How important do you think our buying power is? I find I have more chance of changing society in my buying power than a vote once every few years for candidates that don't necessarily represent us. Trying to concentrate on using chemicals that don't kill people or the planet and foods and clothing that are produced ethically is a major concern for me. For example avoiding the Dirty Dozen in personal care products: [davidsuzuki.org]
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Buying power is an ineffective weapon for the most part. It can only work if a sufficiently large bloc of the population actually refuses to buy product instead of merely pledging to do so on the petition, but buying anyway. Fundamentalist evangelicals are using this tactic to force their agendas on businesses through organized boycotts prompted, funded, and energized by pastors from their pulpits, radio, television, and print/electronic media. They are also doing much the same at the political and legal levels. Sadly, they appear to be gaining ground in the political and legal arenas. Happily, businesses appear to be weathering their withering storm just fine.
There are effective boycotts in economics, but they are those that have sharp teeth and large numbers of real participants, like some of those in this next article:
I think it is obvious that if you want to push an agenda in American business, you need to have serious and committed participants who will see it through for however long it takes. Signatures on a page do not constitute existential pressure, but people who once shopped regularly at some targeted business refraining from doing so in large numbers can be effective in affecting a change.
evidentialist
Level 8
Apr 28, 2018
3
Actually, I don't expect my personal boycotts to matter any more than my vote does (which is nil in the south), BUT, we've seen companies make some pretty big shifts in response when enough people vote with their $, so I keep "voting" with my purchasing decisions.
Zster
Level 8
Apr 28, 2018
3
I think some people missed the point of this post. I don't believe it was meant as a "who else feels as though money in politics has corrupted the system" (which it totally has) so much as "how many people feel as though they actually have the option to "vote with their wallet" anymore.
gymnerd
Level 3
Apr 28, 2018
3
Well, the 1% use their buying power to purchase politicians. That's a more direct way. But your way sounds more accessible for guys like me.
zeuser
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
3
Yes there is that, unfortunately it's out of my price range!
@girlwithsmiles you have a lot of company there.
Note the boycotts of recent media figures and tge targeting of their advertisers with social media pressure. I think boycotts, even just potential boycotts, have a lot of impact.
ItsMeGaryLee
Level 4
Apr 28, 2018
3
We do not use our buying power the way we should! Boycotting a business is Powerful! There is no business I can think of that equivalents aren't readily available, so it is easy. If we Used our money, WeEwould have tremendous effects!
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
3
I've recently been finding that when a new product comes on the market, e.g. a vegan margarine, that it's not long after that a bigger company copies the product and it disappears from the shelves. This worries me. But yes, I agree with you.
@LetzGetReal Yes, I always like it when I see an ingredient list with things I'd eat anyway on it.
Sure. One thing that might have given Suzuki's list more punch was a list of preferred alternatives seeing as most of us aren't chemical engineers and such.
Hicks66
Level 7
Apr 28, 2018
2
That's true, I used to go to a great store in Brisbane, but it's a shame they're not worldwide.
@TheAstroChuck Well he did just that. Just that.
Couldn't agree more. I will always shop locally whenever possible because that money feeds directly into my immediate environment.
Gareth
Level 7
Apr 28, 2018
3
I too, practice this. Even if it's a little more...it's worth it.
@Freespirit64 In my business days I made it a point to put my business into local organisations, provided they gave me reasonably good service at an affordable price. Sometimes it wasn't possible, of course, as I live in a pretty remote area. Proudly printed on my publications was the slogan, supporting those who support our area.
A few things I do when shopping:
Buy locally whenever possible.
Shop at businesses that pay their employees a living wage and avoid the ones that engage in wage slavery.
Buy less of good quality products instead of more of poor quality products that don't last, cost more in the long run and wind up in our landfill sites.
Buy used items, it feeds back into your local economy and it is the reuse part of the 3 R's.
Local auctions are a great way to buy locally and it is a direct injection of cash into your local economy.
Minimize, the less you buy things that you don't really need the smaller the market for junk items becomes and the better utilized our natural resources.
Surfpirate
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
2
Ditto
Need a love option for this post <3
I try to my part. It's the best i can do, if we each do our best it does make a difference,
silverotter11
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
1
collectively it is great
But people do not generally work that way
Davesnothere
Level 7
Apr 28, 2018
2
But doesn't the rise of the Fair Trade logo and to a lesser extent Rainforest Alliance show that the people power for this type of awareness is growing?
@girlwithsmiles We have been boycotting products since the 70's
Corporations re-brand, re-name and rerelease the same damn products
Takes us YEARS to mobilize
Takes them minutes to adjust
In order for it to be truly effective it would need to be concerted and consistent and most of all ORGANIZED.
It is not, it is reflexive and gives birth to other corporate industries, like organics, which is as riddled with deceptive practices and outright lies and the standard fare, all justified by the mantra of the other side being a lying bastard.
@Davesnothere you mean these kinds of companies? [bkpk.s3.amazonaws.com] Yes, I guess it's difficult to stop all of the foulplay, but I do think it's worth a try at doing the, 'right thing'.
@girlwithsmiles And I do try
but we only have a real effect when it is concentrated and organized
For instance if someone discovers that product A is despicable
And millions of people stop using it, it has a direct impact
The problem is the speed of corporate response requires you to BE a 501 to react and keep that product boycotted.
For example
"The Federal Trade Commission and New York’s attorney general charged a company with fraud on Monday for selling a memory supplement based on a glowing jellyfish protein. Makers of a product called Prevagen are falsely advertising it as a memory booster, and falsely claiming the product can get into the human brain, the charges claim.
But the company pushed back hard, insisting its product is safe and calling the FTC is a “lame-duck” federal agency with heads who are about to be replaced by the incoming administration of president-elect Trump."
No valid independent research
All research is flawed and done by the corporation
BUT this is stalled by Trump
and I see it advertised daily
SO to effectively blocakde such a product you need a social media campaign to tell everyone its bunk, get them to understand its bunk and believe you.
THEN the company will simply change the name, and sell it to another label who will market it in the same demographic. This takes them days.
A response to that takes months.
You need to figure out what they did (if you do) and then start all over.
I believe collective boycott can work ... but Fair Trade is not really that fair 
Certainly better than nothing but falls short of some non fair trade products in some cases too .. It has in some cases (not all) become a way of marketing something fashionably "fair".
It's better than no fair trade but it falls very short of "fair".
Well I prefer it to not, but there are many more resources than before online to find out which products are ethical, which is good. I guess someone might improve on it, if they are ready to point out the problems, (that would be the logical next step!).
Companies are listening and changing their behavior. So yes, quite important. I work for a company that makes ingredients for personal care and pharma products so I see it from the inside.
TimWhitaker
Level 6
Apr 28, 2018
1
Cool 
When it comes to environmental causes, which I do care about, people have shown over and over (including myself, to be honest) that they might care about the environment, but their own tight budgets matter more immediately to them. The Walmarts and Amazon type ventures will always draw huge business, because many many people feel they are just scraping by financially. To say "I always buy local when I can swing it" is great, but also frustrating, because It reminds us that millions of other people CAN'T afford to be virtuous first and frugal second. For that reason, I believe being environmentally conscious also necessitates that we care about economic support of the masses of people who are struggling. Ooh, "socialism!" Scary concept to many. But it's actually important. It does NOT mean that wealth should be split up evenly to all regardless of effort or productivity. It DOES mean for planet-wide stability there needs to be some degree of basic social safety net. Otherwise, the desperation level of masses of people goes way up and environmental responsibility concerns go out the window.
I am also dubious about reducing the question to "vote OR boycott." Voting still matters, though I agree overall that economic pressure counts more.
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Apr 28, 2018
0
I agree...I hope I can find enought substitutes for all the products that the Koch Brothers sell!
Freedompath
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
1
Had to research them, I take it that as Bernie Sanders exposed them they were a bit dubious?!
I don't think mine really makes any kind of a difference. Sure, I shop local when I can swing it, but that isn't very often. Too broke to really expect my tiny purchases to even be noticed. Also, I don't boycott.
memorylikeasieve
Level 7
Apr 28, 2018
1
Surfactants is NOT a dirty category. All soaps are surfactants, that's how they work. However, some of the items on that list are pretty nasty. Paraffin (kerosene) removes the natural oils from within your skin (soaps tend to clean the surface, which is a good idea!)
Of course, the best answer is to avoid excessive use of make-up, followed by make-up removers.
Petter
Level 9
Apr 28, 2018
0
I may be missing something, but could you explain the jump from the below list to surfactants?
BHA and BHT
Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as “CI” followed by a five digit number
DEA-related ingredients
Dibutyl phthalate
Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
Parabens
Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
PEG compounds
Petrolatum
Siloxanes
Sodium laureth sulfate
Triclosan
@girlwithsmiles It is mentioned in the pre-amble text.
(Another observation is that, unfortunately, the post when taken in its entirety appears to be a plug for a particular line of products without those chemicals.)
@Petter ah, I see. Well there are many products that try to be safer, the list was just an example of potential nasties used. I've noticed some toilet cleaners that have, 'do not introduce to waterways/ dangerous to fish' warning on for example, which seems highly counter intuitive.
@girlwithsmiles Also, most modern soaps add sodium Lauryl Sulphate (English for what our cross-pond pals call sulfate). It is very difficult to find a brand without it, these days. Liquid soaps are the worst offenders.
Sometimes, of course, there are excellent uses, a case in point being the grease and oil soaked hands of a mechanic. Mix equal amounts of Teepol (a liquid detergent) or Fairy washing up liquid with paraffin (lamp oil, Kerosene) and shake the mixture vigorously. (if desperate use petrol, but that is really harsh!). The mixture will turn into a jelly, or sometimes a thick cream.
Put a little on your hands, rub them together well and rinse under a tap. The dirt dissolves away like magic. (The same mixture also removes grease stains from handbags and clothing, by the way.)
After rinsing your hands rub a little CLEAN oil into them, to compensate for lost oils in your skin. (Nivea cream is good.)
@Petter my shampoo has ammonium laureth sulphate in, and says it's plant derived, and my hand soap has anionic surfactant and nonionic surfactant. But not knowing that much about chemistry I just hope that's better than the other stuff. The first one does specify no Parabens, SLES and is biodegradable and the latter claims that they try to be environmentally responsible... so I guess I'm just hopeful that they're better than the average bear...so to speak.
@girlwithsmiles Point 1) "Plant derived" is a marketing ploy. For example, Strychnine is what gives Rhubarb its bitter taste. Sometimes almonds contain cyanide. Bella Donna (Deadly Nightshade) is a plant. Red Kidney Beans are toxic until they are properly cooked.
Point 2) Ordinary soap (originally made by boiling Potassium Hydroxide as found in wood ash with animal fat) is usually made today using Sodium Hydroxide (cheaper) and vegetable oil, (Usually Palm oil for cheapness). All varieties of soap are anionic surfactants, and are usually less ecologically harmful than the detergent based ones, since the presence of calcium or magnesium in water (Hard water) knocks them out. But don't tell the suckers who are rushing to pay extra because of our clever wording on the packet.
Point 3) Non-ionic surfactants are weird, in that they combine being water repellent at one end and water loving at the other end. They are generally more effective at low temperatures than at high ones. That recipe I gave you acts like a non-ionic surfactant. The kerosene, or petrol, does not mix with water. The detergent loves water. When the two are shaken hard together, they bind int a sort of non-ionic surfactant. (The ionic bit is about having a negative electron charge, anionic, or no electron charge, non-ionic, although it's more complicated than that, of course.)
Point 4) Everything is biodegradable, but some substances take millions of years to biodegrade. Note. Certain plastics, which were to all intents and purpose non-biodegradable, have now become food to a newly evolved strain of bacteria. There is an old saying in biology/zoology that if something can be eaten, there will, sooner or later, be something there to eat it. Now a strain of fungus is also discovering plastic to be a source of food - but the process is very, very slow.
Basically, take marketing claims with a strong dose of salt. They won't be oughtright lies, but...
You are absolutely correct. Our votes are made with every $$$ we spend. Politics is just a diversionary tactic to keep the people subdued and has no real value at all. Only rich people can even hope to become a candidate so it is rigged for certain. Our power is in our purchases. I think we should buy from our friends first, then locals and never big corporations because their bottom line is $$$ not people. Our buying power is HUGE and so are the jobs we choose to perform. As long as WE work for big corporations they will remain in power over us. We can pull the rug out from under their feet as a collective whole but it will not happen through politics.
CreativelyMe
Level 7
Apr 28, 2018
1
For me is very simple....if I can afford it (I have the money to spend) then I will spend it. Ain't gonna take it with me when I kick the bucket, will I?
IamNobody
Level 8
Apr 28, 2018
0
I only spend if I have to. Money is a medium buy which we do certain things. In that respect if gives me security. If I have no money then I have no security. You might be more happy with a new car. I'm OK with driving one that is 14 years old.
I decided to check your hypothesis: I selected a Lowe’s 5 gallon plastic bucket and, with my dog looking on in a bemused fashion, said “I hereby kick this bucket while holding my ice tea glass to see if I can take it with me up to the porch after kicking the bucket”. My dog arched her eyebrows in a skeptical manner but that did not stay my foot. I made contact with a loud bang and the bucket was propelled through the air for 10 feet. It was a sight of beauty and the dog barked in appreciation. Sadly my ice tea glass spilled almost all of it on the ground due to my concentration being affixed on my foot, not my hand holding the glass thus proving that you can’t take it with you.
@yamaha45701 ha ha ha.. hilarious dude !!! Love creativity, I just do
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