What's Missing From the New Civil Rights Movement - The Boycott

I can see it now.  At the end-of-the-first-quarter meeting at Mars, Inc., the CEO, with all of his regional directors, accountants, and no media gathered at the long table will say something like this:

"Even though this occurred as a result of a tragic event, we have experienced record highs in sales of our original Skittles product.  Good job, team!"

Of course, he (used figuratively) will give himself a big raise, take a trip to the West Indies, and give his directors a little bit too.  And on the vacation, he and the regional director for the southeast will chop up ways to keep churches across the nation buying Skittles...keep getting to the money.


It appears that we may want to re-review the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, because clearly, we've forgotten how this works.  Financing a corporate giants' pocket is not the way to bring attention to an alleged murder one that is pointing to a larger social issue.  I thought the game was to cripple the powers that be until the pressure of justice looms over the entire area.  But it seems much more popular to tell your congregation to buy Skittles than to say, "since the boy was carrying Skittles, let's not buy Skittles so they lose millions a day.  Then, because their profit margin will plummet, they too will strongly encourage Sanford PD to open a case and convict this man." 

To my younger audience, this might seem new.  But what used to happen was if a government or business didn't do what was needed for a people, then the people stopped using the services of the government or the product that the business makes.  Companies and towns, scared that they have to close shop, changed their laws or made politicians do so.  Today it may work like this; if everyone got together and said, "we will not use Exxon gas until it drops to $1.50 a gallon," not only will the Exxon gas come down, but other companies will bring it down to in order to sharpen the competitive edge.  Now, I'll let it pass because I'll assume you didn't know.  But to my older audience, shame on you. 

Let's make it simple, the Martin's had no ownership in Skittles except for the pack Trayvon bought.  And I haven't read that Skittles helped to pay for the young brothers' funeral, so who is being honored in purchasing hundreds of thousands of packs of the candy?  Mars, Incorporated.   Besides, you don't have enough cash to make a racist police department listen.  So make the people who do have enough paper talk to 'em. 

Stop buying Skittles.

Peace