This makes me see red! What is wrong with these people?

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

Every business is going to have something that one considers to be a "bad business practice." It's unavoidable. However, it's quite outlandish for Jason to say that since every company out there embraces some sort of bad business practice, they should all be treated equally with the hard-earned dollars of consumers; that one business should not be shunned because there's another business with bad practices right around the corner. In fact, as much as I love him, I find it almost childish in it's naive simplicity. No one will ever know every practice of every corporation they give their patronage to, but when one knows about the scummy practices of one and decides to cease giving them their business, that's neither a bad nor hypocritical thing. Total awareness is nonexistent; acting on the things that a consumer is aware of is all that anyone can do.

Well, I never said that. I said they are all bad so each person needs to determine for themselves what they are willing to support. If I said anything different than that, let's see it. How that is naive is beyond me.

On edit - again, I think people should buy from whereever they are comfortable. I just take issue with people beating up one company for its bad acts and letting others off the hook because their bad acts are less severe than someone like Wal Mart. It just seems hypocritical to me. But, then again, I think everyone is a hypocrite to some degree - where's my foil hat

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by amber

That kind of sucks. I just threw those out there, I didn't do any research. But even choosing them would be better than choosing many other companies, so I still agree with myself . . . .

and thank you for making my point, which was it is all about personal choice and what you are willing to live with and the constraints of your financial situation

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by paleshadow

Yeah, you are right. In no way did I mean to suggest that either of those companies were bad. I do believe that like Diss said every company has some element of negativity involved with it, and I think that's what Strands original argument was, that there is no such company that is angelic. Amber, you really did pick a couple of good ones though especially when compare them to so many other companies but like Strand said, even those have their controversies.

Exactly. And - I think one should support whatever company they want and I personally try to support the ones I think do the least harm. I am just noting that if I am driving late at night and Exxon is the only station within 100 miles, I am not going to hold them too responsible for the Valdez at that exact moment in time

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Exactly. And - I think one should support whatever company they want and I personally try to support the ones I think do the least harm. I am just noting that if I am driving late at night and Exxon is the only station within 100 miles, I am not going to hold them too responsible for the Valdez at that exact moment in time

you just brought up a memory~ i remember when "silkwood" came out, the kerr mcgee gas stations practically went out of business here, no one would use their services~

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by GODDESS6

you just brought up a memory~ i remember when "silkwood" came out, the kerr mcgee gas stations practically went out of business here, no one would use their services~

and I do not blame the consumers one bit But, in a bind, I bet people overlooked that and used them anyway.

[irishgrl]

I know that the bottom line for corporations (all corporations, both good and bad) is the dollar. I think, as a matter of conscience, we should support as far as possible, those corporations who embrace environmental protections, who give back to their communities and who remember the customer, both in prices of their goods and their commitment to service. Also, I personally am angry about outsourcing, so that would also be a sticking point for me.

There is a company in the Bay Area that recycles materials from deconstructing homes, and sells them at reduced price. I saw this on an episode of "California's Green," (an offshoot of California's Gold) and I remember being quite impressed with the concept, because it reuses materials and reduces the landfill, both noble ideas!

HOME DECONSTRUCTION

Huell visits the ReUse People, an organization dedicated to salvaging building materials for reuse. Working with a network of contractors, they have "deconstructed" and salvaged hundreds of buildings while diverting more than two hundred thousand tons of usable building materials from landfills.

www.thereusepeople.org
888-588-9490

If I lived closer, believe me! I'd be a customer! I highly recommend any Californians to visit these folks and support their efforts!

And Jason, Im PROUD to be a Californian.


EDIT: I went back to Huel Howser's website, and there is a whole laundry list of eco-friendly companies listed there!
many are listed if you click on the show titles on the left, and he also includes "green" companies' links on the right.

here is his "Green" link:
http://www.calgold.com/green/

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

. . . And Jason, Im PROUD to be a Californian.

I was joking you boob

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I was joking you boob

then Im a proud Californian boob!

here is an AWESOME national Green resource link:
GreenPages

it also lists "Green" Corporations, so now we can make informed choices!

[cliffdweller]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I just take issue with people beating up one company for its bad acts and letting others off the hook because their bad acts are less severe than someone like Wal Mart. It just seems hypocritical to me.

It's not really hypocritical, actually, I think it's very pragmatic rationale, I think people should think in terms of degrees which is what Amber is doing. You can't just lump everyone in the same pot because for example, Ben and Jerry's is not Wal-Mart. That's like saying your mean 3rd grade teacher is the equivalent of Hitler...not all mean people can be lumped into the same extreme category. I know that's not the tightest analogy but hey, it's too early in the morning for well thought out monologues! I guess what I'm trying to say is that severity does matter, and so do degrees of corruption which makes Wally Mart all the more insidious as they provide MANY more services than a corp like Ben And Jerry's and therefore has a much greater impact on consumers and employees alike. Therefore, and to be dramatic, what Wal-Mart really does is spread like a cancer throughout the communities it services, and then to top it all off, drives small, independently owned businesses out of business. It's sickening!

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

..eh....I don't even know why I got involved in the issue at all really....

Neither do I.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by The Tower

Neither do I.

You didn't

Or is that a sad attempt at jabbing me for getting involved. Wouldn't it be easier to simply ignore me? Thanks.

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

You didn't

Nope.

Or is that a sad attempt at jabbing me for getting involved.

Sad is such a subjective word.

Wouldn't it be easier to simply ignore me?

One would think.

Thanks.

Anytime.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

It's not really hypocritical, actually, I think it's very pragmatic rationale, I think people should think in terms of degrees which is what Amber is doing. You can't just lump everyone in the same pot because for example, Ben and Jerry's is not Wal-Mart. That's like saying your mean 3rd grade teacher is the equivalent of Hitler...not all mean people can be lumped into the same extreme category. I know that's not the tightest analogy but hey, it's too early in the morning for well thought out monologues! I guess what I'm trying to say is that severity does matter, and so do degrees of corruption which makes Wally Mart all the more insidious as they provide MANY more services than a corp like Ben And Jerry's and therefore has a much greater impact on consumers and employees alike. Therefore, and to be dramatic, what Wal-Mart really does is spread like a cancer throughout the communities it services, and then to top it all off, drives small, independently owned businesses out of business. It's sickening!

I agree and that is why I said that everyone should do what their conscious allows them to do.

Interestingly, despite Wal Mart's bad acts, the economic and philanthropic good they do probably outweigh the bad things -I mean if we are talking scale here

Finally, I think the hypocrisy lies in the finger pointing. For example, I know of no one who would not stop at that gas station I mentioned earlier, esp. when the alternative is walking 100 miles at night So, people often lose their high toned morality when inconvenienced.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by The Tower

. . . Sad is such a subjective word . . . .

I was sad when we left each other on Vegas - is that subjective enough

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by GODDESS6

you just brought up a memory~ i remember when "silkwood" came out, the kerr mcgee gas stations practically went out of business here, no one would use their services~

Funny how movies have a bigger impact than we would think. Look at Sideways. Now everyone is drinking Pinot and not Merlot. lol.