It seems I am boycotting another product or service on a weekly basis because I don't agree with their politics or where they are putting their money. It's  like the Whack-a-Mole game. I give up one thing and another one pops up.

This one gives money to anti-gay groups~ whack!  Now this one over here gives its money to anti-choice groups~whack!

I've stopped eating Chik-Filet, Dominos Pizza, and all things Nestle and Hershey. I don't shop at Wal-Mart and now I'm told Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie should be on the short list of unscrupulous companies I should avoid.

The truth is, none of these are huge sacrifices. The $100 I spend a year (at the most) at Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, I'm betting is not going to be missed by them.

I don't really like Chik-Filet enough to care, but because they take an anti-gay stance I "boycott" them if I happen to be in the mall and hungry. I keep walking.

I live nowhere near a Wal-Mart, but if I did, I  probably wouldn't shop there based on their treatment of female employees.

When I found out that Dominos Pizza contributes heavily to pro-life groups, it was easy enough to switch to Pizza Hut. And if I find out Pizza Hut's politics or practices don't match my own, I will move on to Papa John or make my own. 

 I don't have enough money or clout to make much of a difference. Sometimes I think I am whistling in the wind by taking a stance against companies that use child labor (chocolate and coffee being the worst offenders) or companies whose politics I just don't agree with.

My education began when my daughter was in sixth grade and an enlightened teacher taught them about child labor and chocolate. The teacher talked about children who were forced into picking cocoa beans for little or no money and did not attend school. That year our family learned about Fair Trade.

That was all my daughter needed to hear. She never ate a piece of chocolate from Hershey or Nestle again. In the seventh grade, the class trip was to Hershey Park. She petitioned the principal of her school to change the trip to another amusement park and stated her reasons in a thoughtfully laid out paper. The answer was no and my daughter was the only one who did not go on the Hershey field trip that year. I had nothing but respect and admiration for her.

 Fair Trade chocolate became the only chocolate in our home.

Years later, I am still boycotting the major chocolate companies. Not shopping at Urban Outfitters or its sister company, Anthropologie is harder for me. I tend to rationalize a bit.

I spend so little, I think. By not buying those earrings, how am I hurting them?

The truth is, I'm not. I don't have enough money or power to hurt them.

It comes down to this: If my conscience bothers me, I boycott.

 If I think/know that children have been used for labor, I pass. 

My little acts of rebellion are not going to hurt these companies or change the world. But if more people thought about where their money was going and then more and more people gave it some thought, we might just have a revolution on our hands.

A positive one. 

Just last night my daughter and I were stuffing Sour Patch Kids into our mouths. She looked at the label and said, Oh crap. These are made by Kraft. 

Wait a minute, I said. We don't eat Kraft either? 

We talked about the Whack-a-Mole theory and how at this point, we have to go with the Jiminy Cricket school of thought and let our conscience be our guide.

We decide to give those cute little Sour Patch Kids a pass. For now.

Originally published on Does This Make Sense?