Taking a Stand Against Socially Irresponsible Corporations by Mitch Lemus Also published in AdWeek magazine It all started one summer while I was watching the evening news. Angry protesters were demonstrating at the G8 Summit. "An overzealous contingent of tree-huggers," I thought. But as the story played out, I got to thinking. Maybe these rabble-rousers had a point. Maybe giant multinational corporations are responsible for civil strife and global destruction. I began to think about my daily consumption patterns and how they were linked to socially irresponsible companies and countries. And I decided to take a stand. To embrace a more ethical lifestyle. To "Think Global and Act Local." To no longer support institutions that lacked ethics and principles. My first act of rebellion was to go on a hunger strike of sorts. And I immediately ceased eating Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. You see, Kraft is a subsidiary of Phillip Morris, the world's largest tobacco company. Therefore, I've also banned from my diet all Phillip Morris products -- including Oreos, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Jell-O, and Cocoa Pebbles. Not to mention Maxwell House coffee. But if I did drink Maxwell House coffee, I would not pour in milk. That's because I'm boycotting Monsanto, which supplies dairy farms with genetically engineered bovine growth hormones. But my beef with food doesn't stop there. I won't frequent Chinese restaurants as a personal protest against China's human rights violations. I won't eat Japanese food because the Japanese continue to hunt whales for profit. I won't eat Indian food because the Indian government continues to conduct nuclear arms testing. And I won't eat Italian food because of the brutal way the Italian police dealt with the G8 protesters in Genoa. Needless to say, I'm often hungry. Of course, I've given up my car. But if I did have a car, I would not fill it up with Exxon gas. In their search for fuel, Exxon has been detonating underwater explosions, disturbing whale feeding grounds. So, I've taken to walking, except I've had to throw away my Nikes as I will not wear products made by third-world sweatshop laborers earning pennies per day. By the way, if you'd like to write me about my cause, please make sure the paper you write on is not produced by Boise Cascade, which is annihilating some of the world's oldest forests. The crusade against Cascade has been taken up by actor-activist Susan Sarandon. To show my support, I'd rent her movies, but I can't, because I'm boycotting Blockbuster Video, too. You see, Blockbuster has forced Hollywood to edit certain nude scenes from films before agreeing to stock them. Personally, I don't find anything wrong with actresses bearing their breasts -- as long as they're real. That's because silicone implants are made by Dow -- who also happens to make toxic pesticides. Hey, I dig big-chested broads just as much as the next guy. But when a fake pair enters my line of vision, I stick to my principles and just look away. What's more, Dow's implants have been known to leak. Kinda makes me wonder if I can I trust my tofu sandwiches to their Ziploc bags. You should know that as I wrote this piece, I sat in the dark. You guessed it -- I'm boycotting light bulbs. You see, for 30 years, General Electric dumped PCBs into New York's Hudson River. Now GE refuses to clean up its toxic mess. So I refuse to have anything to do with GE -- or NBC -- the television network they own. Which means I will no longer watch The Apprentice, Law & Order, Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno or Stone Phillips. When it comes to morality in media, I believe NBC is The Biggest Loser! As you can see, it's come to the point where you really can't do anything without contributing to corporate greed and immorality. Maybe I'd be better off just never getting out of bed. Hmmm … I wonder if my pillows are made of endangered goose down? Copyright © 2002 Mitch Lemus. E-mail: mlemus@prodigy.net