As A Paper Bird blogger so eloquently says, it can be hard to keep track of who we’re boycotting from day to day. Yesterday’s Stoli Vodka and Sochi Games boycott is today’s Barilla Pasta boycott. So many boycotts!
A Paper Bird’s fantastic article tackles the difficult task of situating the effectiveness of boycotts within the bigger picture of wide-ranging global politics. If the global gay community gets Barilla pasta chairman Guido Barilla to issue an apology, we have to ask ourself if anything’s been changed systemically or if all we’ve received is lip service while the gargantuan problem remains:
“[…] there’s more to Barilla than just the symbolic value of getting them to retract a stupid statement. There’s a bigger picture. They have a longstanding role in the corrupt copulation of business and politics in Italy, and the way that the resulting right-wing juggernaut sells conservative social as well as economic policy. That won’t change just because they’ve apologized for alienating one market sector.”
Why you can trust Xtra
