For us as RIOTers, the success of the recent boycott of certain ntertainment channels might have had a special significance: a live demo reminder of the power of our wallets.
Some people were skeptical or even derisive about the boycott. But it worked! Rather quickly.
*The RIOTers I refer to in this post are fellow members of a group and movement called the Riot for Austerity. Also known as the 90 Percent Reduction Challenge.
We are a grassroots movement of people who are voluntarily setting out to reduce our ecological footprint to a tiny fraction of the average USA resident’s. While doing this, we are getting all of our needs met and living happy and abundant lives.
We seek to encourage other people who want to simplify their lives, and lower their stress and cost of living, while also helping people and the planet.
There is a Facebook group for this movement. It’s called @riot for austerity. (I can’t seem to tag it but if you type it in your search field that should bring it up.) Some of you who follow this page have already joined the group and it’s great to see you in there!
We help each other out with practical tips and emotional support. (Honestly if there is a hard part of this lifestyle, it’s probably mainly the aspect of bucking the consumerist social norms and dealing with the various fallout from that. We help each other navigate those challenges.)
Sidenote: I got a message in my email inbox from one of the big “blue activist” orgs, pearl-clutching the fact that the boycott had been “organic” as opposed to being organized by the “big blue organizing machines.” Hello? First of all, it was successful, what do they care where it came from. (Well, they may feel like it fit into their credibility. But that reaction is very telling, feels like they’re more concerned with their own image than with actual societal transformation.) Second of all, the grassroots IS where the real power is. Also, what does it mean for something to be organic versus organized? I saw and heard lots of posts and comments calling for the boycott.