As I am sipping on my 'fair traded, environmentally friendly, and worker supported" coffee this morning I am thinking about boycotts and the complexity of being a consumer in today's politically explosive marketplace.
I actually got a chuckle out of Ivanka and Cheeto posing with Goya products proclaiming how great they are. I suspect Ivanka wouldn't know how to open the can, and if she did, what you use pinto beans for anyway. I kind of bet she doesn't have a card file of family recipes, especially ones that call for chick peas. Of course, Cheeto is probably a closet gourmet chef and uses Goya products all the time when he invites Vlad over for tacos. All this reminds me of how tough it is being a consumer today.
I think there is a market for a new app called "boycott bingo" or something like that. I need a list of the products and services that are currently being boycotted. Of course it must contain the date started and if it is still active. Who pushed the button, why we are boycotting it, and of course, do I have alternatives? I would hate to boycott Eli Lilly and go into diabetic shock because I can't get my Novolog. It might also rate effectiveness and when it is suppose to end. It would be cool if it listed "A- Listers" supporting the 'cott, because I like to be cool and get on board with Meryl Streep, but probably don't give a damn about the AFLAC duck. We need to sort the list by category, e.g., places, services, type of product, type of boycott, etc.
The truth is that I can't keep up anymore. Maybe it is this creaky brain, but it seems that almost everywhere I go, I need to avoid buying or acquiring the services of someone or something. Is it OK to buy Dixie Chick stuff? Can I watch the NFL again? Will I be laughed at with a Nike swoosh on my shirt? Can we watch The View anymore? Is it OK to book a trip to South Africa - after the pandemic, of course. How about Hobby Lobby? Crap, now that I think about it, I didn't shop there anyway. What about Brawny paper towels? Are their owners, the Koch Brothers still in the doghouse? Can I go to confession or is the RC church still on the religious services boycott list? Has BP paid their dues yet for the Gulf oil spill? Can I go to Tom Cruise movies yet? I could go on all day with my list, so you can see why I need a boycott app.
When I worked for a living, yo those many years ago, we had a computer list called the "Denied Parties List" or DPL for short. It listed all the companies/products we were not suppose to buy from or use. It was generally based on legal reason, e.g. export license violations, environmental infringement thingies, export license restrictions, etc. Sometimes it covered engineering or product performance issues. The point is that you always checked the DPL if you were negotiating a buy. Maybe my boycott bingo will be the new DPL for use haggard consumers and we will always be assured of being politically correct.
On that note, I'm having another cup of environmentally friendly coffee.