That is what Stephen Colbert said the BP Logo looks like...
I spoke to my ex husband the other day. The first one. The nice one. The English one. He is always great to discuss politics and current events. He reminded me that the majority of the pension plans in the UK are backed by BP stock (and in the U.S. too). I told him I hated to give them money (I never was much of a BP shopper pre oil spill anyway). He reminded me that if we all boycott them and they run out of money that the people will suffer (And ugly ass Tony Hayward will most likely get a big check). My ex had a good point. I will tell you what--I look at that logo and I see red. One of my friends' Father owns small gas stations that carries national brands. She has also commented that boycotting BP will hurt people like her Father. It is really tough. Are all the oil companies cutting corners and BP just happens to be the one that had the big disaster?
I was on a flight to Dallas te other day. I sat next to a guy dripping in turquoise jewelry with long grey hair and some SERIOUS B.O. going on. We started to talk about the oil spill. He told me he was a Hopi Indian and a professor in indigenous cultures. He proceeded to tell em that the way the Hopi believe is that this will be a time of rebirth--not to worry about the oil, the animal life, the contaminated fish...that we were all going to spontaneously combust soon. He talked about civilizations that have spontaneously combusted, never to be seen again. I nodded as I tried not to notice my nose hairs being singed by his B.O. I was able to get back to by book as a lull came up in the conversation. After talking to him I found that every time something came up on the news about the spill, I would just smile and think of going Poof!
As for where I am going to buy gas--I don't know. I'm sticking with Chevron and Shell for now. I see people still filling up at the Green and Yellow Sphincter™.
I am going to have to disagree with ex-hubby. That is the rhetoric that BP and most conservatives are giving for not boycotting, that we will be hurting the "small people" (to use the Swedish ass's term. The fact is that BP has 100's of Billions of dollars in assets. They aren't going to go broke or run out of money. NPR had a whole segment on it last week also. Another scare tactic.
ReplyDeletehmmm...and I will have to disagree about the small people. I listened to this on NPR--
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127747890
and it said the little guys were getting hurt.
I think the term people had an issue with was when the Swedish rep referred to them as small people. Obviously he didn't mean it in that way, but was still a jolt to hear it.
ReplyDeletePersonally I removed all my assets in my retirement accounts away from oil and real estate a couple of years ago.
Jch...this friend Penelope is referring to is my best friend and this snubbing of BP is hurting her dad (a Father with a capital "F"). He has worked all his life to provide for his family and did it all himself. Why should we hurt him because Tony Toolbag does not have a clue. I think it is time we realize that in some way we all have ownership in this problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sulie and Penelope. You know I agree with you b/c it's my Father who you're referring to, and someone who worked his ass off and devoted his life to creating a small business that supported him and his family -- the American dream. I think it's incredibly hypocritical for anyone who owns/drives a car, or even rides on public transportation to think that they don't have some 'ownership' in supporting the oil industry (what Sulie said.) And, JCH... I disagree with you. Yes, you're right... BP has billions in assets, but do you think the 'little people' do (the independent gas retailers and the folks with BP pensions?) How would you feel if ill-informed people were picketing and boycotting a business that you BUILT and OWN (i.e. my Father who owns gas stations and these idiots are standing on HIS property with signs and making it look like HE works for BP?!) He doesn't -- he simply owns the gas stations and sells the gas that consumers want that BP and other oil refineries provide. The retail business is a tiny portion of BP's business. And, in a very ironic twist, the gas that BP refines from its oil is found at probably EVERY gas station, even under different brands. They sell it to other companies. So... if the protesters think that they can avoid BP... think again. Unless they want to invest in a new pair of sneakers and walk or ride their bikes everywhere, every time we turn on our gasoline-powered vehicles or even ride on gasoline-powered public transportation, we're supporting the oil industry. I, for one, LOVE my big-ass SUV, and our three other cars. I HATE the oil spill, but I LOVE that my Father built a very successful small business from the oil industry and created an incredible life for our Family, and it has done so for thousands of people on the Gulf Coast and around the world. What I do hope and pray is that more safeguards can be put in place to make it a safer industry.
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter side note, I have a friend who is from Belgium, and she says that she couldn't even drive the piece of shit mini-van there that she has in America b/c Belgium's environmental standards would prohibit it. I LOVE living in America where I have the freedom to drive whatever in the hell I want -- a big ass SUV, a Shelby GT 500, a Viper or a 69 Mach I. Vroom-vroom!!
I actually struggle with that concept alot. How much has it been hurting his businesses? Is it noticeable? Maybe BP, with their billions in assets, should show support for their small business partners and subsidize their earnings based on normal sales? Since the $20 Billion put aside for damages also covers lost business, maybe they can files claims themselves? I don't know the answer to that ...
ReplyDeleteAlso, just to be clear, I HATE the term "little people". HATE IT. I come from a very lower class, working class family (my step father worked for Shell Oil for MANY years) so there is no class war going on in my head. I understand all too well the working class issues.
John... I'm trying to come up with a response to you, but I don't think it's even worth my time or effort, b/c it's clear to me that you and I will disagree. I'm just curious if you went anywhere today, and if you did, how did you get there? Did you walk or ride a bike? If you did -- good for you and your health! If you didn't and if you happened to drive a vehicle or ride on a city bus, or flew on an airplane, you are indirectly supporting the 'evil' oil industry too.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with your viewpoint, but I guess that's the beauty of a public forum. It's public and I have my opinion, which clearly is different from your's, and we each can express our opinions.
And, to address your question, IMO it's NOT okay for idiots to protest and picket a business, when they don't understand the facts -- and they can sway more people to copy their ridiculous actions. I have been in the PR business for 20 years and perception is reality. The picketers and protesters may not have affected my Dad's business a lot at this point, but if you don't think that it will be affected long-term by bad PR (which is perpetuated by protesters and the local and national media), you're sadly mistaken. Although, on the bright side, the American consumers' appetite for gasoline and oil will probably never be satisfied, so hopefully, it's a recession-proof business.
Today, I was flat on empty in my car (it showed '0 miles to empty'), but I rolled the windows down, turned off the A/C and prayed that I would make it to the BP station that was a couple more miles down the street. I wanted to support the local gas station owner who unfortunately is saddled with the BP brand. When I did roll into the station, I was the only person buying gas there. It didn't surprise me. It's the folks who think they're boycotting BP when they don't buy gas there, who ARE hurting the independent gas retailers. From what I saw today, to answer your question... YES the gas station I visited today was having their business affected.
As for me and my Family, and our fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles, we will continue to support those business owners because it's not their fault that the BP oil rig exploded and caused this huge mess.