Boycotting US products.

[8enotto]

shouldn't the only criteria be suitability, quality and price and expected lifetime?

If a product we use is in question this is the only criteria.

The government behind the nation it is made is quite another thing.
I don't have the resources to fully support my own dreams and goals right now, it's a work in progress.

I certainly don't have the resources to change the governments of two nations I don't live in by boycotting a damned thing.
They do what they do entirely without my permission.

Gump was a double barreled imbecile first term, what the heck does anyone expect in his 2nd term?
China has been a heavy handed dictatorship for decades, we know that but also understand they are vunerable on the worldwide economic level.
They are struggling to keep up with the west on so many things many take for granted. They have a reason to play nice to survive.
There are a couple of Chinese import stores in town run by a Chinese family. The quality of consumer goods I see there is like stuff I seen in stores 30 years ago.
It's not impressive.

 

[Myriad]

Boycotts are all well and good but shouldn't you also withhold some exports? According to most weather forecasters, here in New England we've been importing a large percentage of our arctic air from Canada. You all really should embargo that stuff.

 

[LiteBright]

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a non-partisan think tank has some really good ideas about how to respond to the US tariff threat...

"How much does Trump care about various businesses across the country? It's hard to say," said Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood. "But he certainly cares about his own and his friends' financial interests. So yeah, that's the rationale. You put sanctions on Trump's inner circle in some way."

Mertins-Kirkwood says Canada can freeze assets, making it harder for Trump allies to do business in Canada.

"This is a tried and true playbook that Canada and other countries have used in other contexts," he said. "So when Russia invaded Ukraine, immediately the Russian oligarchs in Putin's inner circle were sanctioned by Canada and other governments. So, it's a tactic that gets other governments to take notice, without necessarily hurting consumers and households in Canada."

Much like the western world did to russian oligarchs, lets do the same to their american counterparts. Love it!

He also thinks there's a role for Ottawa to play in the areas of intellectual property and foreign acquisitions of Canadian companies.

"There's all sorts of things we are not allowed to make in Canada because the intellectual property is owned by American companies. Pharmaceuticals are one example of that," he said.

"So you could say this is in reaction to the U.S. implementing tariffs, or as me and my colleagues say, economic warfare, this kind of aggression. You just invalidate those U.S. patents. You say Canadian companies can just make generic versions of these U.S. goods whether it's drugs or otherwise."

Mertins-Kirkwood that would actually lower the cost of living in Canada, and it would make medications more accessible.

"And it would hurt U.S. corporate interests who are profiting off those rights," he said.

Absolutely! For years we have respected american patents but that respect has to flow both ways and right now its not. So lets selectively invalidate patents for products that can be made here.

In terms of energy, Mertins-Kirkwood suggests levying an export tax so U.S. buyers would have to pay more for the energy we send south, while Canadian suppliers benefit. It wouldn't be easy for the U.S. to avoid an export tax on energy because they don't have alternate sources to fill the gap if they look to buy elsewhere, he said.

This idea I love. Canada is america's single biggest source of foreign oil. Little noticed in Trump's tariff threats was a carve out for Canadian energy that was only at 10% to keep the price of gas from rising. Let's make up the difference with a 15% export tax. Its not exactly easy for them to look elsewhere given that there are several american refineries specifically tooled to process the grade(s) of oil coming from Alberta. It would take them years to retool and Trump's "drill baby drill" plan would also likely take a minimum of 10 years to bear fruit. So yeah, let the price of gas rise and see how long the MAGAs in their 3/4 tonne pickups tolerate that.

 

[Brainster]

The rot is so deep I doubt it. The problem is you have a
right-wing party and an ever more extreme right-wing party to chose from. Both only have policies that make the average American's life worse by funnelling what wealth they have to the ultra-wealthy. Most of them are owned by the wealthy.

I am always amused by this claim. Guess what? If your country was in charge of keeping the world safe, your country's politics would be about as right-wing. And for a lot of Europeans I suspect if their country was in charge of keeping just their own country safe, things would get a whole lot more right-wing.

 

[Susheel]

I am always amused by this claim. Guess what?
If your country was in charge of keeping the world safe, your country's politics would be about as right-wing. And for a lot of Europeans I suspect if their country was in charge of keeping just their own country safe, things would get a whole lot more right-wing.

Really? Two things here...it seems like US's idea of keeping the world safe is primarily code for "keeping the world safe for exploitatory US corporate interests", and that is the only reason why the US government has to be rightwing.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I am always amused by this claim. Guess what? If your country was in charge of keeping the world safe, your country's politics would be about as right-wing. And for a lot of Europeans I suspect if their country was in charge of keeping just their own country safe, things would get a whole lot more right-wing.

BS.
Democrats have been more consistent and less extortionist about the US upholding its NATO obligations than Republicans.
Of course, the only country who ever asked for help from NATO was the US.

 

[Brainster]

BS.
Democrats have been more consistent and less extortionist about the US upholding its NATO obligations than Republicans.
Of course, the only country who ever asked for help from NATO was the US.

Why do you think the US political spectrum is more skewed to the right than most of Europe? Because that is what I was responding to.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Because it's a fact that it is.
And the key reason is that in the US, the Opposition to the Right is itself a center-right Party with just a slightly bigger tent to hold the rare center-left politician (with no power).
Another is that the US is far more nationalistic than European countries, with rituals like the Pledge of Allegiance, Flags on everything and the National Anthem everywhere.
And a third is that the US the biggest wealth gap of all developed countries, and the Rich have disproportionate influence on Politics, and they always align strictly to the Side that is against more Labor or voter rights.

Compare that with most European countries, where the Left is usually pro-Labor, social democratic and sometimes even Communist.

When your Center is skewed to the Right, the Right ends up being Far Right.

Or do you think it's a coincidence that the no.2 man in the US right now (Musk) talked with the German Far Right Party, but not the Conservatives? Or that Vance is complaining that the Far Right in Europe doesn't get enough influence?

Republicans clearly identify with the Far Right in Europe, not the Conservatives.

So why do you think you know better than they do?

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

I am always amused by this claim. Guess what? If your country was in charge of keeping the world safe, your country's politics would be about as right-wing. And for a lot of Europeans I suspect if their country was in charge of keeping just their own country safe, things would get a whole lot more right-wing.

I think the drift towards extreme positions in the politics of the USA has far more to do with the amount of money in its politics than the pressure of "keeping the world safe". For example, the president of the USA repeatedly stating that climate change is a hoax and the USA should engage in behaviour to increase its greenhouse gas emissions is not consistent with "keeping the world safe". It is compatible with what extremely wealthy people want and who have sufficient resources to be amongst the last to suffer from the consequences.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

All without a peep of protest from the supposed 'checks and balances' or any meaningful protest from the US populace.

You're right about the checks and balances shattering like a wall chewed away by hornets, but what would you consider a meaningful protest of US citizens? Obviously there's been protests, the "50 states 50 capitals 1 DC" protests that have been happening fairly regularly, the GOP is too afraid of its own supporters to hold town hall meetings anymore, but all that is apparently not meaningful.

 

[Lukraak_Sisser]

You're right about the checks and balances shattering like a wall chewed away by hornets, but what would you consider a meaningful protest of US citizens? Obviously there's been protests, the "50 states 50 capitals 1 DC" protests that have been happening fairly regularly, the GOP is too afraid of its own supporters to hold town hall meetings anymore, but all that is apparently not meaningful.

Meaningful would be protests that actually have some chance of altering the policies by the government. Protests they cannot ignore. Things like the protests in Serbia, Slovakia or the protests against the Vietnam war. The ones in the US are so small they can be ignored (and are). And it's clear from your own polls that a lot of US citizens still fully cheer Trump on. Far more than protest or just are apathic. Maybe if those citizens start feeling a crunch they will change their minds.

 

[Orphia Nay]

Today, the fivethirtyeight poll has flipped, and more people now disapprove of Trump than approve.

ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

ABC News is your trusted source on political news stories and videos. Get the latest coverage and analysis on everything from the Trump presidency, Senate, House and Supreme Court.

projects.fivethirtyeight.com

 

[Blue Mountain]

Today, the fivethirtyeight poll has flipped, and more people now disapprove of Trump than approve.

ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

ABC News is your trusted source on political news stories and videos. Get the latest coverage and analysis on everything from the Trump presidency, Senate, House and Supreme Court.

projects.fivethirtyeight.com

A trifle. When Joe Biden left office, the disapprove-approve spread was 20.7, and he had been in disapproval territory for 3½ out of his four years. Trump's a long way from that.

However, Trump getting a disapproval rating after only six weeks in office must be some sort of record.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Assuming Trump thinks that far, the logic is pretty obvious: do all the horrible stuff very early, rightfully expecting them to be forgotten in the goldfish memory of the voters and media by the time of the next round of elections.

 

[dann]

You can't seriously expect "all the horrible stuff" to stop after the horrible start, can you?
If you do, it's time for you to start living in reality instead.
Even (?) late-night comedians seem to have grasped that this it not going to somehow correct itself.

Rep. Al Green Tossed Out For Interrupting Trump | Useful Lies & Useless Idiots (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on YouTube, Mar 5, 2025 - 15:11 min.)
6:10--> The man barked out one appalling claim after another, but don't you worry!
The Democrats came ready to fight back with their little paddles!
[Photo of Democrats holding up paddles reading: "FALSE"]
That is how you save democracy!
By quietly dissenting ... or bidding on an antique tea set.
It was hard to tell what was going on.
I'm just kidding.
That was very cool, Democrats. In fact, I made my own sign:
[Holds up sign: "TRY DOING SOMETHING"]

All resistance isn't futile. How would you know when not the least bit of resistance has actually been tried?
And resistance requires a lot more than "boycotting US products" or expecting Democrats to do anything beyond symbolic resistance.

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

You can't seriously expect "all the horrible stuff" to stop after the horrible start, can you?
If you do, it's time for you to start living in reality instead.
Even (?) late-night comedians seem to have grasped that this it not going to somehow correct itself.

All resistance isn't futile. How would you know when not the least bit of resistance has actually been tried?
And resistance requires a lot more than "boycotting US products" or expecting Democrats to do anything beyond symbolic resistance.

It'll probably take at least few hundred thousand protesters in Washington DC for several days in a row.

I doubt if significant numbers of people in the USA are motivated to protest at the moment. Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans being screwed over? Meh. The president parroting Russian propaganda? Uh-huh. Politicians lying? Yeah.

If/when things such as social security and medical cover start being affected then I suspect all hell will break loose!

 

[plague311]

It'll probably take at least few hundred thousand protesters in Washington DC for several days in a row.

I doubt if significant numbers of people in the USA are motivated to protest at the moment. Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans being screwed over? Meh. The president parroting Russian propaganda? Uh-huh. Politicians lying? Yeah.

If/when things such as social security and medical cover start being affected then I suspect all hell will break loose!

Part of the issue with the US is getting a few hundred thousand protesters to DC isn't an easy task. We're a bit spread out here. Even traveling to my state's capital is a 4 hour drive from my house. Most European countries have an established rail system and we just don't, not like that anyway. If I were to take the train from my place to DC it would be 33 hours. That's not round trip, that's one-way. If I were to drive, 21 hours, again, one-way. If I were to fly it would be about $360, and it would be about 10 hours round-trip.

While I would love take part in something like that it would be a tall order as it would eat up a lot of resources.

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

Part of the issue with the US is getting a few hundred thousand protesters to DC isn't an easy task. We're a bit spread out here. Even traveling to my state's capital is a 4 hour drive from my house. Most European countries have an established rail system and we just don't, not like that anyway. If I were to take the train from my place to DC it would be 33 hours. That's not round trip, that's one-way. If I were to drive, 21 hours, again, one-way. If I were to fly it would be about $360, and it would be about 10 hours round-trip.

While I would love take part in something like that it would be a tall order as it would eat up a lot of resources.

Clearly there is a cost to protesting, some of which you have highlighted. For a lot of people it would also mean either using vacation time, not getting paid or even risk losing their job. Having to pay for food and shelter while protesting would be additional expense for many. Add in the natural tendency to for humans to discount the future and a harm has to be both severe, imminent and affect people directly before many people will be motivated to act.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Why do you think the US political spectrum is more skewed to the right than most of Europe?

1. The mythos of rugged individualism, now fused with libertarian-nihilist post-morality supermen BS.
2. And the fact that average Americans generally detest any contradiction of their most cherished beliefs, leading to moral amnesia and a the-world-began-yesterday syndrome, leading to a propensity to support simplistic solutions that do not threaten self identity ("heritage", the poor man's title to unearned nobility). Same is true everywhere, so what's different? The greater the number of shallow graves to deny, of massacres to forget, the more virulent the denialism, the more the need for bully nationalism. The UK, Israel and Turkey are good examples as well.
---
@OP: Yes, I do boycott, though I already bought very little. Save for CPUs. May just have to go ARM/Linux next upgrade. Also just switched my meds from TEVA (Israeli) to a European manufacturer.

 

[Thermal]

So US automakers said "yo Trump... our factories will shut down in 10 days if these tariffs go through". So the orange one says 'oh ◊◊◊◊, I hadn't thought of that' and backed off tariffs for auto goods.

Seriously, how stupid is this mother ◊◊◊◊◊◊?

Trump grants one-month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada

President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers.

apnews.com

 

[Norman Alexander]

So US automakers said "yo Trump... our factories will shut down in 10 days if these tariffs go through". So the orange one says 'oh ◊◊◊◊, I hadn't thought of that' and backed off tariffs for auto goods.

Seriously, how stupid is this mother ◊◊◊◊◊◊?

Trump grants one-month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada

President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers.

apnews.com

So every other industry and sector affected should use the same arguments. And lo, there were no tariffs!

 

[8enotto]

There are many sectors that will nearly shut down without imported goods. Retail stores are among them.

Does he not know his first term killed off a lot of jobs and factories?
Probably not.

 

[Norman Alexander]

There are many sectors that will nearly shut down without imported goods. Retail stores are among them.

Does he not know his first term killed off a lot of jobs and factories?
Probably not.

Doesn't care. His expertise is in bankrupting casinos and businesses for fun and profit. Oh, and graft and corruption.

 

[Susheel]

So every other industry and sector affected should use the same arguments. And lo, there were no tariffs!

And he will claim HE won because it was THEY who backed down. And his moronic followers will lap it up and then its "All hail King Trump."

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

So US automakers said "yo Trump... our factories will shut down in 10 days if these tariffs go through". So the orange one says 'oh ◊◊◊◊, I hadn't thought of that' and backed off tariffs for auto goods.

Seriously, how stupid is this mother ◊◊◊◊◊◊?

Trump grants one-month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada

President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers.

apnews.com

Just wait until he bans "trans"missions.

 

[Planigale]

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a non-partisan think tank has some really good ideas about how to respond to the US tariff threat...


Much like the western world did to russian oligarchs, lets do the same to their american counterparts. Love it!



Absolutely! For years we have respected american patents but that respect has to flow both ways and right now its not. So lets selectively invalidate patents for products that can be made here.



This idea I love. Canada is america's single biggest source of foreign oil. Little noticed in Trump's tariff threats was a carve out for Canadian energy that was only at 10% to keep the price of gas from rising. Let's make up the difference with a 15% export tax. Its not exactly easy for them to look elsewhere given that there are several american refineries specifically tooled to process the grade(s) of oil coming from Alberta. It would take them years to retool and Trump's "drill baby drill" plan would also likely take a minimum of 10 years to bear fruit. So yeah, let the price of gas rise and see how long the MAGAs in their 3/4 tonne pickups tolerate that.

There was an article in the financial times pointing out that it has been proven that taxes on imports are economically identical to taxes on exports. So Canada could just point out that Trump has overlooked energy and the Canadian government will help the US by taxing energy exports to the US to the same level as other goods (and if the tariffs overall fall so taxes will drop on energy). Of course this is also good for the environment if energy prices rise then people may reduce use reducing the impact on global warming.

 

[8enotto]

I do believe Gump has effectively eliminated the "trans"missions coming into US auto plants for the moment.

Canadá and México both have responded harshly to his latest blithering. Neither is going to roll over and take any threat seriously. Now the warch and wait is if domestic interests can sway his unthinking idoicy to not ruin it all for them.

The peso is rising against the dollar now too. I do wonder if they already decoupled it somewhat to protect our economy.

 

[LiteBright]

I have instructed the purchaser at our business to start seeking non-US alternative suppliers for anything we currently buy from there. We spend about $200k per year in parts and supplies from american suppliers. We'll see if we can get that to $0. Other businesses are doing the same.

Regardless if Trump is only there for 4 years, and that's not a given at this point, this episode has taught us that we should not be so reliant on a single partner. The US will never be more than one election away from turning on us.

 

[ChrisBFRPKY]

The decades old boycott of US products is what this tariff trade war is all about when you think about it. You don't buy from the US, you sell to the US. That's why you've already lost.

 

[Norman Alexander]

The decades old boycott of US products is what this tariff trade war is all about when you think about it. You don't buy from the US, you sell to the US. That's why you've already lost.

Uhh, nope. If the US won't buy because US tariffs make our products too expensive for US businesses to buy, we will just have to sell our products elsewhere. And there's plenty of other buyers out there NOT imposing tariffs! So while you keep shooting yourself in the foot, we will be over here doing trade with willing partners.

 

[ChrisBFRPKY]

Uhh, nope. If the US won't buy because US tariffs make our products too expensive for US businesses to buy, we will just have to sell our products elsewhere. And there's plenty of other buyers out there NOT imposing tariffs! So while you keep shooting yourself in the foot, we will be over here doing trade with willing partners.

I think that's wonderful. Perhaps you're finally beginning to understand the US position.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

Our position is that we shouldn't be able to buy products cheaply, or in some cases, at all? What if I really want or need the product?

 

[ChrisBFRPKY]

I believe that the US position is to impose similar trade barriers to imported products as other Countries have been placing against US products in the ongoing effort to protect their own markets. Now they'll simply get a taste of their own medicine. Their products will be overpriced in the US consumer market, driving US consumers to purchase US made items instead of the imports. Imports into the US will drop sharply.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

We make almost nothing now. Some things we can't produce at all, some things are better done by other countries, and other products have environmental costs we'd rather other people paid instead of us.

 

[dann]

Jolly Cola, a Danish company, sees the trade war and the anti-American sentiment* it has inspired as an advertising opportunity:

Jolly - Uniquely Danish (Jolly Cola on YouTube, April 4, 2025 - 30 sec.)
Jolly Cola is 0% tariffs and 100% fun. When's the last time you tasted a Jolly?

* It may actually have more to do with Trump's intentions to annex Greenland.

 

[Norman Alexander]

I think that's wonderful. Perhaps you're finally beginning to understand the US position.

We understand it now, all too well. I don't think you will understand it until it is far too late, and the USA devolves into a tin-pot mafia-run wasteland. You do know that Trump has never ever run a successful business on his own? Every single one he headed has crashed. Badly. You're just going down with him on his latest and and most titanic failure.

 

[Norman Alexander]

I believe that the US position is to impose similar trade barriers to imported products as other Countries have been placing against US products in the ongoing effort to protect their own markets. Now they'll simply get a taste of their own medicine. Their products will be overpriced in the US consumer market, driving US consumers to purchase US made items instead of the imports. Imports into the US will drop sharply.

Yeah, but we are not going to buy American products any more. We can get better products cheaper elsewhere. You're not the only shop in the market. The USA is not even Australia's biggest trading partner now. In fact, the USA is a distant 4th for us. Soz!

So you can go be sanctimonious all alone and poor on your trash middens. We aren't even going to be your allies and friends for very much longer. We are finding better friends instead.

 

[3point14]

American here. This is really making me rethink boycotting.

Do y'all think cancelling a NYT subscription is giving Trump what for? It's just hurting a newspaper. Boycotting private businesses (especially with the promise of doing so in perpetuity) is going after the wrong people, and for long after the guy who is not affected by the boycott has gone on his merry way.

Wasn't this the argument for not imposing trade restrictions on the apartheid South African regime?

 

[Jack by the hedge]

It sounds as if someone fell for that card the Trumpists held up, listing hundreds of percent tariffs other countries supposedly charge the US to export stuff.

Remember the one? With the Japanese supposedly charging something crazy like 700% on US rice imports? Except the truth is they charge zero tariff. The 700% is an anti-dumping measure which only kicks in on imports greater than 6kg of rice for every man, woman and child in Japan. (How much rice do you buy in a year? Over 13lb?) The US actually sells Japan about half as much as that, and faces zero tariff to do so.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

The US market is interesting to exporters because Americans are willing to buy inferior products on credit.

But Asia is a far more important market.