Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Dimity]

I would never boycott someone because they are a Republican.  If they are a Republican who supports Trump, that's a whole 'nother ballgame.  I just can't watch Frasier anymore as one example.  In Canada  we don't (generally) seem to have celebrities getting too mixed up in politics unless part of their routine is political in nature of course.  But Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzsky have both come out in support of Trump and they are both on my list now.  I feel especially bitter about Bobby Orr as he was a childhood hero of mine.

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Remember when we thought the Koch brothers were the worst billionaires?

Yep.  They poured a lot of money into ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council, which produces model right-wing legislation and lobbies state and national politicians to introduce them as bills), which had a huge impact on policy across the country -- basically, turning the Tea Party movement's rallying cries into laws. 

[tres bien]

How long will it take barring the lawsuits till all of the slashing and burning down of the federal agencies begins to affect everyday people?

The federal employees are the only people that are coping with the aftermath right now but at some point it’s all of us

I figured my husband and I were lucky to be in the position we’re in but now I’m not so sure and I fear for my two daughters. 

So what will it be six months? Nine months?

[bluegirl147]

4 minutes ago, tres bien said:

How long will it take barring the lawsuits till all of the slashing and burning down of the federal agencies begins to affect everyday people?

The federal employees are the only people that are coping with the aftermath right now but at some point it’s all of us

I figured my husband and I were lucky to be in the position we’re in but now I’m not so sure and I fear for my two daughters. 

So what will it be six months? Nine months?

It could be sooner than that.  It's tax season they slashed the IRS workforce.

There will probably be longer wait times for passports.  Social Security cards.  Approval for things done at VA hospitals.  How long before they try to fuck with USPS?  That has always been on their wishlist for privatizing.

[kittykat]

58 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Remember when we thought the Koch brothers were the worst billionaires?

I remember when the Dukes from Trading Places were seen as bad caricatures and no one would ever act like that. 🤔

[ECM1231]

Has anyone seen this? It's from the White House Official social media page. It's beneath the dignity of the office of the President, imo, and is just appalling. We are the laughingstock of the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGD3bEExyen/

Edited Monday at 01:50 AM by ECM1231

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, tres bien said:

How long will it take barring the lawsuits till all of the slashing and burning down of the federal agencies begins to affect everyday people?

[snip]

So what will it be six months? Nine months?

How about tonight? In Rives, TN where there has been flooding.  Hope FEMA can help.

[tres bien]

9 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Has anyone seen this? It's from the White House Official social media page. It's beneath the dignity of the office of the President, imo, and is just appalling. We are the laughingstock of the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGD3bEExyen/

This Tom Holman is a real treat

He has threatened  to prosecute AOC for a webinar she held for her constituents on how to avoid getting arrested. He said “she’s gonna be in trouble”

He’s also behind the new MAGAising of Mayor Eric Adams and all the dubious things going on on in NYC (that Adam’s thinks are going to save his sorry ass)

 

Edited Monday at 11:01 AM by tres bien

[Soapy Goddess]

[tearknee]

SG, please watch some of MR'sN

 

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I didn't particularly love changing the names and pictures on certain products either but at least I understand the reasoning behind them. There's no comparison between the two when the reasons for the changes are considered. Was the name "Gulf of Mexico" offending anyone and potentially racist? I don't think so. It wasn't chosen to snub the U.S. And the people that pushed to change those products didn't have a specific beef with those companies for other reasons like Trump has a specific beef with Mexico for not "heeling" to his authority on border immigration. I think some changes need to happen with regard to the border and unauthorized crossings too, but this kind of spiteful crap is not the way to achieve it. Trump just looks like a spiteful baby doing this, whether he's getting back at Mexico or liberals for pushing for product label changes in doing it. I don't think there's any doubt that it's one or the other (or both) and so I find the comparison above relevant to his motives. Thanks for reminding me of that, lol.

I don't believe any positive spin on the Gulf name change. It came from nowhere. Absolutely no one but Trump thought of changing it to that let alone would want it. It was a NON-issue. And he never does anything that doesn't have a dark underside to it. He only does things his base can spin positively to hide his real motives. In private he's thinking, "What a bunch of suckers". If they buy that there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell them...

[abbyzenn]

It's clear with the latest rounds of throwing government workers out of work that there is no thought, consideration, or knowledge as to what those workers do.  Gee wouldn't the name National Nuclear Security Amin give you some clue?

I'm so glad that cost cutting efforts don't affect the president.  Good use of tax dollars to attend super bowl, Daytona and golf.  How many visits to Mar-la-go since the inaugaration?  Three?   And Doge has spend $17 million in 3 weeks - how much are they paying Musk's merry band of men and for that matter how many merry men are there and are there any women or would that be DEI?

And why do the merry men need to look at the personal taxpayer data at IRS?  How does this help them decide who to fire?  Oh wait a minute they don't need any thought process as to who to fire - so again why do they need access to this data?

How hard did Hegseth have to search to come up with someone named Bragg so that he could rename Ft. Bragg again.  I wish someone could give a good reason why any US Army base should have been named after someone who had actually fought against the US Army.  Or after someone who was a lousy general.

[tres bien]

As far as the removal of the Land O Lakes Indian Princess.

Land O Lakes was founded in 1921 in St Paul MN. The Indian Princess was added to the packaging in 1928

It was removed in 2020 to reflect the company’s roots a coop of dairy farmers. In the state of Minnesota and in the Twin Cities we have a large Native American population, there’s tribal land within the cities and we have  a couple of Native American restaurants 

It’s a proud heritage for the Native Americans and in the Twin Cities- at least - we don’t use the term Indians unless we’re referring to people from India 

Edited Monday at 02:46 PM by tres bien

[tres bien]

We’re finishing the winter at our house on the Southwest Gulf coast of Fl and every morning I watch the 4:30 - 5am local CBS news

This morning there was a small segment of a reporter on the beach over the weekend asking people “what do you call this body of water?”

She talked to 4 adults. Three men one woman. All answered The Gulf of America.  My husband thinks they chose not to show anyone answering differently 

I think we’re becoming a country of Stepford Wives

Edited Monday at 05:31 PM by tres bien

[bluegirl147]

16 minutes ago, tres bien said:

We’re finishing the winter at our house at the Southwest Gulf of Fl and every morning I watch the 4:30 - 5am local CBS news

This morning there was a small segment of a reporter on the beach over the weekend asking people “what do you call this body of water?”

She talked to 4 adults. Three men one woman. All answered The Gulf of America.  My husband thinks they chose not to show anyone answering differently 

Probably.  So much of local news is owned by Sinclair and other conservative media companies. 

I don't normally pay attention to MSM but I have been lately because I want to see  how they are covering the ridiculous things that have been happening and they mostly have either been ignoring the most egregious things or painting them in a straightforward manner as if it was all normal. This is how propaganda becomes the main source of information for people. 

[Anela]

8 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Never mind.  

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ossoff-blasts-trump-denial-georgia-hurricane-helene-relief-extension.amp

Ossoff blasts Trump Administration's decision to deny Georgia Hurricane Helene relief extension

trump is ending the help that the Biden administration gave Georgia, after the hurricanes.  I was told that Biden did nothing, and trump was the one saving the day.  🙄

Edited Monday at 03:38 PM by Anela

[Dimity]

33 minutes ago, Anela said:

 I was told that Biden did nothing, and trump was the one saving the day.  🙄

Those in denial will always be in denial, let's just hope the rest of the US wakes up because there will be a time when blaming Biden isn't going to make any sense.  I am thinking the next natural disaster or god forbid, terrorist attack.  When Trump and his flunkeys will be caught flatfooted - or, and I do see this happening - when his assistance will depend on which way the state went in the election.  Although, that said, going red didn't help Georgia.

[Dimity]

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Can you maybe try actually going back and rereading our reasons for why renaiming the Gulf is stupdi before posting ridiculous memes like thist? 

My favourite ridiculous meme that the MAGA have put out is "thank god the adults are in the room now".   Considering Trump is the worlds biggest out of control toddler that one would be funny if it wasn't so tragically wrong.

Edited Monday at 04:27 PM by Dimity

[Dimity]

We were talking a day or two about the nonsense of Musk claiming 150 yr olds were social security and wondering how he figured that made any sense, well of course the answer is he's an idiot:

[bluegirl147]

16 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Those in denial will always be in denial, let's just hope the rest of the US wakes up because there will be a time when blaming Biden isn't going to make any sense.

Are you sure?  President Obama has been out of office for over nine year and he is still getting blamed for a lot.

18 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I am thinking the next natural disaster or god forbid, terrorist attack.  When Trump and his flunkeys will be caught flatfooted -

The odds are even bigger now because he Musk is getting rid of so many federal workers at so many agencies. And the people he has put in charge of those agencies aren't qualified to lead those agencies. 

21 minutes ago, Dimity said:

when his assistance will depend on which way the state went in the election.  Although, that said, going red didn't help Georgia.

He has tried it with California and threatened Illinois. For all we know Trump now has a database of who voted for him. So forget him just withholding help from blue states, he could withhold it specifically from people who didn't vote for him.

16 minutes ago, Dimity said:

My favourite ridiculous meme that the MAGA have put out is "thank god the adults are in the room now".   Considering Trump is the worlds biggest out of control toddler that one would be funny if it wasn't so tragically wrong.

And just who do they think the adults are?  Trump?  Musk?  Hegseth?  RFK Jr.?  

5 minutes ago, Dimity said:

We were talking a day or two about the nonsense of Musk claiming 150 yr olds were social security and wondering how he figured that made any sense, well of course the answer is he's an idiot:

I'm guessing this might be a feature of the teenage gang rather than a bug.  They are expected to fuck things up.

[Ohiopirate02]

6 minutes ago, Dimity said:

We were talking a day or two about the nonsense of Musk claiming 150 yr olds were social security and wondering how he figured that made any sense, well of course the answer is he's an idiot:

I saw someone online breaking this one down, and there is another possibility for this. The last Civil War pension ended in 2020. Said pension was for the disabled daughter of a Civil War veteran who's father was 83 when she was born. There is no telling how many World War I pensions are still being paid out under similar circumstances. And the veteran who may have been dead for decades will still show up in various government records.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/07/irene-triplett-last-person-american-civil-war-pension-dies

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, tres bien said:

We’re finishing the winter at our house at the Southwest Gulf of Fl and every morning I watch the 4:30 - 5am local CBS news

I'll be going on a cruise in the near future that will pass through the Gulf. This should be interesting....

My husband cracked me up yesterday while we were watching the SNL 50th Anniversary special. He took his globe and went through all the world's major bodies of water and crossed them out with his fingers and renamed them "of America". Like the Bay of Fundy would instead be "The Bay of America". The Indian Ocean would be "The Ocean of America". Instead of the Panama Canal it would now be "The Canal of America". It's just what Trump would do if he were "king of the world" (not that he doesn't think he is anyway). Kind of like how he always had to put his name in big letters on any building he owned in NYC. TRUMP splattered all over the place in everybody's face. Yeah, that's class for ya! Too bad it's all LOWER.😏

Yeah, we have to find ways to laugh about this stuff. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry.....😢

[Lugal]

10 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I'm just going to post there here to peruse at your leisure: Mammy, Uncle Tom, Indian Princess, Noble Savage

[Anela]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Those in denial will always be in denial, let's just hope the rest of the US wakes up because there will be a time when blaming Biden isn't going to make any sense.  I am thinking the next natural disaster or god forbid, terrorist attack.  When Trump and his flunkeys will be caught flatfooted - or, and I do see this happening - when his assistance will depend on which way the state went in the election.  Although, that said, going red didn't help Georgia.

He doesn’t need their votes anymore.  In 2020, when Jared was said to suggest that they let people die in blue states, it was to help him win the election.  

[heatherchandler]

21 hours ago, ProudMary said:

We've discussed boycotts and how to hit companies financially who've reversed themselves on DEI programs. The NAACP is giving all of us, regardless of background, a blueprint to work from.

NAACP lists companies that dump DEI in its tactical spending guide for Black Americans

https://apnews.com/article/black-consumers-dei-buying-guide-naacp-34664d8af92e2dc1ba787a498348b7a4

Black Consumer Advisory

https://naacp.org/campaigns/black-consumer-advisory

 

 

Ben and Jerry’s is allowed but not Walmart.  If you have access to Whole Foods and a car and you can shop wherever you want, that’s great.  Guess who can’t make this choice?  People in urban areas where the only option is taking the bus to Walmart.  In Chicago, there are so many food deserts, mostly in black areas.  They are not able to boycott unless they just don’t shop at all.
 

20 hours ago, PRgal said:

It’s still a lot of research for some people and I am beginning to feel sick from all of that.  And worried about the shaming from the extreme left.  One reason to do more shopping online.  I was already shamed for shopping at Weston branded stores during the boycott even though the store I frequent the most is a franchise. 

You should never be shamed into boycotting.  If someone wants to boycott, then that’s on them.  
 

19 hours ago, Eri said:

This list of companies all have something in common - they think they're too big to fail. McDonald's can do this because they think people will go there anyway. Smaller companies wouldn't survive a boycott. 

What's so disappointing with Target is that many black entrepreneurs relied on them as a platform to sell their products (hair care, coffee, candles, etc.), as it provides them with a steadier income flow compared to selling on personal websites with sporadic sales.  Running a two-week ad in Target can be quite costly, often amounting to thousands of dollars. One of their DEI programs helped make those expenses more manageable for first time entrepreneurs. You can only do so much when your competitors are companies like P&G or Unilever. I've had to see black-owned businesses "closing" on their websites and/or having clearance sales as they scramble to find ways of keeping their businesses alive since the decision. As always, they can't catch a break.

Target had a choice and they chose wrong!

So if Target is boycotted, the top people won’t lose much sleep, they have billions.  But the entrepreneurs who have their products there and have very little wiggle room for margins and loss of business will probably feel it.  So maybe this is not a great idea.

I always think of who will actually feel the hurt.

 

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Can you maybe try actually going back and rereading our reasons for why renaiming the Gulf is stupdi before posting ridiculous memes like thist? 

It's not the same thing. Not even remotely close. But way to miss the point. 

I think @Soapy Goddess’s whole point was, things can change names, it’s not that big of a deal.  The Gulf has been renamed many times, this is not going to hurt anyone.

[Anela]

1 minute ago, heatherchandler said:

Ben and Jerry’s is allowed but not Walmart.  If you have access to Whole Foods and a car and you can shop wherever you want, that’s great.  Guess who can’t make this choice?  People in urban areas where the only option is taking the bus to Walmart.  In Chicago, there are so many food deserts, mostly in black areas.  They are not able to boycott unless they just don’t shop at all.
 

You should never be shamed into boycotting.  If someone wants to boycott, then that’s on them.  
 

So if Target is boycotted, the top people won’t lose much sleep, they have billions.  But the entrepreneurs who have their products there and have very little wiggle room for margins and loss of business will probably feel it.  So maybe this is not a great idea.

I always think of who will actually feel the hurt.

 

I think @Soapy Goddess’s whole point was, things can change names, it’s not that big of a deal.  The Gulf has been renamed many times, this is not going to hurt anyone.

Target got into trouble with their shareholders. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2025/02/04/target-hit-with-shareholder-lawsuit-claiming-investors-were-defrauded-about-dei-risks/

Target Hit With Shareholder Lawsuit, Claiming Investors Were Defrauded About DEI Risks

Also, the people whose brands are in Target, have faithful customers who ordered directly from them instead. Or found another way to get their products.  

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I think @Soapy Goddess’s whole point was, things can change names, it’s not that big of a deal.  The Gulf has been renamed many times, this is not going to hurt anyone.

The point is this just another example of Trump getting his way.  And people who don't agree with him or follow what  he has ordained get punished for it. He is withholding press access from AP because they didn't refer to it as the Gulf of America. This is how mad kings and dictators act.

[heatherchandler]

24 minutes ago, Anela said:

Target got into trouble with their shareholders. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2025/02/04/target-hit-with-shareholder-lawsuit-claiming-investors-were-defrauded-about-dei-risks/

Target Hit With Shareholder Lawsuit, Claiming Investors Were Defrauded About DEI Risks

Also, the people whose brands are in Target, have faithful customers who ordered directly from them instead. Or found another way to get their products.  

That is interesting, this lawsuit happened because Target was trying to be inclusive and the shareholders didn’t like that.  No wonder they dropped their DEI policies like a hot potato.  Money really does talk but it’s not what the consumer wants, they do what the shareholder expects.

[Anela]

3 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

That is interesting, this lawsuit happened because Target was trying to be inclusive and the shareholders didn’t like that.  No wonder they dropped their DEI policies like a hot potato.  Money really does talk but it’s not what the consumer wants, they do what the shareholder expects.

No, it’s because they dropped the DEI initiatives. 
 

Quote

Target shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against the company in February 2025, alleging that Target defrauded them by ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

The lawsuit claims that Target's stock price plummeted due to the change in policy. 

 

 

Edited Monday at 06:44 PM by Anela

[Dimity]

44 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

The point is this just another example of Trump getting his way. 

It's also an example of him slapping another country or culture in the face.  Fort Bragg, Mt. McKinley - I am sure there will be other examples.  He and his cohorts have had 4 years to accumulate their grudge list.  And they'll have 4 years to work off some of their imaginary grievances on the rest of us.

 

[PRgal]

52 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

 

You should never be shamed into boycotting.  If someone wants to boycott, then that’s on them.  
 

 

That's what I want to tell people, but you know how some people are.  They're just going to rant on and on about what you're doing is wrong.  Those people give me a lot of anxiety.  And there are more of those these days than, say, 10 years ago.

[Dimity]

30 minutes ago, PRgal said:

That's what I want to tell people, but you know how some people are.  They're just going to rant on and on about what you're doing is wrong.  Those people give me a lot of anxiety.  And there are more of those these days than, say, 10 years ago.

Are these people you have to interact with?  Like family, friends or work colleagues?  Because if not and these are people on the Internet then back away.  I've left FB groups over less and it hasn't adversely affected my life.

Also why are you sharing details about your personal decisions with people you don't live with, especially people with a track record of ranting on and on?  Life is way too short to stay involved with people who make you feel bad about yourself.

Edited Monday at 07:36 PM by Dimity

[Eri]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

So if Target is boycotted, the top people won’t lose much sleep, they have billions.  But the entrepreneurs who have their products there and have very little wiggle room for margins and loss of business will probably feel it.  So maybe this is not a great idea.

I always think of who will actually feel the hurt.

It is the unfortunate catch 22 but it's more nuanced than that. The executives probably won't lose sleep - but they will lose market share. Black consumers’ collective economic power is still valuable, which a lot of companies saw after the BLM when they were all about solidarity and diversity....for the first 18 months or so. It is true that these same entrepreneurs will experience a higher likelihood than their non-black counterparts of living in consumer deserts and being underserved across various areas of consumption. But I think this highlights the importance of incorporating broad racial-equity goals into consumer businesses in order to more effectively serve black consumers, not to mention the social / economic advantages it brings.

That's WHY Target should know better. They pledged a commitment in 2021 to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025. Now they've effectively sent a message to these same entrepreneurs saying that they know their businesses will likely suffer from any boycotts and they don't care, because the opinions of their shareholders matter more.

Edited Monday at 07:55 PM by Eri

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

Also, the people whose brands are in Target, have faithful customers who ordered directly from them instead. Or found another way to get their products.  

This is key, and great to hear. People are doing this with Amazon vendors, too. The only advantage Amazon has is that they can deliver the product to you quicker in most cases. If you don’t need something immediately and can wait a few days for delivery, buy directly from the vendor.

Choosing to boycott or not is a personal choice. People should make their own decisions about it. I'm surprised to see it as a hot button issue, though. The only reason I brought up the Koch companies' products was because another forum member asked if there were other boycott ideas. Are people really getting in other people's faces about whether or not they're boycotting a certain company? How does it even come up in general conversation? Unless you spotted someone walking into a Target, how do you know they shop there? Unless you see an Amazon delivery vehicle at a neighbor's house, how do you know they're Amazon customers?

Then again, this is 2025 America, where anything can be a hot button issue. 🙄

[tres bien]

Boarder Czar Tom Holman confirmed on FOX today that he’s asked DOJ to investigate AOC

Bloody hell

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 07:42 PM by tres bien

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

Target got into trouble with their shareholders. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2025/02/04/target-hit-with-shareholder-lawsuit-claiming-investors-were-defrauded-about-dei-risks/

Target Hit With Shareholder Lawsuit, Claiming Investors Were Defrauded About DEI Risks

That article refers to an anti-DEI lawsuit, saying Target defrauded shareholders about the risks of its DEI policies and complaining the company's Pride campaign caused a loss in stock value.  Remember when we were talking about Costco's shareholders overwhelmingly agreeing with the Board of Directors' unanimous recommendation to vote against an anti-DEI shareholder initiative (the shareholders being a right wing think tank who become shareholders in order to pursue these bigoted initiatives at multiple companies)?  This is related.  America First Legal - founded by Stephen Miller (yes, that Stephen Miller, the neo-Nazi who's a Trump advisor - has brought over 100 suits against companies for "woke" policies, including one against Target in this same court.  This is a different plaintiff, a different group of shareholders - City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund - but piggybacking on that core claim.

Quote

Target shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against the company in February 2025, alleging that Target defrauded them by ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Emphasis mine -- I can't find that stated anywhere other than in an AI summary.  The lawsuit cites losses sustained before Target changed its policies in the wake of Trump's executive order.  From the Reuters article most publications are using as their source material:

Quote

Target has been sued for allegedly concealing the risks of its diversity and social initiatives, leading to a backlash that caused customers to flee and the stock price of the Minneapolis-based retailer to plummet.

In a proposed class action on Friday, shareholders led by the City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund in Florida said Target defrauded them into paying inflated prices for its stock and unknowingly supporting management's "misuse of investor funds to serve political and social goals."

The lawsuit said the retailer, CEO Brian Cornell and other officials failed to disclose the risk of consumer boycotts stemming from Target's Environmental, Social and Governance and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

It also said Target concealed backlash from its May 2023 Pride Month campaign, which led the retailer to remove some LGBTQ-themed merchandise after in-store confrontations led some employees to fear for their safety.

Target's share price fell 22% on Nov. 20, 2024, wiping out about $15.7 billion of market value, after it forecast disappointing profit and holiday sales.

Shareholders said Target's underperformance stood "in stark contrast" to results at rival Walmart, and reflected "continued backlash from its campaigns."

 

[Anela]

4 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That article refers to an anti-DEI lawsuit, saying Target defrauded shareholders about the risks of its DEI policies and complaining the company's Pride campaign caused a loss in stock value.  Remember when we were talking about Costco's shareholders overwhelmingly agreeing with the Board of Directors' unanimous recommendation to vote against an anti-DEI shareholder initiative (the shareholders being a right wing think tank who become shareholders in order to pursue these bigoted initiatives at multiple companies)?  This is related.  America First Legal - founded by Stephen Miller (yes, that Stephen Miller, the neo-Nazi who's a Trump advisor - has brought over 100 suits against companies for "woke" policies, including one against Target in this same court.  This is a different plaintiff, a different group of shareholders - City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund - but piggybacking on that core claim.

Emphasis mine -- I can't find that stated anywhere other than in an AI summary.  The lawsuit cites losses sustained before Target changed its policies in the wake of Trump's executive order.  From the Reuters article most publications are using as their source material:

 

Somebody shared another article recently, stating it was because of the boycott.  They were on threads.  I’m so tired.  

[anony.miss]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

I think @Soapy Goddess’s whole point was, things can change names, it’s not that big of a deal.  The Gulf has been renamed many times, this is not going to hurt anyone.

Trump does not own the whole Gulf of Mexico. He has no right to rename it That's why Mexico is suing Google for kissing Trump's repulsive ass:

"Mexico will take Google to court if maps shown to US-based users continue to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America across the entire body of water, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday, arguing that US President Donald Trump’s order to rename it only applies to the part of the continental shelf under US control.

“What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump’s decree, which applied only to the US continental shelf,” Sheinbaum told reporters. “We do not agree with this, and the Foreign Minister has sent a new letter addressing the issue.”

Sheinbaum said the renaming is “incorrect,” adding that Trump’s decree “only changed the name within his own continental shelf, which extends 22 nautical miles from the US coast—not the entire Gulf.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/americas/sheinbaum-google-lawsuit-threat-gulf-of-mexico-intl-latam/index.html

Trump also doesn't own Canada,  Greenland, or Gaza, and has no right to bully, threaten, harass, invade, ethnically cleanse, strip mine for natural resources or rename any sovereign territory. Far too many Trump supporters don't seem to grasp that Trump is not king of the world (or that outside the States, Trump is pretty well universally loathed, despised, and mocked for being a convicted felon and rapist who runs his mouth,  threatening world stability and the sovereignty of other nations, while invoking foolish policies that shoot America in the economic foot).  This 'renaming' bullshit being wrong is not a complicated issue, imo  - just look at where we're posting - I can't go into your account and change it on a whim, forcing others to start calling you by a name I've picked.  Surely sovereign nations have the same rights as posters on this board?

Edited Monday at 07:53 PM by anony.miss

[bluegirl147]

17 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Boarder Czar Tom Homan confirmed on FOX today that he’s asked DOJ to investigate AOC

Bloody hell

 

 

 

Remember when the right was accusing Biden of using the DOJ as a weapon?  They always confess what they are doing or want to by accusing someone else of that very thing.

What is the breaking point?  At what point do people rise up and say that is fucking enough? 

22 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Choosing to boycott or not is a personal choice. People should make their own decisions about it. I'm surprised to see it as a hot button issue, though.

I think for some people it's become virtue signaling. There might be people on the left who do it but it's usually people on the right filming themselves doing things like shooting Budweiser beer cans or back in the day stomping on the (former Dixie) Chicks CDs.

Edited Monday at 07:59 PM by bluegirl147

[Anela]

18 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

This is key, and great to hear. People are doing this with Amazon vendors, too. The only advantage Amazon has is that they can deliver the product to you quicker in most cases. If you don’t need something immediately and can wait a few days for delivery, buy directly from the vendor.

Choosing to boycott or not is a personal choice. People should make their own decisions about it. I'm surprised to see it as a hot button issue, though. The only reason I brought up the Koch companies' products was because another forum member asked if there were other boycott ideas. Are people really getting in other people's faces about whether or not they're boycotting a certain company? How does it even come up in general conversation? Unless you spotted someone walking into a Target, how do you know they shop there? Unless you see an Amazon delivery vehicle at a neighbor's house, how do you know they're Amazon customers?

Then again, this is 2025 America, where anything can be a hot button issue. 🙄

Yeah, I’ve been looking for things outside of Amazon, and I’m glad that more things are available in stores now. Like one of the toothpastes I use.  
 

I follow someone who would have an issue with a drink from Starbucks, but he eats chick-fil-a, and told people they were stupid for asking streamers not to buy and broadcast the Harry Potter game, two years ago.  I don’t want to give my money to Starbucks, either.  I’m checking other places for drinks, but I hardly get them now.  It’s not like I’m buying there every day. 

Edited Monday at 07:54 PM by Anela

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

“60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world!” Musk said. “They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. They deserve a long prison sentence.”

Says the man who offered to buy Pennsylvanians vote.  And might have for all we know.

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

There might be people on the left who do it but it's usually people on the right filming themselves doing things like shooting Budweiser beer cans or back in the day stomping on the former Dixie) Chicks CDs.

I love when people protest by destroying something they've already purchased.  The person/company they're pissed at already has their money.  That's not a boycott.

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

I love when people protest by destroying something they've already purchased.  The person/company they're pissed at already has their money.  That's not a boycott.

One of my best friends wanted to buy all the Harry Potter books in hardcover.   This was after Rowling showed her true colors so he didn't want her to make a dime off him so he looked in every thrift or resale store he was in and eventually found all of them.

[kittykat]

That's what I did with most of them.  I bought Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows on release day but found all the rest of my hardcovers in thrift stores.  I won't get rid of them and I'll one day reread them but probably won't invest in any more of her books.

[Dimity]

10 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I love when people protest by destroying something they've already purchased.  The person/company they're pissed at already has their money.  That's not a boycott.

After Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris Trump supporters lost their minds and were doing all sorts of stupid crap up to and including buying her merchandise and destroying it.   They sure showed her.

[tessaray]

31 minutes ago, PRgal said:

That's what I want to tell people, but you know how some people are.  They're just going to rant on and on about what you're doing is wrong.  Those people give me a lot of anxiety.  And there are more of those these days than, say, 10 years ago.

Unless these people are your bosses or in-laws, they don't matter, do they? Or are you personally conflicted?

When I was a kid some people boycotted grapes and some people didn't. (In support of CA farm workers.) We didn't eat grapes. Today I have a medical condition and a restricted diet, so I have to shop accordingly. That means Walmart and Target in my area. It is what it is. 

I order things from the source online if I can. I will sometimes pay more for local. I am weaning myself off Amazon, though to be fair with current prices and much slower delivery, they're making it easy. But it isn't necessarily political. I've seen what our reliance on these big companies is doing to our communities. 

Everyone has to decide for themselves. If peer pressure re: boycotts affects your mental health, then don't boycott anything. You don't have to defend yourself here or anywhere else. 

[Dimity]

25 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

“60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world!” Musk said. “They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. They deserve a long prison sentence.”

Nazi's don't always have to do a fascist salute to tell us they are nazis.

[Anela]

I’m seeing posts from today, that state the current target boycott is the reason the shareholders sued. Of course it was bigots boycotting them, that they’re upset about. 

Someone said to keep it up, that they won’t see the effects of this boycott for a few months.  

Edited Monday at 08:33 PM by Anela

[Dimity]

5 minutes ago, Anela said:

Someone said to keep it up, that they won’t see the effects of this boycott for a few months.  

While our contribution to the boycott will be the proverbial drop in a bucket we have changed our holiday plans this summer.   

We had previously intended to go to the Maritimes to visit family by way of the US where we definitely would have hit up a Target.  Not anymore.  

Same with my daughter and son and their holiday plans, which no longer involve the US or Target. Daughter BTW was in NYC this past fall and managed to go to at least one different Target each day she was there. She and some of her friends also go down to the States several times a year to shop - and always at Target.  So take that Target, you've lost an addict.

Edited Monday at 08:28 PM by Dimity

[PRgal]

@Dimity & @tessaray:  My parents aren't the ones who'll shame me for where I shop (though they DO shame me for what I eat and what how I feed my family.  Unfortunately, I can't go no contact with them since I rely on them for childcare and I work for the family), so not work or family.  A lot of it DOES come from social media, but at the same time, I can't really disappear from them because where else am I going to find good support for interfaith families?   I have also all but cut ties with a women's volunteer group I was heavily involved with 15-20 years ago because their idea of diversity and inclusion didn't include people like me.  I'm also half glad I don't have a daughter so I don't have to deal with the ultra-PC vibe that Girl Guides of Canada has gone.  My alma mater is leaning that way as well, but not to that extent.  There's a reason why many people have become extremely right wing.