i'm boycotting new balance running shoes cause they run/fund romney

[rjmacs]

Robert M wrote:
Rob,

Spock is pointing out exactly what I meant in one of my posts. If you stop using the products in the list provided by Spock, you'd have to evaluate the donations and such provided by the alternative and/or its owners and top brass. It gets to the point of diminishing returns. At some point, you will buy and/or use a product produced or sold by a company that has supported a cause that disagrees with your beliefs. It's unavoidable. Reducible but unavoidable overall.

Robert

This is quite true, Robert, but for many people ethical behavior isn't black or white - it's a matter of good faith efforts to do more good than harm. Certainly in a capitalist consumer society it's hard to avoid all moral turpitude in our consumption habits, but it is possible to do 'better' than an unreflective person would. There certainly is a point of diminishing returns, after which only a deeply committed ideologue finds value. But dismissing the whole enterprise out of hand because of the unattainable perfect can certainly be the enemy of the good...

[Robert M]

rj,

Agreed. That's why I don't dismiss Rob's concern out of hand. He is right to be concerned and take a course of action that he feels is appropriate if this donation was for a cause that goes against his beliefs. That's why I said it's unavoidable. Reducible but unavoidable overall.

Robert

[rjmacs]

Robert M wrote:
rj,

Agreed. That's why I don't dismiss Rob's concern out of hand. He is right to be concerned and take a course of action that he feels is appropriate if this donation was for a cause that goes against his beliefs. That's why I said it's unavoidable. Reducible but unavoidable overall.

Robert

Yeah - personally, i find it heartening when people are willing to make the effort. It reminds me that we are capable of acting outside of our narrow selfish interests, if we so choose.

[Grateful11]

Bill in NC wrote:
NB for those of us with fat feet.

and narrow feet ;-)

[Robert M]

Hi everyone,

Just for giggles, I searched to see if Apple has provided any political contributions. I found the following website:



And Apple's listing:



Very interesting.

Robert

[August West]

What I found interesting was that, as far as I could tell from a somewhat unreadable website, Apple's contributions measured 800 grand over many years. I think that illustrates the extraordinary actions of NB's CEO, with his 500 grand one off to a Super Pac, and the need to treat NB in extraordinary fashion.

[Robert M]

Agust,

I delved into the list a bit more deeply. Those are contributions made by lots and lots of Apple employees. Think any one of them can afford to give $500K to a SuperPac at once? Not likely. So, of course the amount of donations isn't going reach the level that someone with a tremendous amount of money at his/her disposal. No need to treat NB the company any differently than Apple as far as I'm concerned.

Robert