Why am I glad that 2017 is the Year of the Rooster in the East Asian Lunar Calendar? Because I quickly found an image of a smirking rooster for this post. Thank U, Ariadna Ada Sysoeva/Shutterstock.com. Why did I want such an image? Read on, if U dare.
Despite not owning a gun, I sometimes shoot myself in the foot. It is a common tendency among progressives. Case in point: boycotting retailers like Walmart and Amazon that carry Trump-branded products w/o pushing them, not just boycotting the products themselves and those who push them. We continue with appropriate made-up names.
Consider a retailer, say Walazon, that carries several lines of women’s fashions, including IvankyPanky and Togs-4-Progs. The former is Trump-branded. The latter makes good stuff in union shops and donates 5% of operating profits to worthy causes.
Furious at Donald Trump’s travesty of a presidency, progressives want to hit him and his where it hurts. Some of us decide to boycott Walazon until they stop selling IvankyPanky clothes. It is more likely that we will hit us and ours.
Here’s why.
Suppose progressive women stop buying from Walazon. Kellyanne Conway and her ilk still buy IvankyPanky clothes (often from Walazon), while Walazon’s Togs-4-Progs sales dwindle. The computers and people who do data analytics at Walazon are interested in sales (not politics), at least during working hours. They notice that IvankyPanky is selling much better than Togs-4-Progs. Guess which brand gets the ax when management decides that Walazon is spread too thin.
On the other hand, suppose progressive women who like Togs-4-Progs continue to shop at Walazon, despite its willingness to sell IvankyPanky clothes to those benighted enough to buy them. Togs-4-Progs comes out with an edgy collection of T-shirts that display the words
TRUMP SUCKS
PUTIN’S
(in various fonts and trendy colors) over a picture of an arrogant smirking rooster. The shirts sell like ice cream in July. The computers and people who do data analytics at Walazon notice that Togs-4-Progs is selling much better than IvankyPanky, despite Kellyanne Conway blasting thru her credit limit. Guess which brand gets the ax when management decides that Walazon is spread too thin.
Want to make capitalist economies work more humanely? It might help to pay more attention to how they work, period.
Mellow Curmudgeon 
Tell it. This is the sort of in depth, non-reactionary thinking people need to adopt if they want their money to make a difference.
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Reblogged this on saywhatumean2say and commented:
My sentiments exactly. Well worth the light read and just because it is funny doesn’t mean you won’t have to think. ENJOY!
~~dru~~
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Thanks for the reblog.
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Excellent point. Something to think through.
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Amen!
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My sentiments exactly! I love the Grabyourwallet app! Personally, I’ve never been a fan of stores like Malwart. Not only because of the cheap stuff they sell, but also because of the way they treat and pay the employees. I’ll take a locally produced quality product any day of the week. I had to revise buying new dishes due to Macy’s selling IvankyPanky products. A friend actually got huffy with me over that!
I’ve always voted with my wallet because I do believe it’s the only way to get the attention of these money-hungry companies that put profits before people!
I’ve appreciated your posts on this subject very much. Keep up the good work, Mel! 🙂
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That’s an interesting point, Mel! I guess the main message here is that consumers have a great deal of power, but only if they consider their spending choices carefully.
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Reblogged this on Space, Time, and Raspberries and commented:
Use your brain as well as your wallet when protesting.
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Your comment sums it up really concisely. Thanks for the reblog.
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You are quite welcome. Thanks for the thoughtful post!
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This makes a great deal of sense. I didn’t shop at Walmart before (I don’t like the way they do business/treat their workers), but the Amazon thing really stung. The logic of this post is sound. If you continue shopping at a place, but don’t buy that product, they’ll more than likely remove it for not selling. It’s a better way to vote with your dollars. What a great breakdown!
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Yep, as a libertarian capitalist, I love this too. There is a great group called Sleeping Giants that focuses on Breitbart. Many digital advertisers just buy time and their ads are placed in on as many sites as possible. This group lets them know they can get their advertiser to block certain media outlets, such as Breitbart. They have cut over 1,200 and are smacking them hard in their pocket books. Bully for them too.
As always, Mel, thanks for the clarity and intelligence.
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Many thanks, especially for the link to another way to hit them where it hurts.
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