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Retailers don't give a shit about nobody buying anything on a particular day, if they're all back the next.
This is a stupid idea.
I mean the point of it isn't to deprive retailers of one day of profits altogether, it's to show how much a sustained refusal to shop would hurt them. Whether or not it's effective depends on how many people participate.
I don't think it's going to be effective, but I'm not going to be the reason it's not. I can pick up my dish soap tomorrow
Another thing it does is helps people realize what power they have, even if one day of boycotting has zero impact on the economy or businesses. It gets those people who are participating started taking action, and thinking about their actions in the context of politics.
It's a very easy first step, and if people find that they can do a day, maybe they'll be okay with trying a week next time, or maybe showing up at a town hall seems easier. This is arguably more about getting people involved in the movement than actually sticking it to the corporations/oligarchy. That will come. But asking people who live paycheck to paycheck to boycott corporations for more than 2 weeks would be a huge ask without building up to it first.
This. It gets people used to the idea and shifts the Overton window of protesting, if you will. It's only the conservatives over on lemm.ee that don't like that idea.
Yeah, this is basically a trial balloon. How many people can we get to do this thing? Then, once you know, organize something that packs a bit more punch.
I don't knock the fact that things need to be done, but a general strike would be more effective if you want them to notice what an economic blackout would look and feel like. No company is looking at profits at a one day scale, so point blank, no one up top is going to see any effect from this. The fact people are still going to get what they need, but just on a different day means the only ones who noticed this or were affected by it were the ones who participated not the rich fucks getting paid tomorrow instead of today. We need to work towards tangible goals that have something that can be measured and affect real change, not cause more people to feel apethic when their efforts go unrewarded.
I mean the point of it isn’t to deprive retailers of one day of profits altogether, it’s to show how much a sustained refusal to shop would hurt them. Whether or not it’s effective depends on how many people participate.
yeah but its not a question of whether or not it would hurt them, the answer is yes, you cant make money if people don't buy shit.
Weird little story, but i've never seen a company do any sort of accounting for this kind of problem.
"That's not going to do anything" They said, sitting on their asses, doing nothing, while others fought for change.
You can find this style of argument in virtually all discussions about protests and about whether they are okay or even effective.
Idk & idgaf, but you can't deny, that this makes the whole issue a lot more visible than just doing nothing.
First, not going shopping for one day isn't "fighting for change", it's doing the bare minimum to feel like you're actually doing something.
Second, boycotts work, absolutely, but this isn't a boycott. This won't affect the overall sales numbers of these stores, just move them to a different day.
Finally, what are their demands exactly?
you can't deny, that this makes the whole issue a lot more visible than just doing nothing.
Yes I can. Because what fucking issue is this about? What are the goals this protest is trying to achieve?
Making a fuss about nothing, and doing nothing with any lasting effect, is not a protest.
Not only that but I haven't seen a single actionable demand by the advertisements for this campaign. It's a hollow, confused threat that simply doesn't make sense.
Ironically I haven't spent money anywhere today but that's just because I spend most of my life trying not to pay giant chain retailers.
If someone wanted this campaign to work they would have united the whole thing under a banner or a brand, declared that this was not the first protest they would be staging, say something like: "this is only a threat, if companies don't do X in 3 months we will organize a week-long blackout. Then if they don't do anything after that week-long blackout we'll do another one for two weeks or a month."
That makes sense. That's negotiation and it's how you demonstrate the power the people hold.
The X should be something policy-based and actionable. It can be a huge sweeping demand but it has to be actionable. It should not be a laundry list of long term demands. Then, when you get that first demand met you can delay action and keep pushing later since you've proven the tactics work.
Compare that to what this protest is doing. It's pretty far-cry.
I haven't seen a single actionable demand by the advertisements for this campaign.
That is also a massive issue I have with this. What, exactly, do you want?
Its not a bad idea on its face. A sudden and sizeable shift in public economic activity on a given day would be meaningful if it could be invoked to put on pressure at strategic moments.
But "collective inaction" isn't enough. I might have taken this more seriously if they were paired with pickets. Perhaps for a reason more explicit than "We're generically unhappy!" Or if they came from someone I actually know, rather than a graphic plastered on my computer screen.
These seem like political action cosplay. If you're not in a movement and you're not using this time to coordinate further actions... hell, you're not even asking where this meme came from or who authored it... then what are you doing? How is this different than Valentine's Day, where you see a bunch of memes that tell you to go out and spend extra money? Who are you sticking it to?
That's the other reason I dislike this idea, "we're generically unhappy" isn't really going to change hearts and minds.
You need a specific, actionable goal if you want something to actually change.
Boycott the companies that ditched their DEI initiatives until they bring them back.
What if my actionable goal is crashing the broken economy that's burning our planet?
Buy fertiliser and diesel.
Everyone knows that puts you on a list
That's not true, companies are plenty worried about this sort of thing. Look at how Bud light panicked over the kid rock boycott. If he can do it, anyone can.
I have no idea what you're talking about here, what happened with Kid Rock?
He boycotted Bud Light because they did a promotional campaign that included a trans influencer on instagram. The stock fell 20% and basically made LGBTQ-related promotions a no-go for corporate America since.
if they’re all back the next.
Don't worry, nobody is going to buy anything on February 29 either.
I already minimize the amount of money I spend on superfluous shit and I'm going to need food sooner or later. 🤷