Boycott!
Posted by: Maya on: December 23, 2008
Back in Beaufort South Carolina, I was the queen of boycotts. It all started when the local Wal-Mart lost my film and pictures from my friend Jenina’s wedding and didn’t seem to care about it. This kicked off my boycotting frenzy. I boycotted things from the hair salon at JCPenney to the Piggly Wiggly across the street. It wasn’t really that hard either. For those that know me and know Beaufort – you know what I mean.
So I’ve been in California for 5 years now and have managed not to boycott much, except for a certain Japanese restaurant, until now. Credit cards – I’m done with them. This year someone has stolen my credit card / debit card information 4 times. Susan Allen trying to open a website with my information this month was the last straw. It is a sad sad world when someone is so desperate they have to steal information. It’s one thing to steal food or medicine because your kids are hungry / sick, you live in a cardboard box and earn a dollar a week. That’s survival, but a website isn’t a staple of life. Obviously Susan must be a smart person if she is starting her own website right? Did she really think she could get a away with it and there would be $100 monthly website maintenance charge to my card without me noticing?
It’s hard because I want to teach my daughters that people are good and to be optimistic in general but want to protect them from the Susan Allens and Giang Doans of the world.
I’m through with credit cards and have closed mine for good. Maybe my next post will be about best places to hide your cash in your home.
2 Responses to "Boycott!"
December 27, 2008 at 10:38 am
Good stuff. I stay away from them too nowadays. Just ain’t safe enough.
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December 27, 2008 at 5:11 am
The cat box is a great place to hid your valuables – especially if it is used.
One of the hard parts of using the web to report “boycotts” is being selective. When you list the name or point to the criminal’s site, it often attracts more attention to them instead of to the issue at hand, the wrong doing and educating others about how not to do wrong. We live in a society where “bad” is good and I’d love to see that changed by honoring the good not the evil doers.
In What Do You Do When Someone Steals Your Content, I tell people repeatedly that copyright violation (content theft) is serious business that is best handled privately, not publicly. Public shaming has resulted in law suits and even arrests, and is a growing problem for those who think “freedom” on the Internet means you can say whatever you want. Freedom comes with responsibility, not a finger point.
I’m a great boycotter and have a long list of those I won’t do business with, too. I wish I could be more public and finger pointing because I think we need to let everyone know, but I have chosen to point the finger of education, not personal blame, so we all learn and I stay out of….hot water.
It’s a complicated world today with a lot of choices before every person. Teaching your daughters about how to make the right choices is hard work. You are amazing and setting a prize example!