There seems to be some rumblings of a boycott against all things French, as a response to what is perceived to be unbelievable insults and security violations related to the Olympic flame’s stagger through Paris. Carrefours seems to be the biggest target. I am left to wonder what percentage of goods in any given Carrefour store are Made in China. Though I have no inside info on this, I’ll shinny way out on the limb and say, “Probably a whole lot.” I also don’t know what number of the products in any given Carrefour store are Made in France, but I’d scoot back out onto the very same limb and say, “Probably not all that many.” It seems to me that in order for a boycott to be effective – and in my experience most of them are not, since it requires a level of organization that is several stories above the ground floor of angry words and big intentions – it should be directed at a company that deals in goods manufactured in the targeted country. To naively bat around the notion of an economic boycott in this very fragile time – when the notion of boycott is being used far too frequently and inanely, and mostly in regard to the Olympics (which I personally feel is very bad idea) – is, at best, an ill-advised reaction to a perceived slight. Get used to it. This is what it means to be a player on the stage.
But if you’re hell-bent on doing a boycott at least pick out a company that is importing goods from the place that so upsets you. Think about things made in France. How about Peugeot? What say you try to start a boycott against buying that particular brand of car? But wait, aren’t Peugeots manufactured in Wuhan? See, you got to think a little bit more about this. It’s really not all that easy.
Warning: be careful all you restaurants and cafes out there. If any of the Young & Inflamed get to nosing around in an etymology book, you guys might be next.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Matthew Stinson // Apr 17, 2008 at 6:32 pm
It’s the same situation as in 2005, when most Japanese products being protested were being made by Chinese workers.
I got to thinking along the same lines as you: food prices have risen by more than 20% this year, and Carrefour is the main supermarket in several Chinese cities including here in Tianjin. A boycott would only increase inflationary pressure on food prices, though the working poor would be hurt before the middle class netizens calling for a boycott would feel the pain.
2 Lindel // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:37 pm
If you want to boycott the french then go after Berets, french bread, cheese, and wine. Any chinese military or police units who have a beret as one of their uniforms could make a public annoucement about switching to another hat style. Most chinese I know don’t like cheese so giving up brie would be easy. The nouveau riche of shanghai could empty their wine cellars in tiananmen or maybe the lake at the summer palace when they come for the show in august to show their love for the motherland.
3 Bill // Apr 18, 2008 at 8:43 am
How much of the “French” bread, cheese and wine sold in China are made in France ? Especially the bread part. Three day old French bread is Yuk.
No, it is French champagne, Cognac, perfume, etc. they should go after. But that would mean all Chinese officials will have to do the boycott, not the Inflamed.
I think to show their real anger, they should take all bottles of French wine they have on to the street, and pour them down the sewer in public to demonstrate their resolve. This way, their anger is released, the actions witnessed, and the French wine merchant and expect really good business for the next few weeks.
4 An English Teacher in China » Weekly Roundup: Following the Herd (of Dragons) // Apr 19, 2008 at 8:58 am
[...] good for me, as I will finally be able to shop at Carrefour on the weekends. Here is article from Absurdity, Allegory and China on this [...]
5 Weekly Roundup: Following the Herd (of Dragons) // Nov 9, 2008 at 9:27 pm
[...] good for me, as I will finally be able to shop at Carrefour on the weekends. Here is article from Absurdity, Allegory and China on this [...]
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