The power of boycotts; The Ink, March 31, 2025

 Anand Giridharadas, The Ink; The power of boycotts

"Elon Musk’s feelings are hurt. His companies are suffering.

Weird, coming from the guy who denounced empathy as Western civilization’s “fundamental weakness.” While a little needling by Tim Walz about Tesla’s plummeting share price may have set him off, the real pain point is the #teslatakedown movement, which this past Saturday put on a worldwide day of action.

Folks on the right like to complain about boycotts. They’ve called them illegal. They’ve tried to intimidate those who’d dare use their economic power. They’ve threatened to criminalize the very idea. They’ve commingled peaceful calls for investors and shoppers to withhold their hard-earned dollars with acts of vandalism, and have tried to paint the entire movement as terrorism. But, as you might expect, accusations are confessions: what far-right political figures mean when they denounce boycotts is that they want to decide who gets boycotted.

So what is it that scares the guy who wants to privatize everything? Members of the public, exercising their private power to decide, and doing it collectively (Musk famously hates that whole collective thing). Because when that power is clearly targeted and well organized, it gets results. Maybe it’s the sheer gumption of speaking truth to power in its native language — money — that pains Musk. But that’s the free market, isn’t it?"

Musk Retweets ‘Hitler Didn’t Murder Millions’ Message Amid Ongoing Nazi Controversy; Forbes, March 13, 2025

Antonio Pequeño IV , Forbes; Musk Retweets ‘Hitler Didn’t Murder Millions’ Message Amid Ongoing Nazi Controversy

"Tesla chief and presidential adviser Elon Musk shared a post Thursday that said public sector workers, not Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, murdered millions of people, marking the billionaire’s latest Nazi-related post as he and his electric vehicle company face continued backlash and boycotts as critics say his embrace of right-wing politics is veering more extreme."

Trump, an E.V. Naysayer, Gives Tesla and Musk a White House Exhibition; The New York Times, March 11, 2025

Tyler Pager, The New York Times; Trump, an E.V. Naysayer, Gives Tesla and Musk a White House Exhibition

[Kip Currier: Elon Musk and Donald Trump are on public record for having uproariously laughed like juvenile school boys when talking about firing workers in 2024.

In 2025, they've been similarly gleeful about their efforts to fire thousands of gainfully employed workers who are providing services to the American people and the world. 

Trump and Musk have been utterly indifferent to the economic needs of single workers and workers with spouses and children, many of whom have childcare costs, mortgages, and older parents to look after. Workers with spiraling groceries -- including eggs -- to pay for, student loans to pay back, and illnesses and medicines covered by healthcare, who are being summarily terminated from their jobs and losing that medical care (see here and here and here).

Losing their jobs is no laughing matter to these workers and their families.

Now, when Tesla sales are cratering (see here and here and here and here and here), Musk and Trump want you to buy Musk's cars, as this New York Times article reports today. A photographer at the White House-held Tesla endorsement/advertising event even captured a photo of the handwritten note Trump carried, which Business Insider said "read like a sales pitch"; some legal experts have suggested these actions violate the Hatch Act. 

Trump and Musk want you to forget how they're gutting government services that taxpayers depend on and destroying the lives of thousands of middle and lower class workers and persons in need.

The only thing that billionaires like this will notice is when the People stop buying their products.

That gets their attention.

That gets them upset and angry enough to falsely claim that boycotts are illegal.

That causes them (some degree of) pain. If nothing else, at least to their asset portfolios, net worths, and unchecked egos.

We the People have the power to say No to their 21st century Gilded Age.]

[Excerpt]

"President Trump hosted an exclusive car show at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.

The only company represented: Tesla. The only purpose: helping Elon Musk.

With Tesla facing a backlash over Mr. Musk’s role in the Trump administration, the president said he wanted to buy one of the company’s electric vehicles. But Mr. Trump, always a salesman, did not just want to purchase a car. He wanted to hawk it and help out his friend, who also happens to be Tesla’s chief executive."

Consumers are planning a one-day economic blackout on Feb. 28. Here's what to know.; USA TODAY, February 26, 2025

Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY ; Consumers are planning a one-day economic blackout on Feb. 28. Here's what to know.

"Consumers are preparing for a 24-hour economic blackout on Friday, one of several boycotts planned by groups of consumers or activists to protest what they call corporate greed, companies that have rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs since taking office.

On Friday, those groups are encouraging consumers to not spend any money anywhere for one day. If they have spend, they are encouraged to buy from a local business. 

Why do organizers seek a spending boycott?

The organizer of the boycott goes by TheOneCalledJai on Instagram, but his real name is John Schwarz. He told USA TODAY he started the “bold” idea because the time was right and people are frustrated with what he calls corporate greed and other frustrations.  

Professors have told USA TODAY that boycotts can be successful in shaming a company into reversing decisions or taking action, but they don't always work. There needs to be clear actions outlined, they say. But consumers do like being able to take action against something they feel strongly about."

More advertisers drop Laura Ingraham's Fox News show despite apology to David Hogg; Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2018

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times; More advertisers drop Laura Ingraham's Fox News show despite apology to David Hogg

"Ingraham is often the fourth most-watched program in all of cable news with about 2.6 million viewers nightly.

Ingraham's apology came quickly, considering that Fox News commentators have typically resisted backing down when under attack for their controversial statements. But the support and sympathy for Hogg and other Parkland students has prompted advertisers to continue to bail from her program.

Hogg did not accept Ingraham's apology. He told the New York Daily News on Friday that Ingraham will have to admit she slandered his classmates in her coverage of their gun protests....

Ingraham said at the end of her Friday program that she will be on vacation with her children next week. Fill-in hosts will appear on "The Ingraham Angle" in her absence."

[Podcast] Baltimoreans To Businesswoman: Not So Fast, Hon; NPR, 1/3/11

[Podcast] Jamie Tarabay, NPR; Baltimoreans To Businesswoman: Not So Fast, Hon:

"The word "hon" has been part of Baltimore, Md.'s lexicon for decades, and it's an inherent part of the city's working-class roots.

But now locals have learned their favorite term of endearment has been trademarked for commercial use by a local businesswoman, and some are protesting the co-opting of what they say is a "Baltimore thing.""