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The problem with this is that while it is easy to see that the success of large corporations with practices we disagree with creates the problem, it is harder t

The problem with this is that while it is easy to see that the success of large corporations with practices we disagree with creates the problem, it is harder to see how us stopping our support helps fix them. I boycotted Amazon for the better part of a decade over the one-click patent. Result: they lost some amount of money they didn't notice, I lost out on all the convenience and options. They changed nothing I was boycotting about. I boycotted Blizzard over the bnetd response for 5-10 years. Result: They lost out on me buying Warcraft 3. I lost out on playing WC3, on the related social activities, on being part of DOTA being born, etc. They changed nothing I was boycotting about. I revisited the boycott on blizzard after the Hong Kong mess, but this time I said I'd time box it if nothing seemed to be changing. Is this cynicism? My unwillingness top accept some minor inconveniences to be part of a group trying to prevent human abuse? Should I care that my efforts are unsuccessful if they are nonetheless the right thing to do? Maybe I shouldn't care about sacrificing but failing, but I do. And not just because I don't want the inconvenience, but because I want the problems to be fixed. Stopping the spread of soul-crushing (and in the case of warehouses at least, body-crushing) labor is GOOD, and way more important than promoting technological equality. I want success at this! If I'm making life harder and doing nothing to actually stop that, I want to shift my sacrifices to a more successful area. I just have no idea how. Right now my options are: Suffer a little without helping those that suffer a lot, or don't suffer while still not helping those that suffer a lot.

Sohcahtoa82 7y ago
I'm on a similar page with Comcast. I had problems with their service back in 2008. Long story short, my internet connection dropped frequently (20+ times per DAY), and not only were the techs unable to find the problem, but wanted to charge me for the visits since they assumed that it had to be a problem with my computer, even though it was the lights on the cable modem showing a loss of signal. After that debacle, I swore off Comcast and said I'd never use them again. I doubled down on this boycott as net neutrality debates heated up. But these days, my choices for Internet service are Frontier FIOS or Comcast. I'm on Frontier, paying $40/month for 30 mbps, but only get 20-25 mbps. They supposedly offer up to 500 mbps, but won't tell me what the off-promo pricing is. Comcast at least includes it in their fine print. Having only 30 mbps is starting to be a drag. I'm a gamer, and having to wait an hour or more to download a game that my friends are inviting me to check out is lame. I'm starting to consider Comcast, even though I hate them so bad.
jax2_BrianD 7y ago
While your efforts to boycott seem to be coming from a righteous cause, the effects of your actions are only effecting you. Sometimes thats enough, but the question is are you satisfied with that being the result. You can continue to go without and keep a clear conscious while everyone else enjoys the convenience of service or you could reevaluate your mission and find another way to make a difference. While I applaud your strong will, efforts, and ability to go against the grain, I also disagree with the one of your motives to boycott in the first place. You said that the work is "body-crushing" as far as warehouse work goes. And I dont know if you ever worked in the Amazon warehouse or any warehouse at all but sometimes during some periods of the year thats just what warehouse work could be considered "body crushing". I'm here to share that I have worked in a number of warehouses and I am currently working in a Amazon warehouse, during the toughest time of year, and I wont call this work body crushing, although it can be tough for some that may not be use to working in a warehouse. It to me is definitely a lot easier than some of the other warehouse jobs I have worked in my days

Sohcahtoa82 7y ago

I'm on a similar page with Comcast. I had problems with their service back in 2008. Long story short, my internet connection dropped frequently (20+ times per DAY), and not only were the techs unable to find the problem, but wanted to charge me for the visits since they assumed that it had to be a problem with my computer, even though it was the lights on the cable modem showing a loss of signal. After that debacle, I swore off Comcast and said I'd never use them again. I doubled down on this boycott as net neutrality debates heated up. But these days, my choices for Internet service are Frontier FIOS or Comcast. I'm on Frontier, paying $40/month for 30 mbps, but only get 20-25 mbps. They supposedly offer up to 500 mbps, but won't tell me what the off-promo pricing is. Comcast at least includes it in their fine print. Having only 30 mbps is starting to be a drag. I'm a gamer, and having to wait an hour or more to download a game that my friends are inviting me to check out is lame. I'm starting to consider Comcast, even though I hate them so bad.

jax2_BrianD 7y ago

While your efforts to boycott seem to be coming from a righteous cause, the effects of your actions are only effecting you. Sometimes thats enough, but the question is are you satisfied with that being the result. You can continue to go without and keep a clear conscious while everyone else enjoys the convenience of service or you could reevaluate your mission and find another way to make a difference. While I applaud your strong will, efforts, and ability to go against the grain, I also disagree with the one of your motives to boycott in the first place. You said that the work is "body-crushing" as far as warehouse work goes. And I dont know if you ever worked in the Amazon warehouse or any warehouse at all but sometimes during some periods of the year thats just what warehouse work could be considered "body crushing". I'm here to share that I have worked in a number of warehouses and I am currently working in a Amazon warehouse, during the toughest time of year, and I wont call this work body crushing, although it can be tough for some that may not be use to working in a warehouse. It to me is definitely a lot easier than some of the other warehouse jobs I have worked in my days