Power

As every change of United States tariff policy sends markets into fits of fluctuation, it’s easy to feel powerless. For those of us living outside of the USA, this feeling can descend into one of true hopelessness, for what will our votes at home matter while Trump is in the White House?

But let’s not give up hope.

I recently read The Power Paradox by Dacher Keltner. Keltner works at the Greater Good Science Center at Berkely University, an organisation dedicated to scientific research for a meaningful life.

The Power Paradox explains the positive aspects of power – and how to develop them – while demonstrating that there’s a tipping point where power turns ugly. Absolute power is the ugliest of them all.

Keltner describes how the philosophy of utilitarianism – that is, of the ‘greater good’ – emerged in the eighteenth century. Philosophers Francis Hutcheson, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill all defined what makes an action good. Hutcheson said:

That action is best which procures the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers, and that worst which, in like manner, occasions misery.

Keltner summarises this as: an action is good to the degree that it advances the greater good. From there, he describes ways we can use our power to contribute to the greater good. This quote has stayed with me for days:

[E]nduring power hinges on doing simple things that are good for others.

So I’d like to encourage you to take one simple and highly accessible power and wield it for the greater good: your consumer choice. To help you, I’ve collated a list of brands to support and those to avoid, with brief reasoning for each suggestion and links for more information.

Find out more about how Americans are boycotting brands that support the Trump agenda here.

Brands to support

The reasons for supporting a brand include its ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, its record of political donations or its international track record.

Apple – the tech company remains committed to its DEI policy. Apple donated a sizeable amount to Kamala Harris’ campaign but it’s important to note that its CEO, Tim Cook, donated $1 million of his personal funds to Trump’s inauguration.

Costco – in January, Costco’s Board of Directors reiterated the company’s commitment to its DEI policies.

Kobo – this Japanese brand is a great alternative to Amazon. You can buy a Kobo device instead of a Kindle and you can also support Australian brand, Booktopia, by buying your eBooks through them.

Levi Strauss and Co – Women’s Wear Daily reports that 99 per cent of Levi shareholders voted to retain its DEI policies.

Lululemon – the Canadian sportswear brand that ships internationally. Buying from this brand allows us all to contribute to the Canadian economy through this period of uncertainty. Lululemon has also retained its DEI policies.

Lush – if you need a fancy bath bomb to ease your worried mind, you can rest assured that Lush in the USA has retained its DEI policies. And, in the UK, Lush has partnered with trans-led groups to stand up for trans rights.

Patagonia – this company is well known for its positive social and environmental policies. It has recommitted to its DEI policies and says its only shareholder is Earth.

Proctor and Gamble – this global brand reports on its sustainability practices and has also recommitted to its DEI policies. Here’s a list of Proctor and Gamble brands for your reference.

TJ Maxx – the giant retailer has also recommitted to its DEI policies and reports on its sustainability efforts.

Brands to avoid

The reasons for ditching a brand include abandoning DEI policies, supporting Trump, Musk or the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), or participating in other social or environmental problems.

Amazon – this company has long had poor labour practices. Since Trump was inaugurated, Amazon has been scaling back its DEI policies. Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post and, in February, announced that the opinions section of the publication would focus on ‘personal liberties and free markets’ – a big philosophical shift that points toward editorial interference. I’ve given up my Amazon Prime membership, will cut off my Audible subscription at the end of the billing period and will no longer purchase from this company.

Disney – the entertainment giant is also rewriting its DEI policies in light of the Trump administration’s abolition of DEI across government.

Google – Axios reports that Google is no longer aiming to employ more people from historically underrepresented groups and will also review its other diversity efforts so it complies with various Trump administration rules for government contractors.

McDonald’s – the fast food company has also scaled back its DEI efforts.

Meta – earlier this year, Meta rolled back its efforts to eliminate hate speech on its platforms, closing its fact checking arm and moving to a ‘community notes’ model. Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. So far, I’ve given up on Facebook but confess that I am still addicted to Instagram. You can connect with me on Mastodon if you’re interested in moving away from the Metaverse. I’m going to start posting on there more regularly.

This article shows how much Meta has lost since Trump came to power – use the interactive graph to show the losses for several major companies.

Paramount – The New York Times reported that Paramount (including brands like MTV and Paramount Pictures) is winding back its DEI policies. Time to unsubscribe to Paramount Plus if you use it.

Substack – I was surprised to learn that Substack has links to far right ideals. This article – The Substack dilemma – how creators are inadvertently fuelling America’s failure – explains the issues in detail. I remember agonising over whether to choose Substack or Ghost when I set out on this blogging journey. Seems like choosing Ghost – an open source platform – was the best way to go. I’ve always enjoyed using this platform and am glad that my choice contributes to independent and open source platform development.

Tesla – many of you know that my family bought an electric car in 2022. At the time, my other half was adamant that we avoid buying a Tesla (primarily because of the brand’s association with Elon Musk) and I am so glad we chose that path. I feel a lot of sympathy for the Tesla drivers around the world who are embarrassed by their purchase as I’m so on board with the move toward electric cars. The more the merrier, I reckon.

However, I would never have foreseen the day that a non-elected billionaire could exercise such power across the United States Government and am happy that my car purchase did not contribute to his bottom line.

You can play with the graph in this article to see how much value Tesla’s stock has lost since DOGE came into being.

Uber – the rideshare and delivery company is watering down its DEI policies too. The San Francisco Examiner reported that Uber has ended a program that linked executive pay to measurements for diversifying its workforce.

I hope these lists have helped you feel like there is something meaningful that you can do – especially if you live outside the USA.

Let me know if you disagree with any of the above or have more to add! I love hearing from you.

Please don’t forget to look after yourselves in these trying times. For me, that looks like reading a novel in the bath, with a bath bomb from Lush perhaps …