A solution to the problem of why boycotts don't work

Throughout history, we've had boycotts.

I'm not going to rehash the boycotts that have brought about significant change because they are many and they are outlined quite well on the following blog.

http://boycott-thieves.blogspot.com/

Instead, I offer "the other side" to the story of boycotts and this blog but I also offer a solution.

Quite simply, in today's economy, the mega-corporation is all but immune to such activities. Here's why.

Let's use the example of Exxon/Mobile, the subject of the boycott in the above mentioned blog.
Let's assume for a minute that we were to affect 25 percent of E/M's consumer (gas sold at the pump) business and that we were able to sustain it for a full year. That would be an immensely successful boycott.

But it would still only affect a small portion of E/M's gross sales. They likely sell their refined gas to commercial ventures where it is sold under another name, etc. For argument sake, let's say that affects only a small percentage of sales and only reduces the overall effectiveness of the boycott to, say 20 percent.

That's still a pretty deep cut. Even enough to hurt a mega-corp like E/M.

What do mega-corps do when they take a hit like that?

They don't fire the CEO and probably won't even fire any upper management types. Instead, they cut the guys on the bottom and they do it by the thousands (because it takes so many of them to make a difference).

That's right, they have a big lay off.

In a way, it makes sense because they are selling less so they need to refine/produce less, distribute less, etc. -- all those things done by the people on the bottom.

Of course, that is not the result we want because it doesn't affect the change we want to see from the boycott (although it could) and the mega-corp will be able to restructure to continue their profits with a smaller workforce.

Also, all of those people know other people. They will be a significant bloc of people working against the boycott.

So, what's the solution?

We have to pay for the privilege of setting an example of the mega-corp that is the subject of the boycott. We do that by asking those who participate in the boycott to also donate a small amount of money into a displaced worker assistance fund.

Using the E/M boycott example again: Boycott organizers can establish a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to process claims from displaced E/M employees as a result of the boycott. The details can be worked out later.

The concept is that for every fill up at another gas station, consumers can send in $1 to the assistance fund.

Ideally, consumers will seek out gas stations run by independent owners who also buy from more reputable sources (if such a thing exists). These independent stations can have envelopes at the pump where you can drop your check in for the last month's fill ups. Soon we'll be able to tell who the sympathetic stations are by the fact that they make the envelopes available.

:-j