Inspired by the IC Player's Revolution going on here on IC, I am contemplating taking it to the streets in the real world - not just a player's revolution to improve a game, but also a consumer's revolution to improve the world.

Here's how it started:

It was a holiday, Thanksgiving Monday.  I had to find a fax machine somewhere to fax off my dismissal letter to my employment insurance agent.

I had been laid-off from my job almost 2 months ago, and still the employment insurance office was working on my case.  Apparently, they needed some document or such from the employer but the employer hadn't responded to the E.I. agent's phone calls.  And so, the employment insurance agent needed me to fax her my dismissal letter.  Whatever.

But as it was a holiday, the business center at the mall was closed, even though other stores were open.  Whatever.

I couldn't get my letter faxed.  I'd have to try tomorrow.  The employment agent was probably on holiday anyway.  Whatever.

Just so I'd be able to say that I hadn't wasted all of my time there, I decided to do my usual shoptivism activities. 

Whenever I shop, I do a little shoptivism.  Soft, entertaining, educational shoptivism.

For instance, a few days ago, it was my mother's birthday.  She wanted some new pillows.  As such, I went to the store and bought some new pillows for her.  At the check out, I asked the usual questions:

"Excuse me, I'd like to know whether or not the polyester down-substitute causes cancer or any other bad health effects.  Does it or doesn't it?"

"Also, could you tell me whether or not any part of the product or the material used in it was manufactured or harvested using slave labor, child labor, or under-2-dollars-a-day labor?"

I really wanted to know the answers, because, for one, I wouldn't want my mother to get cancer or incur any guilt that she might have to come to terms with on Judgement day.  She's a Christian, see, and so believes in that sort of thing.

I suppose if she were Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Budhist, or any other member of a religious affiliation, or even Atheist for that matter, her concern might be similar.

If she were Budhist, she might be concerned about incurring bad Karma associated with causing suffering in the world by her purchase; if she were Atheist, she might be concerned about violating that common sense of moral decency that Atheists tend to hold.

For if there is one thing I have learned about human beings it is that regardless of religious or philosophical differences we are innately concerned with moral issues, ethics, justice, etc.

Anyway, after asking the questions about whether or not the pillows might cause my mom to get cancer or cause people to be enslaved, or for the world to be made worse in some way, and after not getting any clear answers (as usual) I nevertheless purchased the product. 

The other customers, however, had noticed the exchange, had heard my questions, and had seen how the employees had reacted: happily.  These young people working behind the counter were very glad to work with me to make a grand drama of our conversation for all the other customers to hear.  Perhaps it was because they were young and highly educated that they understood the significance of what I was doing.  Maybe they had even heard of shoptivsm.  Maybe I wasn't the only shoptivistic shopper they had encountered.

Anyway, that was a couple of days ago.  Today, on Thanksgiving Monday, again, just so that I could say that my going to the mall hadn't been a complete waste of time, I went to the mall's customer service desk to find out what the mall's policy was on consumer strikes.

"Hi, there.  I'd like to organize a consumer strike.  Can you tell me the mall's policy on that?"

"Excuse me?  What's a consumer strike?" she asked.

"Oh, well, you know.  They are like consumer boycotts, except one step in escalation."

"Okay."

"When a consumer boycott fails, you see, the next step is a consumer strike.  The consumers actually picket the store, you see.  They hand out pamphlets.  Talk to people, politely asking them not to cross their consumer strike picket line." 

"We try and work with the store managers and store employees in preparation.  In some cases, the employees join us.  In some cases, we include both the consumer's and the employee's demands as terms for ending our strike.  In some cases, such terms might be for both the consumers and the employees to own the company." 

"Wow.  That sounds amazing!"

"Yes.  We target certain companies that we feel affect the world for the worse in a significant way.  Usually big companies whose impacts on the world are very detrimental."

"That's great.  It sounds like you are starting a movement that could really change things."

"Yeah.  We hope so."

"We don't want to live in a world in which our actions necessarily make the world a worse place.  We'd like to change the form by which consumerism occurs so that it affects the world for the better rather than the worse.  And we would like to work with store owners, employees, and the establishment.  We'd like to know how we might be permitted to picket the stores we target, and what the rules and policies are toward consumer picket lines on public property or semi-public property like the mall's property here."

"Sure.  I get it.  I can't answer your questions, but here's the mall's administration office's card with their phone number."

"Thank you very much.  I can come by and give you some more information some time if you would like."

"Sure, that would be great.  Maybe it is something I'd like to participate in."

"Awesome.  See you."

"Bye."

Then I was off to a cafe to get a coffee.  Waiting in line, there was a guy who looked like an intellectual type.

"Hi there," I said.

"Hello."

"I'm interested in starting a consumer strike.  What sorts of things would you like to include as our demands if we were to strike against this cafe?"

"Well, hmm.  Cheaper prices would be nice.  Maybe by half.  The prices are too high."

"Yeah.  hmm.  True.  What I would like is to know where the coffee comes from and how much the coffee farm pays its employees.  I'd like it printed on the receipt."

"Hmm.   I have never thought of that.  That's a good idea."

"Yeah."

"But isn't a strike a little too extreme?  Like how would you strike, exactly?"

"Well, I figure I'd like to just stand around the cafe here and hand-out pamphlets about the social issues surrounding the production of coffee, for instance, along with whatever the consumers want done about it and maybe some of their other concerns.  Maybe, for instance, how we consumers and the employees could own the company so that we can change the way the company operates to be more ethical."

The barister who was listening, raised an eyebrow at that.

"Hmm.  Sounds interesting."

"Yeah."

"Well, anyway, have a good day."

"Yes, see you."

And then I went to the parking lot to leave.  On the way, I stopped and had a cigarette outside.  It was by the entrance to the university.  Yes - a university at a mall.  Conflict of interest, perhaps?  Whatever.  I won't get into that now.  That's another issue.

It so happened there was a guy smoking there.  He looked like maybe he was a university student.

"Hi there."

"Hello."

"I'm doing some informal research.  See, I am thinking about starting a consumer strike and I would like to find out about what store or company consumers would like to organize a strike against."

"Really?"

"Yeah.  It's more than just boycotting, since boycotting just doesn't seem to work.  I feel an actual strike is necessary.  you know with picket lines at the locations, where consumer strikers could hand out flyers and politely ask people not to shop there."

"Okay.  Hmm.  Well, I would strike at ---- news."

"Interesting.  That free daily newspaper?"

"Yeah."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I used to work there."

"I see."

"Yes.  So can you tell me more about this consumer strike?"

"Well, right now I'm just doing shoptivism and trying to get information on how to have a consumer strike.  Just doing research.  Talking to people."

"So how do you do that?"

"Whenever I have to buy something, maybe I ask the salesperson about the ethical impacts of the product.  You know where it is made, how it is made, how much guilt I might incur if I were to buy it.  I pretend to expect the salespeople to know this sort of thing, but they never do.  I then fill out a complaint form about it, saying that I would like the store's salespeople to be able to answer my questions about the ethical implications of my purchases.  If they don't have a complaint form, I ask to see the manager and complain about them not even having a complaint form.  Maybe then I also ask about the rules and regulations of the company with regards to consumer strikes.  If the manager doesn't know, I ask for head office's contact information so I can complain about their store manger not knowing about the company's rules and policies regarding consumer strikes.  If I can't see the manager, I ask for the manger's contact information and make an appointment to see the manager.  I also talk to employees if I have to wait to see the manager.  While I'm waiting, the employees ask questions.  They are usually afraid I am going to complain about them, you see, and are happy when I explain otherwise.  I tell them that I just want to complain about how it is that whenever I buy something, there isn't any information on the product or the receipt about the ethical implications of my purchase.  Maybe I tell them that I would like to know what the carbon footprint is for my purchase, or the slavery footprint, or where the materials came from, or how much the employees at the factory were paid.  I tell them about what a consumer strike is and ask them if they think the employees in the company might support us consumers if we had one.  I ask them if maybe they would like to include their demands along with ours.  Or maybe I ask them if the employees want to buy the company."

The guy was really excited.  I could see light bulbs were going off in his mind.  I continued.

"You know, I don't see why consumers can't own the companies from which they buy things.  I mean why not?"

"Wow. That's a great idea!  Can I get involved?  Can I do that?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said.  "But, again, which company?  Which company would you like to strike against if we were to start a consumer strike?  I mean, we could strike against any company.  They are all guilty.  And we are all guilty, whenever we buy anything.  What I personally want to know is just how guilty I am when I buy a particular item.  That's all.  That's my main demand."

He was astonished.  It was as if what I was saying was something he had been looking for for years.

"You are really doing good work."

"Thanks!"

"I'm going to do that, too."

"Cool.  Would you like to meet in the future and talk more about this?"

"For sure.  I'll be around here for an hour or two.  Do you want to meet at say -"

He was all energized and thinking about going off and doing his own shoptivsm and meeting back there in a couple hours.

"Well, I was not thinking about meeting today.  How about Wednesday?  Say about this time?  Noon?  Right here?"

"Sure.  Okay.  So not tomorrow, but the day after."

"Yeah.  I'll go write something to hand out to people on Wednesday."

"Okay."  Then he looked at me.  "You know, this could be really big."

"Yeah. It could be," I said with mixed emotions.

"Cool."

"Alright, well, I'll see you Wednesday."

"See ya."

I don't know if I am getting in over my head here.  I think taking the revolution to the streets in the real world is gong to be tough.  I'll need some advice.  Over the years, I've come to respect you guys' opinions here on IC politics forum, even when, or even especially when, your opinions differ very much from my own.

Help? 

I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed here.  What should I do on Wednesday?

And if there are other people from IC here who have likewise been inspired to take the idea of the IC Player Revolution to the street in the form of a consumer revolution, I feel they could use some support too...

I'd kind of feel responsible to at least start this thread as a place where we could come together for support. 

I need support.

Maybe support each other somehow?