Boycotting Capitalism

by C. A. Matthews

I’m waiting to hear some good news about the outcome of the Economic Black-Out that happened this past week. Did record numbers of shoppers stay home—and offline—denying profits to the corporations that have been partners in genocide? I’d like to think so.

I’d like to think that folks shopped locally on Black Friday and didn’t waste their time and money on whatever-expensive-thing the mega-corps are pushing this holiday season, because it’s not like we’re all drowning in money this year. Am I right? What struggling family has anything leftover to spend on frivolous things after scraping up just enough pocket change to buy this week’s groceries? If you can eat whatever you like, whenever you like, and buy without back-breaking interest whatever it is you like, you know you’re truly blessed, don’t you?

But even if only a handful of us boycotted the genocide-enabling corporations this week, it was well worth it. It’s always worth it to free one’s soul from the never-ending cycle of consumerism. Face it, we don’t need to own the latest widget or gadget or thingamajig in order to survive. We just need a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. All the rest is superfluous.

And dangerous. How so? If we find ourselves addicted to amassing more and more material goods or lusting after the “latest thing,” we could discover a greed that will never die. The monster of greed will just grow within our soul and grow and grow… Soon, we could find ourselves owning everything and nothing at the same time.

If our lives become nothing but an excuse to shop and spend, very soon we could have an overflowing shed or rented storage space and nobody to share any of the contents with. We wouldn’t have spent much time or effort on relationships. We’ll just have stuff. And stuff can’t snuggle with you on a cold winter’s night or hold your hand when you’re sick or be there when you’re in need of companionship. Stuff just sits around and gathers dust.

Useless, absolutely useless, stuff is, which is why it’s not worth accumulating much of it in the first place. In order to save our precious souls and the souls of others, it’s time for us to stop this destructive accumulation and cult-like worship of stuff, and instead focus our energies on making the world a better and safer place for us all.

That’s why the BDS or boycotting/divesting/sanctioning movement is so vital...

 

To learn more about how we can use BDS and striking to make the world a better place, please read the rest of the article by copying or clicking on the following link: 

https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special articles just for paid subscribers, too.

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today. Power to the people!  

This article is the 548th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading, sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years. 

You can make a donation at https://paypal.me/camatthews or Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-fi. Every little bit helps since this is my only source of income. Thank you. 

We’ve Got The Power!

by C. A. Matthews

Oftentimes, we don’t realize that all is not lost. We haven’t hit a roadblock like we thought. There is a path forward.

This is one of those times.

The Uniting for Peace resolution was made at the United Nations General Assembly this past week by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. He is now talking with other countries, such as the ones that comprise the Hague Group, to build a protective force for Gaza. (The US has since revoked Petro’s visa for his courage to speak so boldly at the UN. An illegal move, but what would you expect of Trump?)

More nations have recognized Palestine as a state than ever before. Spain, Italy, and recently Turkiye have sent naval escorts to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla. Every large city in Italy has held massive pro-Palestine protests and the longshoreman have vowed to go on strike to prevent the transport of military supplies to Israel.

So, even if the Western governments look like they’re not doing anything much to end the genocide in Gaza, there are some tiny, incremental changes happening for the better that will lead to a positive outcome. Yeah, I know—what’s happening seems very little and very late in the game, but it’s what we got.

Now is the time to play our cards well and pull out all the stops...

 

To find out how we can use our power for the good of all and end the genocide in Gaza, please copy or click on the following link: 

https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special articles just for paid subscribers, too.

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today. Power to the people!   

This article is the 539th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading, sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years. 

You can make a donation at https://paypal.me/camatthews or Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-fi. Every little bit helps since this is my only source of income. Thank you. 

The People Take Action

 

Listen to Greta speak before the launch of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The People Take Action

by C. A. Matthews

I’m tired of people whining. It’s not that I don’t whine myself, because we all do from time to time, but some folks’ incessant whining about how terrible things are and how they can’t do anything about them drives me up the wall. If I were a protagonist in a 1940s movie, I’d take the whiners by the shoulders and shake them hard and then slap them across the face to make them stop whining.

I know. I’d get into a helluva big mess if I resorted to physical violence to get the whiners’ attention nowadays. So, I’m left with using only non-violent means, such as writing, to get them to snap out of their whining tirades. So, here goes.

Things are terrible in 2025, but you can do something about them beside whining. You can take action.

The following are examples of people from all over the world who didn’t sit and whine about how terrible things are. They’ve stood up and started moving. They know their actions could make them lose their livelihoods or get them hurt. They realize they could be risking their lives and their reputations by taking action, but they feel it’s worth it. The ends justify the means—and any cost to themselves personally.

First example: American IT workers were willing to risk losing their jobs, their careers and professional reputations in order to make a bold statement protesting Israel’s actions in Palestine and their company’s association with the genocidaires. This is the story of what four former employees of Microsoft did recently ...

Our second example of people taking action instead of whining is global in its importance. From People’s Dispatch:

In July 2025, a new international maritime initiative was launched: the Global Sumud Flotilla. It was formed by four major coalitions: the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Maghreb Sumud Convoy, and the Southeast Asian Nusantara Sumud Initiative. The Global Sumud Flotilla is set to depart on August 31, 2025. Its goal is clear: to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza, to deliver urgent humanitarian aid, and to expose the genocidal war waged on Palestinians.

The flotilla is composed of dozens of small civilian vessels carrying activists, parliamentarians, doctors, and trade unionists, alongside humanitarian cargo. More than 39 national delegations have pledged participation, making this the largest people-led maritime effort in solidarity with Gaza since the 2010 “Mavi Marmara”...

 

And be sure to register now for the webinar to learn how to become a part of the Lifeline for Palestine. https://lifelineforpalestine.com/

 

To read more about how and why we should take action (and not just sit around and whine), please copy or click on this link: 

https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special articles just for paid subscribers, too.

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today. Power to the people!  

 And also watch https://youtu.be/CtUGZXM_-Lc

 

This article is the 535th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading, sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years. 

You can make a donation at https://paypal.me/camatthews or Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-fi. Every little bit helps since this is my only source of income. Thank you. 

 

Economic Blackout—Just Use It!

by C.A. Matthews

There’s something everyone can do this week to make the world a better place that’s as simple as doing absolutely nothing.

I’m not kidding. It’s that easy. Everyone can stop spending money all at the same time. Withholding our money even for twenty-four hours can make a strong point to the powers that be.

How do we coordinate such an action? Here’s how: There’s a planned “economic blackout” scheduled for this Friday, February 28, that you can join. (See meme for details.)

“But...but…” I hear some of the whiners objecting to the sheer simplicity of everyone not supporting Amazon, Walmart, Target and the like for a day. “Surely we must do something big and difficult to catch the oligarchs/billionaires’ attention, to let them know that we don’t care for what Mr. Musk is doing, that we want them to stop spending our tax dollars on wars and genocide. How can depriving mega-corporations of a few sales for one day get our message across?”

You’d be surprised how sales being cut back by even a few percentage points can catch a capitalist’s eye and make them worry...

 

To learn more about how you can give the billionaires/oligarchs cause for worry, please continue reading the rest of this article by copying or clicking on this Substack link: 

https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special articles just for paid subscribers, too.

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today. Power to the people!

In Memory…

Protest comes in many forms. Rest In Power, Aaron Bushnell!

February 25, 2024

This article is the 508th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading, sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years.

You can make a donation at https://paypal.me/camatthews or at Buy Me a Coffee or at Ko-fi. Every little bit helps since this is my only source of income. Thank you.

 

#BoycottMickey (Boycotts Work)

 

#BoycottMickey

by C.A. Matthews 

From Mickey Mouse (Disney) to MickeyD’s (McDonald’s), Palestine will be free!

I’m just back from a cold—but very effective—protest for Peace in Palestine. We marched several blocks along a heavily trafficked city street to an Interstate highway crossing where the most intrepid activists among us hung a large banner over the side of the bridge for a couple of hours. The remainder of us held our picket signs and chanted at that very busy (and noisy) intersection at the highway entrance. I was amazed at the positive response we received from the public. I was very heartened by the physical and spiritual toughness of my fellow protesters marching and chanting under such frigid and damp conditions, too.

Protesting is a big challenge for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere in the winter months. How do we continue to send the message to our elected officials that we demand a permanent ceasefire and that we want Israel out of Gaza now without doing peace demos and marches in below freezing temperatures? Activists are a creative lot, and we know there are other ways of making our voices heard that don’t involve standing around in the cold. One of the oldest and most effective protest methods is the boycott. This week’s guest blog, by our resident historian Coast Watcher, gives us a brief history of the boycott.

So, what businesses should we as North Americans currently focus our boycott on to help the cause of the Palestinian people? The “big three” that are feeling the pain of Pro-Palestine consumers boycotting their products are McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the Disney Company. It’s not too hard for those of us standing on the side of Palestine to avoid giving them our business. Who really needs fast food, overpriced coffee and insipid entertainment?

“Misinformation” about McDonald’s support for Israel is having a “meaningful impact” on its sales in the Middle East, the fast food restaurant’s chief executive has said according to an article in the Telegraph. It’s not really “misinformation” that McDonald’s openly supplied food to the Israeli Defense Forces after they launched their genocidal campaign in Gaza. This action has angered many in mostly Muslim countries where their restaurants have been forced to shut down. Is it any wonder that a worldwide boycott of McDonald’s restaurants is hurting their bottom line? They’re learning the hard way that being pro-genocide isn’t good for business.

I was amazed that even trade publications have made note of the effectiveness of Pro-Palestinian/anti-genocide boycotts. From The Drum:

Gauging appetite for boycotts among the crowds at a pro-Palestine protest organized by If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles, and the Arab-American Civic Council, The Drum heard from 33-year-old Palestinian-American activist Zainab about why she is no longer buying pro-Israel brands. “I am a Palestinian; my grandparents were expelled in the 1948 Nakba, so I have grown up seeing the oppression. I not only stand for Palestinians; I stand for all humanity. I stand for Black Lives Matter, I stood against the wall suppressing Mexican rights, and I do not stand for the killing in Sudan or Congo. I am not going to stop protesting, whether it is monetarily against brands and companies or going out in the streets every weekend.”

--from  As activists boycott pro-Israel brands, what should marketers do next?  

Yeah, even marketers know that being linked to Israel is the kiss of death for capitalists. We must keep up the pressure by spreading the names of these pro-Israeli businesses to boycott in all our social media posts and through good old-fashioned word of mouth.

By December 2023, pro-Israeli Starbucks losses stood at $11 billion during the last quarter. Starbucks had already been under a lot of pressure financially due to its closing stores where unions were forming and employee strikes for better working conditions, so the further boycotting of their products will really send a message that when Starbucks hurts one of us—or one people such as the Palestinians—it will feel our pain in its CEO’s pocketbook. Besides, in blindfolded taste tests most coffee drinkers say they prefer other less expensive brands of coffee. So, do yourself and your wallet a favor—boycott Starbucks and learn how to brew your own coffee instead.

The Disney Company acts amazed as to why their donations to Israel along with their producing an upcoming Marvel movie featuring an apartheid-loving Israeli superhero would be upsetting to so many people worldwide. From their own publication, Inside the Magic:

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement leads the most prominent pro-Palestine boycotts. They recommend consumer boycotts of companies like Sodastream and HP but suggest “pressure” on bigger corporations that are harder to avoid– like Disney.

Still, many former fans feel boycotting...Walt Disney World Resort is the right thing to do. Former Disney cast member and TikTok creator Helen Jane (@helenjp1313) shifted her content because The Walt Disney Company donated to Israel. She recommends a Disney Parks boycott....Weeks ago, Disneyland Resort thousands protested at the theme park in support of Palestine.

I don’t know about you, but I can think of much better places to go on vacation besides the soulless, overly commercialized fakeness of Disney World. Visiting pristine mountains and beaches come to mind. And can we live without watching the latest Marvel motion picture? Yes, we can. Boycotting the Marvel movie, along with protesting any theaters that dare show it, will definitely get the message across that pro-genocide supporters' products aren’t wanted in decent society.

So, tell your friends today to avoid or keep avoiding these brands and the brands listed at BDSMovement.net. Why? Because boycotts work.

Boycotts Work

by Coast Watcher

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan recently complained that sales figures for the coffee store giant had plummeted following the boycott of their products due to the chain’s support for Israeli genocide. For many who’ve always advocated the use of boycotts to punish businesses for their social infractions this is proof that the tactic works.

The origin of the term stems from Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott, a retired British army officer. In 1873 he became manager for the County Mayo, Ireland, estates of absentee landlord the Earl of Erne. Absentee landlords were the bane of the rural Irish people. They reaped vast profits from their estates throughout Ireland, often without even setting foot there.

In 1879 bad harvests threatened another famine like that of 1845-49. A Land League formed to prevent it occurring. The League told Boycott to reduce rents by 25% to help the rural people weather the situation. In response Boycott attempted to serve eviction notices, which was historically a typical act of the landed class of the time. Previously there had been little that could be done to stop such measures, but late nineteenth century Ireland had learned a thing or two.

President of the Land League, Charles Stewart Parnell, urged tenants faced with Boycott’s and other landlords’ eviction demands to avoid any communication with those who refused to lower rents. Boycott himself was the primary target for the measure, and it worked. Scab laborers guarded by the military and even the soldiers themselves were employed to harvest crops. The situation led to questions in the British Parliament, leading to a Land Act of 1881 that instituted fair-rent tribunals.

Boycott remained agent for the Earl of Erne until 1886 when he took new employment in the county of Suffolk, England. Parnell of course went on to become a major player in Irish political affairs until his death in October 1891.

Ever since that time the tactic of boycotting has been used effectively by people who have few other resources of reprisal against authority. By showing their displeasure at their governments’ and businesses’ impositions, the ordinary public can hurt them where it really counts—their bottom line. So it is happening with Starbucks and other businesses that back or support the genocidal Zionist regime in any way, shape or form.

Boycotts work. 

Bio: Coast Watcher believes in putting your money where your morals are...Or at least not spending your money at businesses that support a country openly committing a genocide like Israel is doing. If a business is okay with murdering children, how can you trust them to not put cancer-causing chemicals in your coffee or Big Mac?

Related Articles and Interesting Links

Act Now Against These Companies Profiting from the Genocide of the Palestinian People https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide

Israel-Palestine News --from Diverse Sources
https://us11.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=70b9fc567465118fa0b7b6e67&id=687f13dad7

A day in the life of a mother and child in Gaza https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-mother-and-child-in-gaza/


CNN And Washington Post Busted For Pro-Israel Propaganda Shenanigans  https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/cnn-and-washington-post-busted-for

There’s Great Power in Grief. Will We Use It to Fuel Solidarity With Palestine? https://truthout.org/articles/theres-great-power-in-grief-will-we-use-it-to-fuel-solidarity-with-palestine/

We Are Entirely Too Close To Another Major War In The Middle East https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/we-are-entirely-too-close-to-another

US Drone Strike Kills Iraqi Militia Leader in Baghdad
https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/05/us-drone-strike-kills-iraqi-militia-leader-in-baghdad/

As US Backs Gaza Genocide, 'Grassroots Diplomats' Rally Support for South Africa Case  https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gaza-genocide-south-africa

Turkey, Malaysia Back South Africa’s ICJ Genocide Case Against Israel  https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/04/turkey-malaysia-back-south-africas-icj-genocide-case-against-israel/

International Coalition Forms To Demand End To Genocide In Palestine https://popularresistance.org/international-coalition-forms-to-demand-end-to-genocide-in-palestine/

Blood Money: The Top Ten Politicians Taking the Most Israel Lobby Cash  https://www.mintpressnews.com/blood-money-top-ten-politicians-taking-most-israel-money-israel-lobby/286491/

Israel is Provoking the U.S. Into a Conflict With Iran — But the Media Ignores the Danger https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/israel-is-provoking-the-u-s-into-a-conflict-with-iran-but-the-media-ignores-the-danger/

South Africa is standing up to the world's apartheid state
https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/south-africa-is-standing-up-to-the

US Admonishes Israeli Officials For Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud About Ethnic Cleansing https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-admonishes-israeli-officials-for

They're Calling Ethnic Cleansing "Voluntary Migration" Now
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theyre-calling-ethnic-cleansing-voluntary


I Don't Care What Religion The Genocidal Child Murderers Are
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/i-dont-care-what-religion-the-genocidal

‘I Cannot Be Quietly Complicit’: Biden Official Resigns Over Gaza Assault https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/04/i-cannot-be-quietly-complicit-biden-official-resigns-over-gaza-assault/


Biden Ukraine Statement Highlights Hypocrisy on Gaza
https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-gaza

Blinken Again Bypasses US Congress To Send Munitions To Israel https://popularresistance.org/blinken-again-bypasses-us-congress-to-send-munitions-to-israel/

US Congress: ‘We Stand With Genocide’ https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/01/us-congress-we-stand-with-genocide/

Ohio State University Suspends Student Group for Supporting Palestine  https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/05/ohio-state-university-suspends-student-group-for-supporting-palestine/

5 Largest Oil Giants Expect Shareholder Payouts to Exceed $100 Billion for 2023 https://truthout.org/articles/5-largest-oil-giants-expect-shareholder-payouts-to-exceed-100-billion-for-2023/

TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/torture-at-abu-ghraib

In the World’s Wealthiest Country, Housing Should Be a Human Right and a Community Builder https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/02/in-the-worlds-wealthiest-country-housing-should-be-a-human-right-and-a-community-builder/

From Prison, Assange Expresses Regret That WikiLeaks Can No Longer Expose War Crimes https://thedissenter.org/assange-regrets-wikileaks-can-no-longer-expose-war-crimes/

Ricky Gervais was right about the Satanic paedophile ring https://normalislandnews.substack.com/p/ricky-gervais-was-right-about-the

A Lab Test That Experts Liken to a Witch Trial Is Helping Send Women to Prison for Murder https://www.propublica.org/article/is-lung-float-test-reliable-stillbirth-medical-examiners-murder 

Seen on Twitter/X:

 

Folks, it is way past time that Israel is completely isolated from the civilized community of nations. A total boycott of Israel, sports events, economic trade, cultural exchanges - total!! Like the apartheid South African govt, they have forfeited all claims to legitimacy.

— Ajamu Baraka (@ajamubaraka) January 8, 2024

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Blogspot isn't working as well as it once did (Is it blatant censorship? Who knows?!) so it's time to migrate to a better platform. Go to https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/ and click on one of the stories and subscribe at the link at the end of the article. You'll enjoy having each week's post automatically sent to your email box or reading it at the Substack site. Many thanks for your consideration.