hate?”
Sooner or later I remember that I hate Scott Paper. In the early 1980s, Scott took a belligerent stand in defiance of federal pollution controls on paper plants. Scott went on my “corporate bad guys” list, and I stopped buying Scott Paper products. There is no reason for me to bury that old grudge now, for I have alternatives. I’m sure Scott Paper has fretted about their curiously lame sales in the Mac-Groveland area. Ha! I hope they understand that putting profits ahead of the environment caused me to boycott them.
The first time I boycotted a product because of higher values it was mighty easy. That first boycott happened was when progressives all over the country learned we should not buy grapes. In the late 1960s, migrant workers toiled in appalling conditions to harvest agricultural products. Cesar Chavez, a farm labor leader, eventually organized a nationwide boycott of grapes. My participation in the boycott didn’t bring the grape farm industry to its knees because I never bought grapes before the strike. Still, I felt virtuous as I bypassed grapes in my grocery store. And the good guys won that one.
Buying gas is more challenging. I used to buy all my gas with an Amoco credit card. Standard Oil was famous for placing gas stations on choice intersections with high traffic, so if you had a Standard Oil credit card you were never far from a gas station when your fuel meter was close to “Empty.” Because I traveled widely in unknown country when I was a freelance writer, it meant a lot to me that I could easily find gas when I needed it.
Then in March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez clobbered Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. Legend has it that Captain Joe Hazelwood was sleeping off a bender at the time, but the truth is that the ship’s radar was broken and had not functioned for over a year. Crude oil flooded the Sound. The deadly toll on salmon, otters, water birds and seals was a ghastly spectacle on the evening news for months afterward.
I haven’t bought a drop of Amoco gas since that day. After drifting from brand to brand, I determined to buy my gas from a new company with a clean record. This company even featured a green corporate logo. My new gas supplier became BP. And you all know how that turned out.
I was anguished in 2010 when Target betrayed me. I had respected Target because it reinvests corporate profits in the local community. As someone who has worked for wolves, I appreciate Target’s contributions to the International Wolf Center. Everybody has to fill grocery carts with cheap stuff now and then, so we might as well buy it from a corporation that gives back to its local community.
Then we all learned, during the gubernatorial election of 2010, that Target’s corporate office donated money to a group that passed it on to Tom Emmer, a hard-right conservative and staunch opponent of gay rights. That was a dagger to my heart. Where was I supposed to buy cheap crap? K-Mart, the destroyer of small town America? K-Mart, the corporate abuser of employee rights? I just couldn’t!
Ultimately, I fear my values-based boycotts are foolish and self-indulgent. It is hard to find large corporations that behave well enough that they actually deserve our support. If we think a mega corporation is a good citizen, we probably haven’t done our homework. How many of us do our banking with companies that didn’t betray normal banking values a decade ago? Still, I cannot escape the compulsion to drag social ethics into my consumerism.
What do you boycott or support with your purchases?
Trail Baboon 
I find it a little easier to find someone to support rather than avoid those ubiquitous floggers of stuff it seems we must have, but only a megacorportation can provide.
I make it a point to support several farmers at the St Paul Farmer’s Market on a regular basis. Since there is no way to get toilet paper from an outfit I can respect, I get what is cheap and use the savings for the extravagance of real maple syrup, eggs from chickens who eat the same tomatoes I do (at least until the tomatoes in my garden catch up to the farmer’s) and milk from cows who have grazed on pastures I have seen.
There is no way to get respectable gas either, so I just try and get by with as little of that as possible.
Oh, and the family docs are independent as well. We’ve been with them for 15 years and I see no reason to change.
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Of course, mig, it is good to support the good guys. I guess we can add General Mills to the list of corporations that have the courage to do the right thing. They are running that commercial that has a mixed race couple in it, and they persist in the face of blistering right wing criticism.
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The consulting company I used to work for did work with General Mills. While they are a corporate giant and not an upstart or independent, they are a corporate giant with a decent heart. I could see that with how the business functioned and how they did their corporate philanthropy.
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Anna, my dad did a lot of work with them (as I blogged when I mentioned that Dad met Clayton Moore, the guy who played the Lone Ranger). I briefly met a few of their corporate leaders. They were decent men and they believed in corporate decency.
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Good morning. Walmart and McDonalds are two places on my list of bad places to patronize. I would like to stop shopping at Walmart. I don’t because it is has the largest selection of things I need in my area. There is no Target or other large store with a wide selection of items I need close to where I live other than Walmart. I haven’t completely stopped eating at McDonalds. However, I have greatly reduced my trips to that eating place.
Walmart is on my list of bad places because of their policy of opposing unions. A union is badly needed by their employees who are under paid and not treated well in other ways. The biggest joke commercial on TV is the one where they have a person who is portrayed as a Walmart employee saying they are building a career for themselves by working there.
I stay away from McDonalds because most of the food they serve is not very healthy and their offerings that are a little healthier are not very good. There was a time when I liked eating at McDonalds. Now I prefer eating at places that serve higher quality food.
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mcdonalds last week made the headlines by telling all their career people to go get a second job so they could have a living wage.
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Oh, I’m off to a great start. WordPress just ate and discarded my first post. I wrote to say that I’m sure you are more knowledgeable about these food issues than I, Jim. But I’m impressed with how often I heard that food critics think McDonalds is more responsive than most fast food outlets to their criticisms.
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Eye-catching photo, Steve. Is that one of yours from the wild?
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That is all Dale’s doing. We are so lucky to have him as Dear Leader.
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It is good that McDonalds is making some efforts to serve more healthy food. Their selection of healthy food is still not that wonderful and I think it could be a lot better.
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This little article was literally “food for thought” – and raised some interesting points about McDonalds and other fast food chains: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-junk-food-can-end-obesity/309396/
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Anna, the person in the article might have had some of the things she said right. However, it is hard for me to believe that the process food industry can produce food equal to fresh food out of my garden or from local farms. Those salads at McDonalds are okay if you don’t mind a salad that often looks like it has been sitting in a display case for several hours giving it a less than fresh appearance.
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I don’t think the author is making the argument that what McD’s is doing is as good as your own garden or the farmer’s market – I think the argument is that McD’s isn’t getting “credit,” if you will, for even having the salad in the first place. Access and affordability get lost in the discussion of what constitutes “healthy” is the argument being made. That doesn’t make McD’s a stellar company – it’s certainly not my first choice for dining (or second or third) – just bringing up the argument that as middle class Americans we sometimes lose the forest for the trees when we are looking for what a company does right when they do take steps in the right direction.
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nice way to start the week steve.
target backs the right wing (as do most big business types)
others tick me off,
i like the idea of supporting the farmers market but dontdo it enough.
i do know that bremer bank is one of the good guys where it is a foundation that is the only non profit bank in the state maybe the country. they have the community involvement you would hope for without the crap target pedles at the same time they are being giving.
i would love to see a list of truly reputable companies who rank on a list as to how they are doing in the areas i care about.
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However, Bremer is not always competent. Years ago I had accounts there. They allowed a forged check from my account to pass–and it was quite obviously forged. Their customer service was useless. Closed that account too.
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I financed the house I am buying with Bremer because I knew they have a policy of using excess profits to fund community work. They sold my mortgage to Chase, one of the big banks that behaved badly during the mortgage crisis. I didn’t know that Bremer would sell our mortgage to Chase and I didn’t want them to do that. Apparently one of the very large number of papers we signed, that were too lengthy to read in detail, contained a provision that allowed Bremer to sell our mortgage.
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tim, I fully agree that it is as important to support corporate good guys as to boycott the bad actors. I was impressed (after writing my blog) when someone issued a list of companies that support local communities. High on that list were Target and Wells Fargo. I had been prepared to switch my business away from Wells Fargo. Now I’ll have to think about that.
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Rise and Shine Baboons!
I “boycotted” the BBC meeting yesterday (ha-ha) and missed it terribly. However, self-care needed to come first after missing a work week last week. I hope I have finally shaken this tenacious virus. This was a lost week to the bug. Could someone from BBC post the next meeting and the book selections, please. I read “People of the Book” which I found interesting, but too focused on suffering. I read to avoid suffering.
Meanwhile, like many here, I try to avoid Walmart. (I do, however, occasionally indulge my interest in weirdness by looking at the website, http://www.walmart-people.com, which is a wonder of human oddity and hilarity. Having a bad day? Go there. You will find that there is a real purpose for your cell phone camera). I also stopped doing business with any bank, having transferred all accounts to a local Credit Union. This was due to my objections to the practices of the very large bank, Wells Fargo, which had my business account for years. After they REPEATEDLY attached charges for services I did not want to my account, I finally quit them and found a credit union with business services. They are great. I had a Credit Card through WF. It took over a year to close the account due to the complexity of the system there. I found that if I wanted to close the account NO ONE in customer service could perform that service. I had to go to my local branch where it still took over an hour and many phone calls to parts unknown, for the CS person to figure out how to do it.
Good Grief Charlie Brown.
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We did miss you yesterday, Jacque.
Next meeting is Sunday, September 15, 2 p.m. at Minnehaha Falls (yes, where we had Steve’s birthday party) with Robin & Bill as the back-up in case of inclement weather. Two books, both young adult fiction this time. Wonder by R.J. Palacio paired with Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.
As PJ mentioned late yesterday, everyone is welcome at Blevins Book Club… if you are reading this and you can get to the Falls, we welcome all comers. The only caveat is to not eat a big meal before you come. Yesterday we had a big pasta chicken salad, grilled green beans, brownies, raspberry cake, talaberja (Serbian dessert), cheese, crackers and berry almond torte, lemonade, tea and, of course, wine.
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As you all know, I’m not into sweets, but I am wondering what talaberja is? Googled it and didn’t find it as a dessert.
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Sorry, completely screwed up the name because I was typing too fast. It’s actually Bajadera. Here is the recipe I used:
•7 ounces butter biscuits (like Petite Beurre) – I used Lorna Doones, which is a good substitute
•1 1/2 cups walnuts or blanched, peeled almonds
•1 1/4 cups sugar
•4 ounces (1 stick) butter
•1/4 cup water
•3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
•Glaze:
•3 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
•3 tablespoons sugar
•3 tablespoons water
•3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter
Preparation:
1.Place butter biscuits, like Petite Beurre, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finally ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
2.In a heatproof bowl, microwave 1 1/4 cups sugar, 4 ounces butter and 1/4 cup water until dissolved. Stir completely. Add to biscuit-nut mixture and mix until well combined. Divide in half.
3.In a heatproof bowl, melt 3 ounces chocolate and stir into half the biscuit-nut mixture.
4.You will end up with three layers plus the glaze. Using slightly dampened fingers, spread half the plain biscuit-nut mixture in an even layer into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan.
5.Again, using slightly dampened fingers, spread the entire chocolate biscuit-nut mixture in an even layer. I used milk chocolate because that’s what I had on hand. If you use semisweet chocolate, it will be darker and the layers more distinct. Then, again working with slightly dampened fingers, spread the remaining plain biscuit-nut mixture in an even layer on top.
6.To Make the Glaze: In a heatproof bowl, melt 3 1/2 ounces chocolate, 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Stir well and gradually add the 3 ounces of butter, stirring until completely smooth. Pour over torte and let cool. Refrigerate to make the cutting easier. This is very rich and sweet, so small rectangles or squares will do nicely. Dobar tek! (Bon appetit!)
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Thanks, vs, that sounds very rich and wonderful.
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Wow, I’ve never left a reply and what do I get? An amazing looking bar recipe – Bonus!
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We missed you, Jacque, and you missed a nice afternoon. I hope staying home helped heal you. At the meeting I happened to mention that I used to buy my drugs from Walgreen’s. They had a nice system where I could drive through and not get out of my car. Then they wrote to tell me that they were dropping all customers (like me) who used a certain kind of insurance system. The profits weren’t good enough for Walgreen’s. When they cut me loose, I found out that my local corner pharmacy had the same great prices on generic drugs. More to the point, they deliver (if I choose) and they LOVE my business. When I walk in the building they call out my name (of course, all the pills I buy from them keep their profits high!). Walgreen’s called a month ago to say they would love to get my business again. Boy, did I enjoy having the chance to tell them how I felt about them and how I feel about my current pharmacy.
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I bet that was sweet, Steve.
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Out of idle curiousity, Steve-does your friendly neighborhood pharmacy also sell ice cream cones and coffee at nostalgic prices like mine does?
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No, because their building shares space with Snuffy’s, a local hamburger and ice cream parlor!
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Ah, now I know where you mean.
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We try to avoid Walmart as much as we can. It isn’t easy. I boycott food products from China as i don’t believe their food is always safe to consume.or physicians. We have people who wouldn’t go to a doctor here or the local hospital because of one thing or another, and other people who won’t patronize Bismarck doctors or hospitals for all the same reasons..
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Renee, I’m not sure what you’re saying about physicians. Are you boycotting them?
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No, I have local doctors and use the local hospital. I just was commenting on the passion with which local people consider our medical community.
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During the summer months, virtually all of my grocery shopping is done at local Farmers’ Markets. During winter months I shop at the Mississippi Market, a co-op of which I’m a member. I don’t shop at Walmart, ever, never have, never will. Whenever I eat out, I go to locally owned and operated restaurants, partly because I like their food, but also because I think it’s important to support them. I don’t have enough money, and don’t spend enough of it on “stuff,” that a boycott by me would affect any chain, of any kind, the slightest, but I like the principle of it.
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Missed you too yesterday, PJ – hope your animal is feeling better.
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She seems better, but I don’t dare leave her alone for long. She’s a highly anxious dog, and I think all the firecrackers that are still being set off in our neighborhood at night that are taking their toll on her.
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Morning all. I am all about supporting businesses I like and boycotting those I don’t. But mine are a little different. For example, I know that many folks left BP in droves after the gulf oil disaster. However, my feeling is that it’s all our faults — we Americans crave cheap stuff. We drive four blocks out of our way to buy gas that is 3 cents cheaper – for my little car, that’s a grand total savings of about 33 cents. And while we may gripe about it, as a society we haven’t seriously addressed the fact that big companies are raking in bjillions in profits. So when BP did something stupid in order to try to maintain the balance between their ginormous profits and America’s deep desire for cheap gas, the result wasn’t so great. If it hadn’t gone wrong, BP would have been lauded for their “entrepreneurial spirit”. So, while I still use my Gas Buddy app to see what the various stations in my neighborhood are charging for gas, I have not abandoned BP. (Sorry, hit one of my hot buttons there.)
There are a few companies that I boycott based on having had to work with them. When I see the tortured internal workings of those companies and how they reward incompetence, it makes me not want to support them with my dollars. Since I want to keep my job, I can’t name names, but suffice it to say that there is a large appliance manufacturer, a telecommunications company and a bottled water company that no longer get my business!
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Thanks again for yesterday, vs. I logged more time rubbing a dog than I have in years!
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I don’t think BP was much motivated by the desire to provide Americans with cheaper gas. They were drilling in the gulf because that’s where the gas was. Petroleum is a global commodity and it goes wherever the world market will pay the most for it. That’s why the proposed Keystone pipeline doesn’t stop at a refinery in the middle of the country and why most of the big refineries are situated on the gulf. Unless Americans are willing to pay the going rate worldwide, the gas gets shipped elsewhere. That’s also why the “Drill Baby Drill” mantra is so hollow. There’s nothing keeping oil extracted domestically from going to the highest international bidder.
Rather than an entrepreneurial spirit, I think BP’s irresponsible oversight stemmed from a desire to maximize the margin between the cost of extraction and the going rate per barrel. That said, I can’t think of a single petroleum company I would characterize as environmentally considerate, so it’s a horse apiece.
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I have heard a number of reports indicating that BP has not been telling the truth about the way they handled the spill in the gulf and the clean up. People who have examined their actions find that they did not and are not doing what they should do. At the same time they have been running ads on TV indicating that everything is going well with the clean up. When looked at closely I think BP might be found to be a rather bad example of how a big corporation should conduct itself.
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Bill, I certainly don’t champion BP, except to say that I don’t think they are any worse than any of the others. and the entrepreneurial spirit comment was an IF they had succeeded… everybody would have said “woh, look at BP, they found a new way to suck the…..” OK, we all know where I going with this! But I completely agree with the “desire to maximize the margin between the cost of extraction and the going rate per barrel.”
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When I was working at Peat Marwick there was a certain large construction firm that raised HUGE red flags in my mind by their demands of how their files were to be maintained. Such paranoia and secrecy can’t possibly be a good indicator. I can only imagine the knowledge you have of the internal workings of some corporations, vs, and I fully appreciate that it’s knowledge that you can’t share, but at least you can act on it personally. On the other hand, it was a pleasure working for the law firm I worked for. I don’t think I’ve ever worked in a firm so guided by such ethical and humane considerations. For example, they paid for a very generous health insurance package for all their employees and their dependents, and their profit sharing plan truly was remarkable. Fairness was a huge consideration in all policies, which by the way, were kept to a minimum because they realized that gave them more freedom to act on individual needs. A truly remarkable firm.
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Guess I’m not done with this topic. I also support businesses for various reasons. Many many years ago, two employees at Bachman’s treated me very kindly on a day when I really needed it. I’ve been a loyal customer ever since and I am repeatedly amazed at the level of customer service that they dish out.
I’m also a big fan of Trader Joe’s. Again, it’s the attitude of the folks who work there that draws me back. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they carry products I like, but the customer service that makes them stand out. Whole Foods has the same stuff as Trader Joe’s and I don’t like to shop there at all!
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Trader Joe’s really do a wonderful job of hiring the right people in the first place, and then training them well. I hear that one of their maxims is: “You can’t teach friendly.” A couple of years ago, on a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon, Hans and I went to the one in Woodbury. Next to our parking spot stood three middle-aged women looking dejected; their car had a flat tire. Hans offered his assistance in fixing it, and went to work. One of Trader Joe’s employees, hired to bag and carry groceries to the customers’ cars saw this. He went back into to the store, and soon emerged with several bottles of water for us, free of charge. How could you not love shopping in a place that has that kind of customer service?
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PJ there is a restaurant near where you and I met for coffee once. The Day by Day restaurant–I have been told–hires its wait staff from the ranks of those overcoming addictions. It is a nice place, but I would go out of my way to go there if just to support their principles.
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We actually had breakfast there yesterday, on their very nice patio.
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Here’s another story of a Trader Joe’s employee’s kindness. A few days after my middle daughter arrived here from Philly this May, she had an appointment. I dropped her off at the clinic and then went to TJ’s. When I was almost done, daughter calls me, “Mom, can you come drive me to the hospital? I’m having twins and they want to run some tests.” I immediately went to check out and the cashier asked me, “How are you?” I told him I was in shock because I had just found out, a few minutes ago, that my daughter was carrying twins. He told me he loved being a dad, and then he ran over and got a large bunch of flowers (free of charge) for me to give her!
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It’s exactly that kind of initiative that is so rare and that Trader Joe’s employees show so much of. It’s a joy to shop there.
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Last summer I took my mom and her sister, who was visiting from OK, to a free outdoor concert at Woodbury Lakes. I’d just gotten them settled in when my aunt asked if I thought the music would be loud. When she was younger, the louder the better, but not any more. I really wanted to hear this band. I left the ladies in their lawn chairs in the shade waiting for the show to begin and hustled over to TJs to see if they might have any earplugs for sale. They didn’t, but the women in customer service rummaged around in a drawer and came up with two pairs and gave them to me, free of charge. I still didn’t get to stay for the whole concert, but the sisters lasted longer than they would have “unplugged.” Thank you Trader Joe’s!
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We in the larger cities are lucky to have alternatives to Walmart. I hate how many of the little guys have disappeared in favor of ALL the big chains. (Steve, are you talking about St. Paul Corner Drug? Wish there was one of those here!)
I used to carry around a card with the names of all the gas companies that sold Middle East oil. I’ve boycotted Nestles, Walmart, Coca-cola, bottled water companies, gas companies… it turns out that by now so many companies are owned by one of these big monster corporations, it’s hard to find anything not to boycott. I pulled out a chart from an Oxfam newsletter that shows the “Big 10” food/beverage companies…
Click to access bp166-behind-the-brands-260213-en.pdf
(scroll down to about page 8)
… even Haagen Dazs is owned by… General Mills.
That chart is pretty small print – if you want to know who owns one of your favorite brands, go to behindthebrands.org
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Good guess, BiR, and St Paul Corner Drug does deliver. But my home pharmacy is even smaller and closer to me, a little place called Pro Pharmacy on Cleveland and St Clair. Exceptionally friendly, with pharmacists that know their stuff.
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You’re right, BiR, we’re lucky to have lots of alternatives to Walmart. But I have to admit I have such distaste for that store that I swear I’d “recycle” newspaper if Walmart were the only source for toilet paper.
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🙂
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A good friend who has become my go-to gal for who the “good guys” are has a cell phone through a company with a less-than-stellar reputation. I asked about this (related to another good guy/bad guy conversation) and her very pragmatic answer was that you can never avoid all the bad guys. In the case of the phone company, she knew who she was supporting, but didn’t have good alternatives, so her solution was to make an equal donation to one of the “good guy” organizations equal to where her bit of the “bad guy” profits might go. I have tried to follow that example when I can’t avoid a company I dislike. And like shopping at the farmer’s market, I do my best to shop local when I can for things like kids’ toys, books, etc.
Ultimately, it’s a big city first-world problem. I am grateful to have the choice and alternatives – and I do my best to remember that not everyone has that ability.
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Many of you put me to shame here. I admit I just don’t pay very much attention to who the bad companies and who the good companies are. I guess I am just too lazy to do my research and I also have the feeling that it is pretty darn hard, if not impossible, to totally avoid the “bad guys.” I don’t shop at Wal-mart. I do shop at Target (Target is very convenient for me).When I buy gas, I usually do it at the station where I understand how to swipe my card and what buttons I need to push before I start pumping. I shop at the Farmers Market, but not year-round (my local market is open through October, and closes for the colder months). I choose Local and Fair Trade goods when possible…I did look up what chocolate companies are the “good guys” and stick with buying the good guys’ chocolate (fortunately, their chocolate is usually the best stuff anyway).
OT – I heard today that the first woman justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, Rosalie Wahl, died this morning. Vicky and I both knew her personally when we were young. She was a great person.
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I hope you didn’t meet Justice Wahl when your profession and hers crossed paths, Edith!
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No, my criminal life started later. She was my neighbor from ages 0-10.
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Sorry for your loss, Edith. Will you be attending her funeral?
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Thank you, PJ. I haven’t seen her for years and years, but I would like to go to her memorial service if there is one at the Quaker meeting house. Because I remember her as a warm, kind person and kind of a second mother to me, I’d rather go to a service that honors her as a person, rather than just a public service that honors her mainly for her career achievements, wonderful as those are.
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I wonder if it would be more effective, in the long run, to be educators of our children and grandchildren about corporate responsiblity and how the lack therof is disasterous for people and the environment. One of us boycotting something isn’t much; getting our children and grandchildren thinking about these issues at a very young age and perhaps changing their behavior and their children’s behavior may be more effective. I suppose, though, that they would just think “there goes grandma again on her soapbox” just the way I thought when my maternal grandfather would start in the inherent evil in Fidel Castro.
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Good point, Renee, but I don’t think the soapbox is necessary. Kids learn far more by your example than they do by your sermons, lectures, what have you.
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Late to the party as usual (or often the first one to post!)…………….I recently ran completely out of toilet paper and, for the first time in my life, only stopped to buy this one item. To my utter surprise, a 12-pack cost me about $18! I had no idea why any paper product, not to mention the most necessary one, could possibly cost $1.50 a roll. I remain stunned by this, especially since a roll only lasts about 3 days. Of all kinds of necessary products, I’d have thought paper would be the cheapest. Guess I was quite wrong?
O/T: I got a conference call from my two sons a couple of nights ago informing me that “We’re both pregnant, Mom!!” First of all, I didn’t know men could even get pregnant; secondly, the upcoming additions to the 10 grandchildren I already have may add up to a baker’s dozen. The uncertainty about the total number is due to my daughter-in-law’s 3 implanted, fertilized eggs. She’ll be 44 when this pregnancy concludes and has been in fertility treatment for a year. What this means is that there’s a possibility of triplets and a probability of twins! As for me, I’m just a bit incredulous that having three babies can burgeon into possibly 16 humans altogether!
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Congratulation, Cb, that’s very exciting news. Hope everything turns out fine.
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Any way it turns out, that mama is gonna be one tired puppy.
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No kidding.
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Uh, oh. It looks like WordPress is going to end my day as it began it . . . by screwing up a post.
I have two global things to add to the conversation. First, we all must recognize that some of these issues are more complicated than we would like to believe, especially the consumer decisions we make about food. Wow, is that area confusing.
Second, my emphasis on not doing business with corporate bad actors is probably misplaced. It might do more good in the long run to support–as noisily as possible–the businesses that manage to comport themselves with positive values. We talked mostly today about companies that make consumable products. Service companies also vary in terms of how ethical and progressive they are. My daughter works for a company in Portland, OR, that is absolutely first rate at endorsing positive business practices. Her employer is near the head of every list ever made of “best places to work” in Portland.
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I bet a few poor people don’t think Walmarts are all bad.
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Not trying to be funny. I just know if I lived in dire circumstances & had to choose between buying groceries for my family at a Walmart or a convenience store, I’d pick the big box.
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Understood, Donna. I just wish Walmart were kinder to the poor people who work for them.
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The fact is that the majority of the people who work for Walmart don’t make a living wage. We, the tax payers, are supporting that corporate greed because so many of their full-time employees qualify for public assistance of one kind or another. I understand what you’re saying, Donna, but I think it’s a disgrace that the world’s largest retailer has that kind of a record, and I refuse to support them.
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I have far, far too little money to wield any influence. I don’t buy Hormel products because of P-9, but since I rarely buy meat anyway, they’d hardly be likely to feel the effect. I buy most clothes and shoes used, so there’s little logic in checking the labels to see if they’re made in Bangladesh – it’s a moot point by the time they get to me.
I do like my credit union, which is a good thing, because if you’re going to be deeply in debt to someone – the sort of debt that amounts to indentured servitude – it might as well be an organization you like.
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Okay, I’m a first-timer here, but this speaks to me. I have a short list. Walmart does not pay a living wage, has been on the list for discriminating against promoting women, and for that I just don’t shop there. Bonide insecticides contain the chemical that is killing the honey bees and they refuse to pull that chemical out of their products. Bees are dying and they don’t care. And lastly, Monsanto continues to market seeds that produce plants that do not produce new seeds, thus forcing farmers/gardeners to buy new seeds every year. They heavily market these seeds in poor countries and low-ball the price so that those are the most “economical” seeds and in some cases, they are the only seeds available.
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