boycotting

[zaoman32]

I posted this on my facebook, but I'm not sure if I'll get any response, or if it will just overly offend people because they see it as more of a statement then a question, but here it is

I mean no offense by this, it's just an honest question...Why do so many Christians feel the need to boycott something just because it grates on their beliefs? How does bringing harm and boycotting someones job and livelihood speak love and act as a witness?

 

[zeroturbulence]

Do you mean like a tv show? Boycotting is a way of showing the world how much you care about your principles. So when enough people do it, it sends a strong message to whoever is being boycotted. The goal isn't to cost someone their job, its to change the thing which that company is doing that is offensive.

 

[arwen83]

Can you give a specific example Zao?

 

[leelee]

I think we should treat situations as opportunities as opposed to a boycott, if God is for who can stand against you? Not even the enemy can stand against God.

 

[zaoman32]

for instance, a rumor started about Pepsi putting out a can with the american pledge on it, only leaving out the words "in God we trust". The whole thing was garbage, but people I knew were constantly putting the story on facebook anyway and urging people not to buy pepsi products because of it. Another example is something with Starbucks. I think they stated they support gay rights or something like that, I don't know.

If someone doesn't want their money to go into supporting those companies fine, don't put money into them. I guess I just feel like it's kind of hateful to urge others to do the same, and try to put companies out of business. We don't live in a world that's predominately christian, so why should we expect others to uphold christian values they don't believe in?

 

[zeroturbulence]

Oh facebook lol! I wouldn't take anything on facebook too seriously.

One example of a boycott is when the LGBT community called for a boycott of Chik-Fil-A restaurants after the CEO referenced the bible about marriage being between a man and a woman. It backfired like crazy but they did try.

Christians boycotted the tv show GCB (Good Christian Belles) which portrayed young christian women as manipulative, backstabbing and judging. The show was shortly cancelled.

 

[zaoman32]

It just seems like christians jump on it way to quickly and easily without even thinking about what their doing. What's someone who's not a christian supposed to believe when they see that coming from a christian friend?

 

[MissCris]

I think...

A lot of people like the feeling of being oh so "righteous". And they get that feeling from finding some sort of a cause; so when one pops up, like the Starbucks thing, people hop on the bandwagon and get all riled up over things that, ultimately, don't really matter. I mean, there are people who really do feel strongly one way or another about a topic, and there's nothing wrong with standing up for your beliefs- when you really believe in something; not just because you want some kind of crusade to make yourself look good.

(I should have used that on my thread! Drat!)

But no, I don't find it to be a very Christ-like attitude to basically ignore a business into shutting down (unless what they were doing was actually something worth standing against).

The town I live in put an entire family out on the streets and ran them off simply by boycotting their business, and the reason for it? The owner of the business stated openly that he didn't like "church people". He explained that he had often felt belittled by several members of the community who regularly attend the small church here.

A few people took it to mean he hated Christians, they spread the word, and even though the man ran the only business of its kind for 30 miles (restaurant), all of the locals stopped going there, and within a couple of months, he was out of business and scrambling to find a place for his family to live.

Yeah, the guy messed up by saying that kind of thing, but then, so did everybody else by treating him that way.

 

[seoulsearch]

This is a good point, Zao. I've read about Christian groups who have boycotted Disney because of the fact that Disney has so many gay employees and offers them the same rights and benefits as straight couples (so I've read.)

Well ok, I understand it and all but...

Good luck with that. *exits the thread in a pair of Mickey ears*

However, I will say that I have sometimes decided not to buy certain clothes from certain places/brands because they put out ads supporting abortion, etc. But, it was my own personal choice that I'm not trying to force on anyone else. It's just that at the time, I didn't feel comfortable buying merchandise from a company with a pro-abortion ad in the current magazines.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Boycotts are always that way whether its christians or gays or some minority doing the boycotting. I think everyone has that inner desire to stand up against something that they think is an injustice no matter how small.

 

[arwen83]

Oh I see. Yeah maybe I'm just indifferent about the whole Starbucks. Frankly, I couldn't care less that they support gays. I really don't care. They aren't hurting anyone. It's their stance on it and that's fine. Everyone is free it have their opinion regardless if I believe it right or 'Christian'. What's the purpose boycotting it, what will it prove? Will Starbucks suddenly go back on their stance because arwen decided to boycott it. Come on! It's like saying 'I'm not gonna be your friend because your opinion is different than mine'.

 

[zaoman32]

I think MissCriss brought up a good point, people doing it just for the sake of feeling righteous, or doing something that's worth something. And Seoul, I think you had exactly the right approach, if you're not comfortable with it, don't invest in it, but that's not a reason to push others to do the same and make them feel bad if they don't like a lot of people do.

 

[arwen83]

P.s. I am bias because I love Starbucks and am currently in one drinking a cinnamon dolche latte frappacino, and enjoying very much

 

[zeroturbulence]

Oh I see. Yeah maybe I'm just indifferent about the whole Starbucks. Frankly, I couldn't care less that they support gays. I really don't care. They aren't hurting anyone. It's their stance on it and that's fine. Everyone is free it have their opinion regardless if I believe it right or 'Christian'. What's the purpose boycotting it, what will it prove? Will Starbucks suddenly go back on their stance because arwen decided to boycott it. Come on! It's like saying 'I'm not gonna be your friend because your opinion is different than mine'.

If 50,000 Arwens did it on the same day, then maybe they would.

 

[zaoman32]

P.s. I am bias because I love Starbucks and am currently in one drinking a cinnamon dolche latte frappacino, and enjoying very much

That sounds amazing....

 

[arwen83]

If 50,000 Arwens did it on the same day, then maybe they would.

I saw what you did there... 30,000 arwens just would not do it. 50,000 arwens would be more realistic

 

[seoulsearch]

I think it's fine to bring awareness to certain topics, ethical concerns, or practices. And in some cases, I can see where I myself would even agree with certain boycotts, but as a PERSONAL choice, NOT as something I would try to push on others.

What a lot of people forget, I think, is that just because they feel very strongly about an issue or are called to a certain area of concern, it does NOT mean that everyone else is, nor does it mean everyone else is wrong for NOT joining the bandwagon.

One thing I've come to realize, even about myself, is that God calls us all to DIFFERENT THINGS. Christians always feel they have GOD ON THEIR SIDE so they seem to feel especially righteous or just in demanding that EVERYONE ELSE see the way they do as well.

Now granted, some things ARE pretty absolute. But there are many, many other areas of life in which we are individuals with individual callings and tastes, and that doesn't give us the right to basically say, "IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE AS I DO/PROTEST WHAT I PROTEST/SUPPORT WHAT I SUPPORT/BEHAVE THE WAY I BEHAVE... GOD IS SURELY GOING TO STRIKE YOU DOWN AND YOU ARE GOING TO HELL."

Whether they realize it or not, people like that have missed the mark.

 

[MissCris]

Boycotting in America is generally an exercise in futility anyway...with the exception of boycotting small businesses, people generally get up in arms against some huge corporation that might notice a tiny little dip in profits for a few weeks, if that, thanks to the handful of people who actually even follow through with a boycott.

Also, I'm a fan of Starbucks' caramel frappucinnos.

 

[rachelsedge]

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with boycotting. If you have values that you want to stand up for, then by all means it's your personal choice on whether or not to support certain businesses. Just don't make a big deal about it. Here is what I mean:

Imagine this scenario. A group of your friends wants to go to Flannigans (I made that up, I have no idea.). Flannigans supports gays and abortion. Instead of loudly declaring to your friends "Well, I'm not going THERE. They do ____ and ____ and they will burn in hell for their sins! Why are we going there? You are all heathens!" (In so many words). Either politely ask if you can all go somewhere else, or just go and don't get anything. If someone asks, calmly explain that they support practices that you don't agree with. That could go into a deeper discussion of why you hold those values and could be beneficial to the person listening.

That's a way more respectful, loving way to go about it and is more likely to get people to actually listen to you.

Edited to add: In regards to Starbucks, I like their coffee but I prefer to support local coffee shops and businesses. But I'm not going to push that on anyone else, and that's the difference.

 

[zeroturbulence]

I saw what you did there... 30,000 arwens just would not do it. 50,000 arwens would be more realistic

I figured Starbucks probably wouldn't notice a one-day revenue loss or $120,000 but might feel some pressure with a loss of $200,000 (assuming the average customer spends $4 there).