Opinion: A Call for an Economic Blackout

On Friday, February 28, organizations led by the People’s Union USA, a self-described “grassroots movement dedicated to economic resistance, government accountability, and corporate reform” according to their website, are calling for a boycott of large businesses for the entire day. The target is specifically businesses that have rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures in light of President Trump’s executive order ending DEI programs in federal agencies. While the boycott is meant to target all major industries, the primary targets are Target, Walmart, and Amazon. 

People’s Union USA founder John Schwarz says consumers should still buy from small local businesses, but should “not go out and shop at any big, major store — if you have to [shop], go to the local pizza place, the small local boutique." On their website, they add that buying food, medicine, and emergency supplies would be permitted for those partaking in the boycott if absolutely necessary. The organization also stressed that for any non-essential business, participants should avoid using credit or debit cards to make payments. 

This is the first of many recurring boycotts the organization has planned. There are also full economic boycotts occurring on March 28, and on April 18. There are also targeted boycotts towards Amazon (including all Amazon-owned companies, such as Whole Foods) occurring from March 7–14, and towards Nestlé from March 21–28. The organization sees this blackout as just a first step in a larger movement, noting on their website that “[i]f [corporations and banks] don't listen (they wont [sic]) we make the next blackout longer (We will).”

I support this boycott and encourage readers to tell their friends and have those difficult conversations with their families about stepping away from the market. I believe that the biggest chance we have against the growing demise of our social systems and environment due to corporatism, late-stage capitalism, oligarchy, and fascism is through organization in the economic sector: organized labor and organized spending. 

It’s also important to realize all the ways that we participate in the economy. Even while writing this article, I’m using Google services and information shared through Instagram, and Meta and Google are among the top offenders of complicity in the latest rise of American fascist oligarchy. An important part of an economic blackout is avoiding giving data or ad revenue to large tech companies by staying off social media during the blackout period, and avoiding using any technology that uses user data to train artificial intelligence. However, social media is also the largest tool grassroots movements have for spreading information about campaigns like this one. Leftist organizations continue to deal with treading a balance that utilizes the benefits of social media as a way to propagate information but limits its economic impact.

We must make “dollar voting” not a one-day act, but a generational lifestyle change. Continue to limit or cease your spending towards companies that participate in union-busting, genocide profiteering, and climate destruction in any way possible. We must also continue the pressure towards the Reed administration for transparent investments and to divest from BDS targets.

However, it is also important to realize that being able to take part in economic political action is a class privilege, and when misinterpreted, it can devolve into a form of conspicuous consumption meant to create an ethics-based class hierarchy instead of solidarity. Thus, it is essential to emphasize awareness in boycott campaigns while not using shame culture to gain participation through guilt. This is specifically an issue at Reed, as a deep discomfort coming from the privilege of going to an expensive educational institution tends to manifest itself in morality policing instead of political action. We will only succeed if we participate in boycott not because we believe we are morally superior, but because we’re fulfilling a personal civic duty.