ERIC P. CHARLES wrote circa 11-10-11 10:35 AM: > If > you want to hurt the evil corporations with their super-rich owners... > stop giving them your money. Technologically, I thought some of the most > interesting things about the Arab spring were all the creative ways > protesters circumvented popular, corporate-run communication channels > (in their case because the government shut down access). Surely it would > be possible to do the same here if people really wanted to make a > principled stand.
And on that note, I've finally dumped my Mastercard for Discover in protest of MC's refusal to allow payments to Wikileaks. I've switched from T-Mobile to Cricket in the wake of T-Mobile's agreeing to be acquired by ATT. I'm moving my personal funds out of all banks and into credit unions, getting rid of my Visa debit card in the process. Etc. [sigh] I'm convinced my actions will have zero effect. I'm trading one brand for another in most cases. The point being that it's very difficult to take a "principled stand". Anecdote: Awhile back, Renee' discovered she liked organic milk better than ... what? ... regular milk? pesticide-, hormone-laden, produce from exploited, tortured animals? Anyway, I also have a friend who is convinced raw milk is much more healthy. So, I'd been thinking about milk for awhile. (which is a bit gross for me... milk is just nasty, almost as bad as mushrooms.) In order to help her make her decisions and try to figure out why some milk tastes better and lasts longer in the fridge, I began trying to figure out where the actual milk comes from for any given brand. Of course, "organic" milk isn't any better than any other type of milk because the label "organic" has been taken over by shadowy networks of multinational corporations with armies of marketing, scitech, and legal operatives ensconced in every institution. (Although this site helps: http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html) I have similar anecdotes about ground beef, pre- and post-manufactured sheds, portable radar speed signs, and commercial real estate. -- glen ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
