You may have seen social media messages, urging people not to buy anything on Friday, February 28 as part of the protest. This is not just your friends to feed prices and corporations; It is a real organized movement. Consumers are urged not to spend money, online or otherwise, in 24 hours, in full on February 28th.
The organizer of the boycott Johnon Schwarz statements to the United States today This week that feels that people are upset by corporate greed. He spoke more in length about this issue in A. Video on Instagram on February 18.
“For our whole life, they told us that we have no other choice … that this is just how things are, we must accept these crazy prices, corporate greed, the billionaire's tax breaks, as long as we are just fighting to deal with,” Schwartz said in the video. “February 28, 24-hour economic eclipse: There is no Amazon, without Walmart, there is no fast food, no gas, no unnecessary dollar.”
Schwartz started an organization called The People's Union USAwhich has expanded the protest to include boycotts of specific companies and on certain dates. Includes Amazon's boycott on March 7-14, Nestle on March 21-28, Walmart on April 7-14 and the second one-day economic eclipse on April 18.
The US People's Union presents itself as politically undisclosed. Her web site says: “We are not democratic, Republicans, independent or any other party. We outperform political labels. We are fighting for fairness, economic justice and real systemic change, something that no party has given priority. “
Schwartz did not respond immediately to the commentary request.
Best -selling author Steven King Posted for the boycott To the blouses, tying President Donald Trump,
“Voting for Trump, now has the buyer's remorse?” Wrote the king. “Trump's philosophy seems to be his version of Fafo (f — Arright and find out). Don't buy anything on the 28th unless you have to absolutely. “
King is not the only one to withdraw a link between the boycott and the president. But the most frequently asked questions on the US People's Association website says the group is not against Trump, Elon Musk or others: “This movement is not for one person. It is the system as a whole. Both political parties, both past and current leaders.”
Actress Beth Midler also Posted support for a boycott on tops.
“Freeze your spending on February 28th …. Don't buy!” Wrote Midler. “And if you need to, please turn to a local small business!”
Can such protests do something?
I was talking to Zahari Croquett, host of Podcast to the economy of everyday thingswho noted that collective action can lead to change, especially when pressing on economic interests.
But can the 24-hour protest really make a difference?
“Historically, the boycott is the most effective when his actions and demands are clearly defined and when participation is unified and sustainable,” says Croquett. In addition to being held, he says, helping to boycott strategically target key points in the corporation supply chain or sales chain.
Crockery notes that no shopping in a day can harm protesters more than corporations and that boycotts become less efficient as wealth becomes more concentrated. In the United States, he says, a small percentage of individuals have “an amazing part of America's wealth and assets”, and those people can better absorb economic pain.
“The boycotts come at the price of their participants,” he says, “and consumers generally have less runway than corporations do when it comes to making sustainable economic victims.”
Crockery says that for him, most days are already days without buying.
“I'm not a fan of spending money at all,” he said. “I'm pretty modest, probably on a mistake, no matter what happens in the economy or political landscape. So for me, every day is a kind of economic eclipse. “