More power to your elbow, Madam

People should boycott suppliers:

Rebecca Renard-Wilson has stopped shopping at Target and all things Amazon including Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. These days, the mother of two shops for the things she needs at farmer’s markets, small mom-and-pop stores or she goes directly to the websites of products she wants to purchase.

“I have options of where I put my money,” Renard-Wilson, 49, said. “Yes, Target’s convenient. Yes, Amazon Fresh is on my drive to my kids’ school. The options that I have discovered have opened up new relationships. I feel more connected to my community because I’m not shopping at those big-box places. I’m able to now use my money not only to resist places that don’t align with my values, but I’m able to now support places that do align with my values. To me, that’s a win-win.”

This is not merely something entirely sensible to do. It’s absolutely vital that all of us do exactly this. How we spend our money is how we tame producers - of anything and everything - to our desires. Each £ - in this case $ - is a vote for the world we desire.

Now, true, some to many here will not share this lady’s evaluation. The lack of DEI policies might even be thought of as a plus. But then in a liberal society there are those myriad views and each one is as valid as any other. Simply because it is a view held by one in a liberal society. So, we all have that duty - and yes, we do mean duty - to spend according to our views, ethics, morals. That most of the time none of those surmount either price or convenience is not a refutation of the point it’s just a statement that those views, ethics etc aren’t all that important to us. Which is, in itself, an ethical, moral etc view.

Yes, of course you should boycott those you feel strongly enough about to boycott. It’s your money to do with as you wish. That’s what freedom, property, actually mean. That you get to do as you wish with them.

So does everyone else of course.

Tim Worstall