r/Anticonsumption • u/cacxte • Feb 16 '25

Discussion What’s the point in Boycotting?

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It seems like everyone forgot about standing against major corporations that eliminate DEl and supporting small businesses-only to turn around and go back a few days later for something like cheaper cake. What's the point of starting a movement if everyone abandons it so quickly?

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949

u/TightBeing9 Feb 16 '25

You know there is a possibility these aren't the same people who said they were boycotting something. Not "everyone" was saying they were gonna boycott.

You don't boycott something so others will go along with it, you do it because you personally don't believe in said organization

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u/Unlikely_Couple1590 Feb 16 '25

That's a big problem on the left, especially among us gen Zers. We see people on our perfectly curated social media timelines saying something and we equate that to everyone. It's why we were so bewildered when Harris lost in November and it's why we're scratching our heads over people not revolting in the streets over Luigi Mangione. We're the loud minority but assume we're the majority.

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u/TightBeing9 Feb 16 '25

Also don't forget people who'll say they boycott something and still use it. Shein and temu are ever growing companies. Doesn't really add up when you think about all the people claiming to boycott something lol

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u/_SovietMudkip_ Feb 17 '25

Or the people who "boycott" but weren't using it in the first place. Like I myself am "boycotting" Shein and Temu, but I never used them to begin with so that's not going to really do much.

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u/happytransformer Feb 17 '25

Exactly. I’ve been “boycotting” those sites for years but I’ve never actually purchased from them. The closest I came was making a cart on SHEIN in like 2016 when it was starting to become more popular in the US. A friend was looking over my shoulder when I was on the website and told me she heard the quality was atrocious and it was a waste of money, so I never ordered and still haven’t to this day.

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u/covenkitchens Feb 17 '25

This. I’ve never in my life entire had hormel or commercial grapes. Because when I was a kid there was a hormel strike and a boycott to support produce workers. I wouldn’t buy them. I’m not boycotting them, I've not had them. But I’ve been to a fuck ton of food shelves that spam. I was just lucky and got other food. 

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u/Unlikely_Couple1590 Feb 17 '25

Chick fil A too! I've had so many friends admit recently that they never stopped eating there. I see it on social media too. I figured already that it was the case since their sales never dipped and they're constantly growing but wow was it a shock to hear that people just lie

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u/Knoxism Feb 17 '25 edited Feb 17 '25

I personally don’t get the hype around chick fil a. I aint paying $8+ for a bland chicken sandwich.

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u/Unlikely_Couple1590 Feb 17 '25

Right! I make chick fil a at home and my family begs me to make it bc they like it so much better (I literally just season my chicken)

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u/Boo-bot-not Feb 17 '25

Well then let’s label people for shopping big box stores like we do buying cybertrucks. Apparently we gotta resort to pasta and sandwiches for most of our meals to make it happen cuz I can’t afford much else. We aren’t going to win the fight without losing something and giving up some. We have to execute the change we want to see. 

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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '25 edited Feb 24 '25

[deleted]

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u/KhalaceyBlanca Feb 16 '25

Every time people get mad about someone not speaking on whatever injustice is currently trending, I think about Kony 2012. All I saw was performative activism that didn't really do anything in the end and I was demonized for not making it my entire personality for the time it was trending.

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u/Bloodyninjaturtle Feb 18 '25

Hey. You are meant to engage in slacktivism and buy stuff related to it!

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u/Lil-Miss-Anthropy Feb 17 '25

We're the majority among youth. This is the next generation. Unfortunately, most voters have antiquated ideas because most are old generations who don't adapt to the new generation's ideas steeped in the growth and change needed for survival of the species.

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u/cpssn Feb 17 '25

90% of "youth" consumption is the same

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u/Unlikely_Couple1590 Feb 17 '25

Babe look at the poll results. Only 51% voted Harris and 47% voted for Trump. There's also lots of studies about how Gen Z is more conservative than the media lets on. Please don't let social media fool you. The conservatives among us just know to keep quiet about it so they don't lose their friends lol

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u/mwmandorla Feb 17 '25

I mean, yes you do boycott so others will go along with it? individuals deciding not to shop somewhere on their own initiative is not a boycott, it's a consumer choice. A boycott is an organized campaign intended to get big enough for it to actually affect somebody's bottom line and thus their choices or policies.

Which is to say that the initial phenomenon OP mentioned was never a boycott at all. It was calls for a boycott with no groundwork and no follow-through. Thus it's not surprising that nothing in particular is happening as a result. There are other reasons why boycotts don't tend to do well especially in the US, but that's not even relevant here because no serious boycott was attempted.