Against the Boycotters

Have you ever been compelled, either through a public appeal, or by your own conscience, to boycott a particular company or product because of the owner’s political persuasion of theological beliefs? Throughout the years, I’ve been called upon:

1 – to abandon Disney movies (fine…I never really liked that rebellious little mermaid anyway!)

2 – to reject any product made by Johnson & Johnson (hey…who needs baby lotion, Tylenol or Band-Aids??)

3 – to avoid, at all costs, purchasing Heinz ketchup (no great loss…afterall, I prefer the tanginess of Brooks!) and…

4 – to refrain from drinking Starbuck’s coffee. NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE! This is getting to be a little ridiculous, don’t you think? Before you know it, we’ll be confined to consuming that which our own gardens produce and all manner of feasting, fun and frivolity will be strictly forbidden! Surely this calls for deep theological reflection and analysis.

Read the rest at She’s No Lady: Coffee, Ketchup & The Wealth of the Wicked.

2 thoughts on “Against the Boycotters

  1. pentamom

    This is very subjective, but my take on this has always been that if I learn something about a company that revolts me badly enough, I simply won’t WANT to buy their products. Not because I think it is some kind of “compromise” to do so, or because I want to “influence” the company, but because the very thought of using the product that I connect with some horrid circumstance disgusts me.

    Conversely, I never, EVER participate in a boycott simply because someone suggests it is the right thing to do. Now, the information I hear from someone in the course of that suggestion might lead me to the reaction I described above, but in that case, I am not “boycotting,” I have simply lost my desire for the product. There are, for example, a few Hollywood types whose movies I simply can’t enjoy anymore — and in some cases, their behavior is no objectively “worse” than some others, but I would really have to damp down my conscience not to be offended by the ones that I really cannot stand, and I don’t want to do that to my conscience.

    The very best antidote I ever read to the whole “Christian boycott” thing is Doug Wilson’s Credenda article, “McBaal’s.” I must say, though, I like She’s No Lady’s take very much also.

    Anyway, that’s all kind of a long response to a comment I read on She’s No Lady’s blog asking at what point a Christian just CAN’T participate economically with a really wickedly run company.

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  2. Jim Irwin

    If you read about what Mr. Kellogg (founder of same company) wanted to do to women you would definitely not “want” to buy any of their products. Add this company to your long list. I think many turn to boycotting because our so-called constitutional republic is broken–the politicians don’t listen to the people, so it is the only way, sometimes, to get the evil dogs (I mean politicians) to slightly notice what the people want. Of course, most of the time it doesn’t work, since the plutocrats don’t even notice your existence except to get more taxes out of you. But many try…

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