Blood battery

27th September 2011

Someone wants me to boycott one brand because of genetic modified food; someone wants me to boycott another brand because they have sweatshops in China employing underage workers. Someone wants me to boycott products from a country altogether because of human rights violation there.

There are two questions I want to ask. First is how effective is urging people to boycott a product/company/country? And is it really possible for you to do it? While you think about the first two questions, there is yet another question and that is how far the accountability goes?

Eveready was owned by Union Carbide when the gas leaked in Bhopal which killed thousands of people. After the tragedy, the stake of Union Carbide was sold. Now if you want to boycott Union Carbide to show your solidarity with the gas victims, should you boycott Eveready?

• It's is not owned by Union Carbide any more so you shouldn't.
• The current owner seized an opportunity and bought a successful business from a company in trouble, probably at a price lower than it's worth, shouldn't the bad karma also be shared by the new owners?

What is your pick?