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When the Boycott BP facebook page first reared it's ugly head, and many of my facebook friends "liked" it, I posted a "Have you lost your minds by joining the Boycott BP facebook page?" status. Not surprisingly, it went over like a turd in a punchbowl.
I have remained strong in my Boycott the BP Boycott convictions. So much so that I am actually stopping at my local BP station even more these days - filling up with their fuel - purchasing snacks, milk and eggs at their convenience stores. That's right, I am giving the BP station in Podunk more of my business than I ever did before.
Why? Because the BP boycott doesn't hurt BP - it hurts the small business owners who purchased a BP franchise. BP (the corporation) owns less than 7% of all BP stations in the U.S. and gains very little from the 11,000 franchised stations throughout the U.S.
Did you know that the gas you pump at a BP station may not be extracted, refined or stored by BP, but getting just a spritz of BP additives right before it ends up at the service station? And the gas you are buying when you fill up elsewhere - from independent gas stations, grocery chains and big-box wholesale clubs? It sometimes comes directly from refineries or wholesalers that BP owns outright.
It's always good to understand how distribution works before making a rash decision based on an emotional response. Here in the U.S., once companies make an oil discovery, it comes out of the ground and ends up at a refinery. There, it is often mixed with oil that a variety of companies have poured into the tanks. Once refined, the gasoline makes at least one stop at what is essentially a wholesale warehouse. BP owns some of these tank farms, but so do other gas companies.
Eventually, a truck pulls up to collect and deliver the gasoline to stations. It is often only then that the ingredients that make it BP fuel get added. In other words, it doesn't become BP fuel when the oil is pumped from the ground or when it goes through the refining process. It's not until the very end of the delivery chain - when the gas actually becomes BP gas, and the only thing that differentiates BP gas from Shell or Exxon gas is the additives. Shell and Exxon get their gas from the same oil wells, from the same refineries and from the same tank farms as BP does.
I’m sure many of you see boycotting BP as a good thing, a way to give a voice to your (justifiable) outrage at BP. But you, just like the people who boycotted Arizona Iced tea to protest the Arizona immigration law only to discover Arizona Iced Tea is made in New York, are screaming at the wrong people.
I will say here what I said on facebook - the best way to express outrage and inflict pain on oil companies is to use less fuel thus lowering demand. This isn't easy. It means walking more, wearing sweaters indoors in the winter with your thermostat set at 64 degrees and supporting alternative energy funding.
Go ahead, boycott fuel sold at BP gas stations. Your short-sighted righteousness will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. But it would be really nice if you would pick up a couple gallons of milk, or a case of soda from the BP mini-mart on your way home from work. That way, the station owners don’t suffer as much.
Then? This weekend? Shop for a hybrid, pick up reusable grocery bags and purchase a Britta filter so that you can get away from bottled water. Those are the kinds of changes we all need to make to truly see an impact on the petroleum industry - BP included.
When the Boycott BP facebook page first reared it's ugly head, and many of my facebook friends "liked" it, I posted a "Have you lost your minds by joining the Boycott BP facebook page?" status. Not surprisingly, it went over like a turd in a punchbowl.I have remained strong in my Boycott the BP Boycott convictions. So much so that I am actually stopping at my local BP station even more these days - filling up with their fuel - purchasing snacks, milk and eggs at their convenience stores. That's right, I am giving the BP station in Podunk more of my business than I ever did before.
Why? Because the BP boycott doesn't hurt BP - it hurts the small business owners who purchased a BP franchise. BP (the corporation) owns less than 7% of all BP stations in the U.S. and gains very little from the 11,000 franchised stations throughout the U.S.
Did you know that the gas you pump at a BP station may not be extracted, refined or stored by BP, but getting just a spritz of BP additives right before it ends up at the service station? And the gas you are buying when you fill up elsewhere - from independent gas stations, grocery chains and big-box wholesale clubs? It sometimes comes directly from refineries or wholesalers that BP owns outright.
It's always good to understand how distribution works before making a rash decision based on an emotional response. Here in the U.S., once companies make an oil discovery, it comes out of the ground and ends up at a refinery. There, it is often mixed with oil that a variety of companies have poured into the tanks. Once refined, the gasoline makes at least one stop at what is essentially a wholesale warehouse. BP owns some of these tank farms, but so do other gas companies.
Eventually, a truck pulls up to collect and deliver the gasoline to stations. It is often only then that the ingredients that make it BP fuel get added. In other words, it doesn't become BP fuel when the oil is pumped from the ground or when it goes through the refining process. It's not until the very end of the delivery chain - when the gas actually becomes BP gas, and the only thing that differentiates BP gas from Shell or Exxon gas is the additives. Shell and Exxon get their gas from the same oil wells, from the same refineries and from the same tank farms as BP does.
I’m sure many of you see boycotting BP as a good thing, a way to give a voice to your (justifiable) outrage at BP. But you, just like the people who boycotted Arizona Iced tea to protest the Arizona immigration law only to discover Arizona Iced Tea is made in New York, are screaming at the wrong people.
I will say here what I said on facebook - the best way to express outrage and inflict pain on oil companies is to use less fuel thus lowering demand. This isn't easy. It means walking more, wearing sweaters indoors in the winter with your thermostat set at 64 degrees and supporting alternative energy funding.
Go ahead, boycott fuel sold at BP gas stations. Your short-sighted righteousness will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. But it would be really nice if you would pick up a couple gallons of milk, or a case of soda from the BP mini-mart on your way home from work. That way, the station owners don’t suffer as much.
Then? This weekend? Shop for a hybrid, pick up reusable grocery bags and purchase a Britta filter so that you can get away from bottled water. Those are the kinds of changes we all need to make to truly see an impact on the petroleum industry - BP included.
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19 comments:
It's the symbolism. I agree with you intelectually but it makes me people feel better to claim to be boycotting BP.
What you are suggesting is people use common sense instead of emotion. Yeah, like the media is going to carry that story. And that is what drives a movement right?
I had a friend who purchased a gas station years and years ago. It was staggering to find out how small of a profit margin he saw after paying out raw materials costs, franchise fees, mandated advertising cost, etc.
If there could be some type of good outcome from this disaster, it would be that we wake up and reduce our overall insatiable appetite for all things petroleum.
The past tells us this is unlikely to happen though. Once the news media stops making this a front page/leading news story, the vast majority of people will go back to the same use and abuse cycle they are accustomed to.
Wow.
This is like when we're supposed to Boycott the dairy farms because someone got a raging case of food poisoning, and they swear that the only thing they had before they got sick was a glass of milk...
To be honest, BP has some issues. I'll agree with that, and I'm kind of disturbed by the lack of concern that their leaders are showing in taking care of their serious mess.
However, in this recessed economy, it's nearly a death toll to small business owners, and other workers who AREN'T affiliated with BP who are going to feel the knife of American's ire while they vocalize their opinion via consumerism.
Tell you what. Y'all can boycott me and anything I make if you want to be angry. Don't take it out on the workers and such. Take it out on someone who really doesn't need your cash to feed their families, or live off of, ok?
Well said, Dana.
Thank. You. I get that people want to feel like they're doing something, but seeing my BP station empty means that Jamar, who is a single dad, is going to lose his job. And Amelia, who works at night, might lose hers. At the very least, her hours are cut severely. I don't get how people figure a boycott hurts anyone.... it does the same thing as people SCREAMING on twitter and facebook at BP and demanding they do something. Absolutely nothing.
Ya know what? Hop a flight down to the gulf and help them clean up and scream at them there. BP can't hear you behind your closed Facebook account. They're not searching twitter statuses so they can be updated on how much you hate them and flagellate themselves. GET OVER YOURSELF and do something that will HELP or shut the f*ck up.
You know what hurts BP? People who own stock in BP bailing, their credit rating falling. If BP goes belly up bankrupt, what percentage of claims and cleanup does anyone think they'll pay? I'm betting $0.
The answer is to hold them accountable (and I love Obama but 57 days to publicly do something is some bullSHiznit, Sir), but make sure they have plenty of money to put toward this effort. If you can't morally shop or buy gas at BP, then don't but do NOT wag your finger at me because I choose to, because I see Jamar and Amelia everyday and they aren't the ones you're fighting against.
/dismount soapbox lol.
Ahhhh. Common sense.
I had almost forgotten what that sounded like.
You're trying to use logic. That's not going to get anyone's attention these days.
Doc, but is it good to feel better at your neighbor's expense?
Jeff B, one of the things I mentioned on facebook was that we all had a hand in this disaster. As the ultimate consumer, we continue support the very thing we are boycotting against.
Jormengrund, there is no doubt in my mind that BP has a big mess to clean up, but - for arguments sake - let's assume boycotting BP stations did have some tangible impact on the corporate giant. If they go belly up, then who is going to pay??
Curvy Jones, I think you need a TALLER soap box! Well said!!
The Burl, operating from logic, rather than emotion, is highly over-rated these days.
Mike, Oh! It gets their attention. Then they slam me for supporting the evils of BP.
People are always wanting to boycott someone. They always ignore the fact that it's usually American jobs that would be lost because of that boycott.
This boycott BP thing that the liberals are pushing is the same as the conservatives with their boycott Disney back in the day and boycott GM over the bailout last year.
Right, lets just destroy American small businesses and eliminate thousands of American jobs to make a political point.
Good grief.
I get your point Dana, I do. There is that gut reaction we tend to follow that says Boycott. honestly, the BP stations by me are often the most costly stations in my area, so I have always avoided them for that reason alone.
WOW! Dana, you applied common sense, basic logic, simple moral teachings, economics 101 and lemonade stand business practices to refute the BP boycott Bullsh*t. You know this means you are smarter than the President of the United States, The CEO of BP and 95% of the News Media and who knows how many of our fellow citizens. Just don't let this all go to your head. QCTM
Jay, and this boycott is so handy because all you have to do is buy your BP pumped, refined gas at a Shell station and it doesn't matter!!
Vinny "Bond" Marini, and I get the emotional response - it just isn't logical *wink*
we're doomed, I find it disturbing that many (most?) Americans would rather believe they are doing something for the greater good than actually do a little research and the *DO* something for the greater good!
Well said!
the truth behind the boycott BP group on facebook is like any other boycott, it should really be called "join this club and bitch about BP" if you were going to boycott BP you would do all you listed, then never use a road again (you're driving on BP asphalt), or drink beer or soda from a can (you're using BP aluminum) or use anything that has any plastic in it, or electrical circuitry, & you would be against any military movements of goods or troops since BP has a near exclusive contract to provide fuel for the military...
i'm a member of that group and i still use the local BP station since i've known the family that owns it for years & they service my car regularly, i just don't buy gas there since its full service & they charge way too much for it...
it is a knee jerk emotional response to join a group like that, just as it is to join a facebook group so you can "like" something on the lines of 'getting laid at your highschool reunion' or some such other social networking BS.
its a great place to get info about whats going on in the gulf (they've posted lots of info you don't see on the news)& to rant about shit you read & hear that they're doing. i dont boycott BP in reality just as i'm sure most of the members of that group don't. all of us "small people" (choice of words of carl henric svanberg) just get on facebook & bitch about it. because... if it cant be accomplished from behind a keyboard, then fuck it right?
but i would rather write about the bullshit they do than bitch about the short sighted righteousness of people that are sick of what BPs done, (along with halliburton, the government, etc etc etc) ;)
i love you Dana...
(had to toss that in so you wouldn't throttle me.. although, now that i think of it... LOL)
Yes, it is stupid. And like Jay said...Anymore people want to either boycott or ban something. To that, I say: Shut the Fuck Up Morons!! Cheers Dana!!
Thank you for that simple reminder that boycotting does not make it up to the top.
...I vote for you for president...
i just have to say that would buy my milk or eggs there if it wasn't double the price of a grocery store
Most people are aloso ignoring the fact that Halliburton installed the safety equipment and that the rig was not owned by BP.
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