(no subject)

[ewt]

Is this real?

I'm getting pretty close to just giving up and boycotting goods made in the US. Except that all the manufacturing that actually makes profit there is done by 8-year-old girls in Thailand anyway, and there are some things I won't do without that I probably can't buy without some US involvement.

I don't boycott lightly or often; I figure it's better use of time and energy to focus on the good than to focus on the bad.

My brain is feeling very fragile. Brainhacking today was difficult and upsetting; I think reasonable progress was made but right now my brain is in the "OW STOP POKING ME" stage.

I think I shall buy a bowl of chips. Yes. Chips here are good, and potato products make everything better.


The rest of this evening:
My brain is a bit too fried for real work, but I'm going to try to sort out schedule-y stuff for next week's teaching. Many of my students are off school for Succot and as they're missing so many Sundays I'm going to try to get up on Thursday to do some teaching.

Tomorrow:
-horn lesson, then class, then meeting with S. re: Mammoth Project, then Horn Class. This is going to be a long and tiring day - I have hardly played at all this past week because of my hurty elbow, and while I think I'll get through okay, it's not going to be easy. I think I'd best get there early and do a long slow warm-up, then go to the library and find some music. I'm not going to have time to go home for lunch and I haven't been organised and packed one so I guess it's a Pie Day. MMmmm. Pie.
-laundry. I'm way behind on it at the moment.

Thursday:
-doctor's appointments in the morning (mental health update followed by cervical smear. I'm sure you can sense the unbridled joy); not worth going to Trinty beforehand so I'll have to go straight there afterward to practise. Possibly working on Mammoth Project the rest of the day, although I'd really like to make Thursday afternoons Sewing Time. If I'm not working on the project, I'll be doing some tidying, because I can't do any sewing until I've tidied anyway because there isn't anywhere to sew. Go me.
-more laundry.

Friday:
-In the morning, straight to Trinty to get some practising in.
-practising music for Suzuki school stuff on Saturday
-the Big Push with tidying; I want to make the living room presentable and the kitchen less cluttered. For the kitchen this is going ot mean taking everything off the surfaces, one at a time, cleaning the surfaces, and then putting things back/away (as sensible). For the living room... I'm not sure. I think I'll have to do 15-minute intervals or something.
-more laundry.

Saturday:
-Suzuki school. Possible pubbage (Porterhouse), but I really ought to get home and practise. Dinner party in evening.

Sunday:
-Gardening.

I've just been brought a bowl of chips. This place is heaven.

Comments

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Trouble is, boycotts only really work if a)there is a serious social movement behind them (e.g. South Africa, Nestle) b) there's a viable alternative and also you're actually sure that it will make an impact.

We had a devils advocate view in development studies that if the Thai factories closed and stopped paying out those wages, who actually benefitted, the Western crusaders or the THai workers?

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

PS that Bill won't survive.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I think there are enough people increasingly worried by US policy that there just might be a viable social environment for a boycott.

I'm not sure about an alternative, because I'm not sure yet what goods would be boycotted. It might be that it's just too hard for most people.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

But if I bought something from a sweatshop-free company that wasn't American Apparel instead of buying it from a place that uses sweated labour, I'd be supporting their business and providing an impetus (a very small one) for them to open more non-sweated factories and take the workers away from the sweatshop round the corner.

Ok, it doesn't quite work like that because a sweatshop in Thailand is a long way away from a community workshop in Rajasthan, but it pushes something in the right direction instead of contributing to my already huge pile of pushes in the wrong one.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying that article is definitely wrong, but I wouldn't automatically trust the interpretation of a website that seems to be a conspiracy theory (http://www.prisonplanet.com/911.html) repository.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

True, but the price is much higher. I've often pondered whether ethical shoping, even without the profit margins delbiertely being hyped because it's trendy, falls down on hard economics when it relies on people's abilities to pay. It's very middle class.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

There is that. I got the link from someone else on LJ. The BBC note that it could still be challenged in the Supreme Court.

The difficulty is that it's very difficult to know which bits of media are being paranoid/sensational and which are not.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Doubt it. In a perfect domino effect world, boycotts work because it puts sufficient Americans out of work or about to be out of work that they can lobby their congressman to vote against such legislation, and that sufficient congressmen will do so. Afterall these voters put the policy-makers there in the first place.

However, the average American worker will simply turn around and lobby for retaliatory measures. Indeed, it is more likely that Congress will simply pre-empt the jobless hordes knocking on their doors and introduce the legislation in the first palce. We saw this in 2003 when the US and the EU came to blows over various tariff issues.

Of course, Capitol Hill does not control foreign policy, the president does and the Americans only vote once in four years for that.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Don't accept things from a single source as read - the BBC learned that one the hard way.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

If you boycott american products does that mean no Macbook?

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

It's getting better though. Five years ago I remember ethical alternatives being twice the price of chain-store products; now they're often about the same for clothing. Foods are still a bit different.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

I'm quite clean on teh Cleaning at the moment. Although not this evening because I'm knackered.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

Well, it doesn't work if you want to buy stuff stuff stuff all the time, but then neither does ordinary shopping. What I've seen isn't substantially more expensive than ordinary high street shops. If one is so strapped for cash that one cannot afford those prices, one can take a different ethical solution and purchase clothes in charity shops, get an allotment (these are cheap, although one may have to wait a while) and grow one's own veg, learn to forage, and so on to make the money go further. Or just not eat so much chocolate or coffee or banananas or rice; there's a lot to be said for eating local.

Life is expensive. If I buy something new very cheaply, I expect that either it will be very poor quality or someone somewhere is suffering for my thrift. The richness of material goods we enjoy in this country is not realistic; it's not something that can be globally attained, it isn't sustainable. We like the lie that we arne't taking more than our fair share, we like the illusion that the monetary price of things actually reflects the true cost in human and environmental terms, but we're wrong.

My main problem at the moment is trying to find ethical clothes that fit. Long Tall Sally don't make any point of being fairtrade, and everything else is too damned short, and I really, really need to learn to sew much better, because there is enough fairtrade/recycled fabric around that I could solve this.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I don't know. This is the problem with trying to boycott a country, especially one with fingers in all the pies; the scope is too large.

Are there any laptop companies that will make something that Doesn't Suck, and don't have any American market?

If there's no alternative then I may as well go with what best suits my needs.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

Asking if it's real does not denote acceptance.

The boycott idea is not based on this alone, but on lots of other stuff that has been happening.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I've just realised I left half my washing-up, and my laundry is in the washing machine. Sorry.

Please help yourself to scones though.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

Where is laundry basket hiding?

Bad day for scones.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

The process is called internalising the real cost of the item, something economists have spent decades busily trying to externalise from the item, the obvious example being the passing on of VAT to the customer. What the ethical movement is effectively doing is returning the cost margin back to the user.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, but I'm extremely sceptical that boycotting is the only tactic available, and is it actually going to target those who make the decisions or those who put them there or those who didn't want them there in the first place? Were those who voted in the majority to elect those leaders right in doing so? Was that result legitimate if that was the democratic wish f the people, and yet that wish was ethically wrong?

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

Um, in front of washer, I think.

Scones are not particularly sweet, and one would fit on the edge of a plate, I think...

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

1) I'm not sure Bush was actually elected.

2) A lot of the lobby money comes from large companies which sell products.

I don't propose to change people's votes by a boycott, but something which tips the economic balance differently can affect policy.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

(and I haven't decided on boycotting yet anyway; it may be that the target is simply too wide)

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

If you want a worthwhile personal boycott, consider thrift stores and second-hand shops. It's a way to make further use of an already-manufactured good, while keeping your money away from clothing manufacturers, while helping save the environment.

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

But the companies will simply cut costs to maintain the profit margin, ie workers. In regard to 1) there were plenty of votes and the margin last time round was a lot more convincing.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I do this already.

I can't buy food second-hand though ;P

[crankles.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't boycott all American products. I think someone else mentioned this above - it's probably more effective to support and encourage ethical/ecological American companies, and boycott the rest. That's not exactly a "boycott" in my mind, but more of a way of living.

Actually ... you got me thinking about how I do my shopping. I tend to go to thrift stores first (I know you do, too), and then if I can't find what I need or buying used isn't a feasible/safe option, I go online and research, looking for local sustainable companies. If that fails (and yeah, sometimes I simply can't afford it), I do what I can. I am not perfect about this, but getting better.

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

Organic, locally grown, fair trade, urban foraged.

You already do a lot of the above, I'm sure. You can't reduce yourself to nothing. We are all interdependent.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do a lot of the above.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I've actually been very unclear in the post. I guess what I mean is that where "made in the USA" might have previously made me think, "okay, half-decent work conditions compared to a lot of the world," now it's going to make me think, "argh! crazy dictatorship, try not to support the industry that props it up!"

and even that is a gross oversimplification.

[crankles.livejournal.com]

No, that makes sense - I can't help thinking the same thing and I am an American. Years ago, I might have told you "Don't boycott unless you want Americans to be laid off and suffer." But as you pointed out, so many so-called American manufacturing jobs are not held by Americans. "Made in the USA" means nothing anymore unless you do the research to back it up.

I still believe in doing research before buying whenever possible - I think that's the best choice overall, no matter what your political ideals are.

Good thing you are Canadian/Londoner ... you won't get tossed in a secret prison for questioning our prez. I hope.

[devvie2.livejournal.com]

BUSH IS A FUCKING TERRORIST!!!! *slips on the blindfold and gets ready to be shot*

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Bush is a fucking terrorist! *flips safety off and waits for the marines*

[redcountess]

I just looked on Google news and even the "moderate liberal" news analysis sites like Huffington Post and Slate are very concerned about the legislation getting through and the Supreme Court not being able to reject it.

[redcountess]

It would be possibly more effective to urge all USians of your acquaintance to register to vote for the midterm elections in November (if it's not too late), and cast an anti-Republican vote.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

It was.

I took your advice and wedged one on the edge of a plate :)

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

I don't know about "no american market", lots of far eastern laptop manufacturers though.

Of course that'd mean windows, which is very clearly American...

[exmoor-cat.livejournal.com]

Bingo. Have reminded Mrs Cat to ensure her voting is cast on time, as hers is an endangered Democrat in SC>

[403.livejournal.com]

I'd like to boycott the U.S. as well. By moving out. (Working on that, bit by bit..)

[wildcelticrose.livejournal.com]

Imagine how badly is sucks to LIVE here.

I didn't vote for the moron.

He's an embrassasment.

Unfortunatley, there isn't another country that will take me...

[pouts]

[qadira.livejournal.com]

The USA is a net importer, not exporter. It would be more economically reasonable to get other countries to not send stuff here, if you're looking for a way to pressure our insane government.

It was with alarm that I read the news of that bill passing- and then incidents such as random road checkpoints throughout the nation (allegedly to catch drunk drivers, but loudly praised when they catch illegal aliens). I feel as though many citizens are blind to the parallels between our government's moves and those of Hitler.

I studied German in highschool, and my favorite substitute teacher was a German immigrant. She'd lived by the lake on the southern German border, and recalls times when they were in blackout, and could see the lights across the lake (Switzerland?). The memorable thing she talked about however, was how they as average citizens had little idea of what was occuring in other parts of the country.

One thing we have going for us now is the relatively quick and easy spread of information, thanks to such things as the Internet. It's no shock to me that certain elements in political office want to curb people's internet freedoms.

I'm rather cynical about the government of this nation, but for all that, the people can be pretty decent- especially when they get truth instead of lies.

It would be a grand thing if we had a world free from this sort of mess, wouldn't it?

[devvie2.livejournal.com]

hahahaha...much better idea. :D

[(Anonymous)]

Most Americans barely (if at all) know where (or what) the UK actually is. A boycott would be completely futile -- no one here would ever hear about it, and economically speaking it really would just be a drop in the ocean. The local news channels are mindbogglingly crap, with even the best of them basically coming across as a cross between TV Quick and Hello magazine. On the other hand, Bush is on his last legs. Two years and he's out. What's more important is that congressional elections are happening a month or so from now, which is why he's trying to ram as much legislation through congress as possible while he still can -- the writing on the wall is that, after the election, he's not got a chance of doing that.

The scary thing is that rumours of an 'October surprise' are going around at the moment; basically that something moderately spectacular and probably unpleasant for quite a lot of innocent people will be stage managed within the next month ahead of the election. The North Korea bomb test thing is a possibility, but people have also talked about an Iran invasion. Nothing terribly good will come of it, so I'm very much hoping that rumours are just rumours.

The web site you linked should probably be read with quite a large pinch of salt, however -- it's not exactly even handed. However bad the legislation might be, it's quite another matter here to actually make it stick for any length of time. Unlike the UK, the US has mechanisms for judicial oversight such that bad laws can be thrown out, which is probably why the wording of this legislation tries to block that route. However, in practice, what is likely is that Bush will be very much sidelined toward the next election to give his successor room to manoevre in terms of campaigning, and that any new government (of whatever party) would most likely stamp on the worst excesses of the previous administration's legislation. In the mean time, it's not nice, but it's likely to be temporary.

Of course, the federal government pays my wages, and the US military part-funded my PhD, so my perspective is maybe a little different. My impression is that there are a lot of people trying to do the right thing here for all the right reasons, but the current administration are probably not really doing the place any favours right now.

(Sorry for the anon, I don't want this comment to be googleable. I'm pretty sure you know who I am, however!)

[tijntje.livejournal.com]

BUSH IS A FUCKING TERRORIST!!!!

Yikes, does that imply he's spawning?

[timeplease.livejournal.com]

bowl of chips

They're listed on the menu as "hand-cut", but he insists on using a knife...

Hello, by the way - I remember seeing you in the corner when I staggered in drunk last night, but I didn't really talk much... the monthly pubwatch meetings get quite boozy.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

My inclination is that China (People's Republic of) is way higher up the list of states to boycott on human rights grounds - America sounds like it's getting pretty bad, but it's nowhere close to where China already is. OTOH, avoiding all Chinese stuff is near-impossible, but it's worth trying.

[rzigweid.livejournal.com]

I make no excuses for what the country in which I reside is doing. I think what they've been doing since even before 9/11/01 is rather atrocious, though it's gotten significantly worse sense then.

Whether or not one believes in the government the founding fathers of the country created, what exists now is, IMHO, a mockery of it. A great deal of the legislation that has been passed, serves largely, to erode that initial model.

Was the initial model perfect. Of course not. Sometimes it's important to change things about the way a government works. The world has evolved, so must governments in order to govern properly.

What makes this particular regime different from many others, (though I doubt all) is there has been a massive power grab by one of the three branches, in a fashion that greatly disrupts the checks and balances that are put on it.

What I'd like to see..and I doubt I will in my lifetime, is a strong third party step up. It would need to be, in some fashion, significantly different from the two that are currently in control. The Democrats and Republicans spend a lot more time disagreeing with one another just to disagree than about important issues. On too many issues they are saying the same (and wrong) thing.

Okay, i'm rambling now. I'll shadup

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

I keep my counsel on much of what I see from this side of the Atlantic. But the move to abridge the Geneva Conventions places American Marines - indeed, all Americans in the line of fire - in grave danger if they are ever captured.

No coincidence then, that it is being rammed into law by a man who used his aristocratic privelege to avoid serving in Vietnam.