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Brother, Can You Spare One Damn Dime?

Date Added: Jan. 13, 2005
Last Updated: Oct. 9, 2007

Throughout history, man has found increasingly innovative ways to protest the actions of government and big business. The Internet and e-mail ushered in a new era in activism by making it seamingly easier to organize wide-scale grassroots movements. However, when they advocate effecting change through inaction, as this one does, it crosses the line into armchair activism.

Not One Damn Dime Day

As a veteran myself, as father of two sons who served and grandfather of a young man not yet 21 years old, who is in the thick of it at this moment near Falluja; And as a moral citizen of this great country, I urge you to give your consideration to the following:

Subject: "Not One Damn Dime Day" - recipients undisclosed BCC's

Jan 20, 2005 - Inauguration Day

Help Make a Difference...
Please mark your calendars now...

"Not One Damn Dime Day" - Jan 20, 2005 - Inauguration Day

Since our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Not one damn dime for nothing for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Walmart, Kmart, Target...

Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down.

The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way.

Now over 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan - a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No petitions to sign. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing.

You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this e-mail with as many people as possible.

The first question I get asked by people when they submit chains like this one is "is it real?" Well, it's real in the sense that someone got the idea and chose to spread that idea far and wide via an e-mail chain letter.

Then, folks usually offer up their thoughts on why it wouldn't work as intended. Some of the thoughts submitters have proffered for this one:

"Such a boycott would be impossible, as there is no way anyone could stay away from commerce altogether for a day."
"How would this impact the administration? They are so removed from the economy, they wouldn't even feel it."
"Does this include online purchases as well?"
"Wouldn't this just hurt small business owners and employees?"

Like many boycott calls, its effectiveness is effectively measured only after the fact. As with the Great Gas Out and ExxonMobil boycott e-mails before it, this one garnered some media attention, then fizzled out with very little participation. There remains a possibility, however, that it could resurface during the 2008 Presidential election season and subsequent inauguration.

For good measure, though, let's put this on through our tests of Armchair Activism for boycott chains:

Expiration - FAILED - A boycott is most effective if its onset is immediate and severe and if it continues without interruption until the desired change is made. This one is set to expire after 24 hours, regardless if an impact is made.

Focus - FAILED - The George W. Bush Administration and Congress are the only authorities who have the power to end the war in Iraq. The businesses that would be affected by this boycott are relatively powerless in the issue. It would seem more effective to do something that would directly affect the President. The boycott, as he or she proposes it, would indeed do more to harm innocent business owners and workers than the administration.

Integrity - FAILED - Does this effort really send the message to the administration that we're so opposed to the war that we're willing to inconvenience ourselves to see it end? Not really. It seems the author was more interested in sowing the seeds of discontent, which this letter does fairly well. Forwarding it gives like-minded people a chance to vent frustrations with the status quo without actually having to write the words themselves. But boycotts that ask you to do nothing are just too easy and rarely effective.

Sponsorship - FAILED - The author failed to identify himself or herself and offer no effort to ensure its success. There is no party to answer questions, receive additional suggestions or organizing a follow-up effort to achieve the stated goal.

Validity - FAILED - The thought of crippling the economy for a day to get Washington's attention is intriguing, but the author falls way short of proving it would have the desired effect. It's good in theory, but ignores too many variables. In fact, it seems all the author really wants to do is sully the President's second inauguration. I would think this would be more effective through a more direct form of protest.

For more on the futility of e-mail boycott chains, read my primer on Armchair Activism in the Chain-Breaker's Library. Break this chain.

References: None

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