Comments on: Let’s Boycott…No, Carrotmob!

By: Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:01:51 +0000

We can think about the strategy of “carrot & stick” that people have traditionally used.
Stick can be useful when we expect that something’s gonna change quickly.
But it’s limited for people to make the creativity.
So it’s more imortant to use “carrot” than using “stick”.
People who are familiar with the carrot are able to lead tasks they’re given actively & positively.

So from a long term of view, we can consider to use “carrot” more than “stick”.

By: emiliano

emiliano — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:24:05 +0000

Here in Spain the news from Iran have been in all Tv and radio informatives, also I have the opportunity of listened to some spaniards who were living in Teheran talking through the radio directly with the commentator and telling the listeners what was happening just after the elections.
They were very concerned about all the protest iranies were doing in peace along those days, we the listeners were also too of course.
Just yesterday I was listening to the news of what happening in Teheran also.
I think is a very difficult effort of the people living in Iran against what is so evident, and being alone what is even much more difficult.
To me, that I have some relationship with iranies and Iran as a country, because my work was treatments and help between foreigners and international commercial relationship, was always a pleasure to talk with them. Yes my little English was the neccesary tool to do that, and I remember there was a school of lenguages just beside the bank where several foreign students of Spanish were learning, and some iranies among them of course. They were also learning medicine in the Madrid´s university.
They came to me asking about checks, transferences or letters of credit, and sometime about general information of the city or the country. And we talked just a lot about several things of life.
I had some gift details from them of your country, I could remember pistacho nuts (delicious) and dates.
Sara you have my best wishes for your people and your country always and I hope things may go better to all of you.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:28:13 +0000

oh, I forgot to say, one of my friend just came back from Spain. she is saying how people are very nice and friendly. she loved every things there.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:19:51 +0000

Thanks Emiliano for your support for Iranians. we all really appreciate this. people and opposition leaders insist in peaceful protest and as you may heard ,it is known as green revolution, but government is doing most cruelest things against people. it is really heart breaking. I just keep praying. Thanks again! it means a lot to people of Iran.

By: emiliano

emiliano — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:36:24 +0000

Yes Sara, I may understand perfectly well what some people of Iran is doing not using text messages as a protest of a bad, very bad, behaviour of the governmental company cutting the text messaging when the people need to use them after stolen elections, as you said.
That´s absolutely logical and understandable and may be the only thing they can do if they don´t want to put their own lives in a risk.
These people know perfectly well what have happened, they live the problem in first person and they don´t need to trust other reasons or ideas.
Your example to me is just the gist, a personal and individual protest against something they know very well because they have their personal and individual experiences. In fact I have done this kind of action several times along my life, supported by my personal living or experiences.
Thank you Sara, I have watched all the Iran elections news day by day and I trust Iran´s people just a lot. I have the opportunity of knowing some of them when I was working in the Bank as many Iranians came to Madrid to study as doctors or have relationship with the two countries.
They like Spain very much and consider us like brothers because Muslims inhabited Spain for over 800 years.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:54:53 +0000

Hey,
that is a good conversation Emiliano and Nima. I am kind of agree with both of you. boycotting and carrotmobing are good when they are done by people not governments and people doing them with knowledge not just imitation. it can help to improve society and environment, since sometimes companies are so greedy and they don’t care about anything and they people to remind them. experience showed us boycotting that is done by one government against another country is just hurting the poor people not improve anythings. but people can use it to improve their government not just companies. I know in Iran people boycotting phone company by not using text message, because this governmental company cut the text messaging when people need it, after stolen election.

By: emiliano

emiliano — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:16:59 +0000

Yes, Hitler and Mussolini helped Franco in civil spanish war against the legal republican goverment and afterward Spain wasn´t invaded by Hitler
because Franco´s goverment sent a division of fightmen against the people of Rusia.
So when the second war was over, Spain, spanish people, suffered a large boycott and a block till may be 1956 when the USA president IKE visited Spain and gave us the carrot, but we permitted USA army to stablish their nuclear bases near Madrid (Torrejon) Zaragoza and Rota (nuclear submarines).
The only country that helped us was Argentina as we were starved without anything.
Eva Peron came here and sent some ships with food to feed the hungry spaniards that have nothing.
I was a child them but remember everything perfectly well.

May be you are right, I think so, but also I could informed you that along seven years I have been near Green Peace, giving them some money help.
Also to the people of some ONG, and other help org. that are in Africa or Asia. But me myself don´t joint any group because always I have my doubts
about the final results.

Thank you Nima, I know what are you talking about perfectly well but each person has his feelings and experiences.
Regards.

By: Nima

Nima — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:20:56 +0000

- well,I don’t know about soaps, but actually Cuba’s health insurance system outperforms the American one by a large margin, so no need to be worry about Cubans!

- Saddam Hussein was already slathering his own people bombarding them with chemical bombs, so welfare probably wasn’t people’s No.1 issue. it was freedom which is now being achieved.

- you definitely know better about Spain than me.(actually i didn’t know there has been any cooperation between Germany and Spain in WWII)

my point is: we need to distinguish between what happens on political/governmental level and what is done by NGOs (Non-governmental organizations). NGOs are good stuff, take my word!

and don’t be worry for workers losing their job because of our boycotts. they will be hired in companies we support.
it’s the competitive economics: the company’s needs to satisfy it’s customers to survive, whatever they want. why shouldn’t we ask for saving planet earth?

By: emiliano

emiliano — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:42:24 +0000

If we look to the last century we can mentioned three great blocks or boycotts:

Cuba, along so many years, who suffers about this boycott……Fidel?
No, the people who live in the island that along years have nearly nothing, not even medicines or soap.

Iraq, after first Golf War, who suffers the boycott……Sadam Hussein or his family?…..
No, the people of the country, some of them have to come to Spain to be operated and to receive medicines also.
Sometimes they have nothing to eat about the naval block made by half the world.
At the end, what have to happen with all this? It made any solution to Iraq country?

Spain, after second World War, with Franco as a dictator who helps Hitler some way.
Who suffers the block or the boycott made by the winners? ……..me, us, all the people who were living in Spain that time…..I remember to be hungry……it continued till the President Eisenhower came to Spain and had a conversation with Franco, them we received milk, cheese, and several other things as reward of letting Americans have the bases here close to Madrid and other big cities.
And if we talk about big companies …..who suffers from the boycott always? the workers of that company, or the city where this company has its factories.

So, I want to be always very careful about all this matter. Sorry, that´s my point of view, nothing to do with religion or similar.
I have seen so many things to be a believer in men actions against anything apparently so bad and their actions so good.

By: Nima

Nima — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:37:48 +0000

it depends on a person’s level of wisdom and knowledge. good intentions plus insight and respecting moral values are always have great results. i say we don’t live in world of uncertainty anymore, it’s not about hope and fear neither about good and evil.