Boycotting Walmart

I boycotted Walmart for a long time,1992-2007.  I boycotted them before it was popular and when there was still a slim chance their mega-monopolistic sway in retail industry practices could be slowed down.  That time was over by 2006.  (Actually, it was over in the early 1980s when Americans shamefully ignored the International Garment Union workers who were on their hands and knees begging us to buy American goods.) To avoid worker abuse and sweatshop labor in 2013, one would have to shop on Mars. 

As egregious and evil as Wal-Mart's abuses are, they've never been any worse than those of any other major retail corporation.  And, to be honest, they've never been worse than small business either.  In fact, a worker is more apt to have some kind of health insurance benefit, as lousy as it may be, from the big corporations than a small business.  And small business hates unions/organized labor no less than Wal-Mart..

It's no longer possible to wear clothing and not participate in the exploitation or enslavement of another human being.  Target, Gap, VF Corp (North Face, Wrangler and Vans), Sears/Kmart, Footlocker, Macy's (Younkers), JC Penney, American Eagle Outfitters, Nordstrom, Kohl's, and OshKosh B'Gosh all buy their garments from the same sweatshops as Walmart.  That's where local clothing shops get their goods too.

It's understandable that sentient people when they learn of worker abuse (aka seen the Robert Greenwald documentary) want to do something to resist this evil. And, it's understandable that Americans think they can consumerize change, not only because boycotts have worked in the past, but because we've been conditioned to believe we can consumerize (or buy) our way out of anything.  Tragically--thanks to GATT, NAFTA, and the abolition of Glass-Steagall, conditions have deteriorated to the point this is no longer possible. 

In 2013, while boycotting Walmart might make folks feel better, it's close to meaningless otherwise.  But, as one young woman told me, "I don't care if it changes anything.  I 'm just trying to find ways to feel better about myself as a person."

There are a lot of ways we could stand up for workers, but they would require risk and sacrifice, and most folks--even "liberal" folks aren't that interested in change.  We could stop voting for the lesser of two evils, ditch both major political parties, and stand in the street demanding campaign finance reform and not go home until we get these things.   We need a pervasive systemic change now to fix Walmart.  We need to end the personhood of corporations (see Move to Amend), reinstate Glass-Steagall, and abolish/revise NAFTA.  And, yes, we need to dismantle capitalism for a more public economy, but short of that the other things I mentioned would be a healthy start.

 

That's not say, it still isn't immoral to cross a picket line in front of Walmart if you see workers marching.  It's still immoral if it's mostly astro-turf laid by some project coughed up by Citizen Action Network, trolling for votes for Democrats at election time.  They've no doubt sucked in some real workers who deserve our support.  (Though they'll need it more after they're discarded when CAN is done using them.)

Here's a little blast from the past, when there was still hope.  Some may laugh at it, but I weep.