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Liberation or End of the American Dream |
I was asked what sort of coffee I wanted. I paused before requesting a cappuccino; normally, I would order an americano. I had had it with Trump's America and been influenced by the Canadians and French, who had decided to boycott products from the USA in response to Trump's tariffs and treatment of Ukraine and Gaza. Not to mention his tryst with Putin. I would join them, singing it softly with my choice of coffee
It was an easy decision. I had given up Coca-Cola and Pepsi in 1972 because I disliked fizzy, sugary drinks. I had abandoned the Sunday Times when it was bought by News International in 1981 and refused to subscribe to Sky Television for the same reason. I have never revisited any American fast food outlet following my daughter's birthday party at a Burger King in 1987. I never bought a Ford, Vauxhall, or Tesla because they had built-in obsolescence when I was younger and are less well-made than European cars.
I visited the USA seven times from 1979 to 2014 and loved the magnificent scenery from Yosemite to Canyonlands to the West Coast and the Black Hills of Dakota. But the American Dream was becoming a faded nightmare, I despaired at the desolation of Great American Cities, the massive Trailer Parks that surround many towns and house low earners, migrants and the excluded. They are part of the rampant inequalities that make a mockery of the American Dream. Woodie Guthrie called it right in 'This Land is Your Land' but Trump has sacrificed humanity and just wants ‘Your Land to be His Land’.
US governments have tried to usurp democratic governments from Vietnam to Chile to Grenada to Ukraine, and Trump is making eyes at Panama, Canada, Greenland and Gaza. The beneficent policies of F.D. Roosevelt, Trueman and Eisenhower in the war years and thereafter in supporting and then rebuilding Europe have been progressively diluted in the past two decades. American companies had plundered other countries for minerals, cheap food, manufactured goods and state enterprises. These companies have bought out local businesses, and hedge funds have stripped many businesses worldwide. Meanwhile, the corporate giants foraged for defence and security contracts and poured oil into trouble spots. Their hegemony was absolute after the collapse of the USSR.
During recent discussions with friends, it became apparent that many were considering how to respond to the America First, anti-European sentiments espoused by Trump and his acolytes in government. How could we take individual action? It was clear that the UK government was too timid and supine to act like Canada and challenge Trump. Maybe we should take action 'for the people by the people'; Abe Lincoln said that. We have witnessed European and Canadian car buyers trashing Tesla by no longer buying them with the share price dropping 44% ($462.28 - $259.27) from Christmas, 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Given that Trump has called Wednesday, 2 April 2025, Liberation Day. Let us use our liberty to exercise our choice of goods and services and examine whether we want to continue to support the paragons of American global enterprise. Here are some starter suggestions of American companies that would maybe kick back at Trump if we redirected our spending elsewhere.
1. Travel: forego the United States, go to Europe, Canada, Mexico or Japan
2. Holiday Bookings: Airbnb, booking.com, TripAdvisor - use local websites and cut out the American middleman
3. Social Media: Facebook, Netflix, X, YouTube, Sky, Disney+, Discovery, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin - choose life instead
4. Tech Companies: IBM, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, Bloomberg - maybe this is easier said than done
5. Online retailers: Amazon, eBay, Etsy - buy local or from UK/European websites
6. Fast food and coffee: eat healthily and give up McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Papa John's, Starbucks
7. Food and Drink: Cadbury's, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Heinz, Kellogs, Kraft, Nabisco, Pepsi, Costco - stop buying processed food and sugary drinks
7. Clothing: GAP, Levi's, Abercrombie and Fitch, J Crew, Ralph Lauren, Patagonia - use charity shops and buy less
8. Other shit: American Express, ExxonMobil, Xbox, Sonos, Boeing, Jack Daniel's, United Health Group, Care UK and there are a lot more like these out there
9. Cars: Ford, Tesla, Jeep - European, Japanese and Korean are better quality
10. Football teams: Arsenal. Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Fulham, Ctrystal Palace, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester United - Support your local team instead, although they are probably sponsored by a betting company
If I could keep just three from room 101, mmm...., Apple, Liverpool and maybe at a future date, the United States. Reconciliation begets retribution.
'For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.' TS Eliot