No matter how easy it is to feel helpless while reading about another war, I believe it is important to remember the power of our own wallets.
The world put their eyes on Israel and Palestine like never before on Oct. 7. As a journalist and a history student who has spent months studying the origins and effects of genocide, I am deeply alarmed by every development of the war on Gaza.
In December, the Committee to Protect Journalists stated that the first 10 weeks of this war were the deadliest for journalists in recorded history. We have never seen more reporters killed in one location in a single year. The CPJ’s Dec. 21 report stated that 61 out of the 68 reporters killed in the war were Palestinian.
“The Israeli army has killed more journalists in 10 weeks than any other army or entity has in any single year. And with every journalist killed, the war becomes harder to document and to understand,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator said.
I can not stand for the belief that these actions are too far out of our reach to care or act. Of course, we are limited by geography, but there are few messages clearer than that of a dissenting consumer.
Thinking locally, there are several brands and products in Big Rapids that have been identified by the BDS movement. According to their website, the “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”
These brands and products include McDonald’s, Burger King and Sabra hummus. While it is not on BDS’s boycott list, many have sworn off Starbucks after the brand sued Workers United for posting pro-Palestinian messages online.
Whether its Starbucks today, or Amazon and Chick-fil-A for the past several years, some people love to remind me that boycotts never work because other people will still buy the products. Not only is this historically inaccurate, but it also ignores a large portion of the ideology behind brand boycotts.
The Times Square Investment Journal reported in December that Starbucks stock declined nearly 7.5% over the course of a month, reflecting a $12 billion loss in market value. While holiday marketing campaigns saw an increase in revenue, the bump proved to be smaller than in previous years.
A well-organized boycott is one of the most powerful forms of non-violent resistance that average people have at our disposal. I emphasize “well-organized,” because people today miss that mark.
Even if I will never single-handedly cripple a corporation’s revenue, a boycott reminds me that I am in control of where my finances go. I have the privilege of choosing alternatives or going without these brands entirely.
We are lucky that the BDS has called for a boycott of so many commodities. The difference in my life after cutting out Starbucks, McDonald’s and Domino’s is so slight, even in a town with few food options.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s, probably the most well-known boycott in American history, directly impacted peoples’ ability to get to work for months on end. It shows a real drop in dedication when today, people can hardly choose to buy their coffee from a different chain.