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KatBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
2,211 posts
Location: London, Wales (UK)


Posted:
Bex asked me to post here as she heard an evil rumour that McDonalds owned Pret a Manger. For those of you who don't know Pret a Manger - its a UK sandwich chain that sells mediocre food at ridiculously overinflated prices.

I think McDonalds own a 1/3rd share, they bought into it a couple of years ago.

I wonder how many more 'UK' companies have become globalised in this way? Asda for instance is owned by those corporate whores Walmart. Lucozade is made by GlaxoSmithKline group. I'm sure the list is endless..

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.

- W B Yeats


Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
i agree, nestle make nothing that you can't very easily avoid eating or using. it makes them easy to boycott! so i thought i might as well.


there are much worse companies out there, and many of them are as bad as McD's. like did you know that Subway have the harshest franchising rules out of any fast food chain - they actually put their own managers out of business in an attepmt to get more money?

you can't avaoid them all, but you can try wink

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Dirty Marmite SpiderClimbing up my leg
141 posts
Location: England


Posted:
I just read this and thought it was interesting, so heres my opinion.

I work for a charity and most of the research we have done into boycotting companies shows this is the least effective way to stop them behaving badly/unethically. In fact boycotting can do more harm than good to the people you are trying to protect.

You would do better to write some letters telling them what you think and suggesting alternatives. I agree with what some others say in this thread, that it doesn't matter what causes change, as long as change comes about. Some people seem to be saying it is a bad thing for public pressure to force companies to be ethical.

Almost all major corporations do something unethical. It is very unlikely that unless you are vegan and buy only fairtrade products off the internet that nothing or no one is harmed in the products you use. Your trainers were probably made by somebody paid about 2 pence per pair who are stopped from joining a trade union and forced to work overtime for no extra pay. We all pick and choose which companies we have a problem with to suit our lifestyle.

Marks and Spencer are involved in the funding of extremist groups. Puma, Asics, Umbro, Lotto, Kappa, Mizuno and others all exploit thier workers terribly. Sara Lee force farmers into poverty.

Don't even get me started on Nestle, the list of disgusting things they have done astounds me. They introduced powdered baby milk into Africa and paid health workers bribes to promote it. The offered mothers free samples which had instructions the mother couldn't read. In order to make it last as long as possible the mothers over diluted the milk and malnourished their children. Of course they didn't know they were doing this as they hadn't read the instructions. Not to mention the fact that powdered milk is not suitable in a country where most people do not have access to clean water. These mothers should have been told their breast milk was much safer, but they weren't. And Nestle treat thier coffee farmers the worst of almost all the other coffee companies.

I'm not saying it's wrong to have companies you'd rather not buy from but we all use unethical products because it's impossible not to, as Tao Star says - you could never eat, or wear any clothes or be treated in a hospital with any drugs, or go on holiday............. the list goes on.

I personally thhink it is best to be aware, and if a company really bothers you - try to do something positive about it.

Hope that doesn't sound too moody - sorry, thinking about those companies gets me really angry.

Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
i agree completely - the best way to change practices you don't like is do write a letter - if you don't let them know, how are they going to change things?

even if you don't want to start a full on campaign, you can still email someone to let them know you're boycotting their products. wink

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Dirty Marmite SpiderClimbing up my leg
141 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Exactly, nobody's perfect. I try not to get at people for buying things from certain places.

It would be easy to look at people buying Nike trainers and criticise them but you might find out they do amazing things for charity. We can't all be Mother Theresa, what's important is that people are willing to do a little something in thier life to change the world for the better. biggrin hug

MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
And Mother Theresa was very anti-abortion and anti-contraception. I'd say she's no saint, either...except she is! ubblol

What matters is that people think about the decisions that they make, rather than automatically falling into the consumer trap. Being a critical consumer who carefully considers where your money should go is what's key.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
a good point which applies to all parts of life in gerenal really.

i'm not vegetarian, but i only buy meat from farms where i know what kind of life it's had and that it was humanely killed(?) & organic etc. etc.

still an evil meat eater devil but i practice safe omniverousness!

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
You could always buy some shares in these corporations, then you have a legal right to go to shareholder meetings and can kick up a fuss in front of all the usurer scum who rake in all the profits at the expense of other people.



Go watch the Documantary trilogy The Corporation if you haven't seen it already. *cough*emule*cough*

You aren't thinking or really existing unless you're willing to risk even your own sanity in the judgment of your existence.

Green peppers, lime pickle and whole-grain mustard = best sandwich filling.


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