My “Banned Forever” List and What to Support, as of December, 2020

Maybe you’re more tolerant, forgiving, or plain easy-going than I am. That’s fine. I’m not trying to start an argument, here. I’m also not interested in a debate, trying to be convinced otherwise, or changing my list.

BUT, if you have people you think belong here, once you understand my criteria, please put your nominations in the comments of this post, found on: http://www.sallyember.com/blog

I permanently ban artists, writers, actors, directors, producers, AND THEIR WORK/ART who are sexual predators, anti-Semites, racists, misogynists, homophobic/transphobic, anti- Black Lives Matter, pro-Trump and his cronies, now or ever.
Yes, most of these are men.
Unfortunately, it’s not practical to ban all the work of CEOs of large networks or corporations, such as Les Moonves, Roger Ailes and many others, and not fair to those “below” them who are innocent and whose work is fine. but I would if I could.

When someone is banned, I do not watch their films or TV shows, read their books or other writing, and will not ever support anything they do unless it is palliative of/victim-compensating related to their wrongdoing. Then, I might consider a partial reinstatement.

I also womancott (“boycott”) companies who support awful causes, leaders, or politicians (mostly, supporters of the current and recent Republican Party and its horrible leaders and representatives). See below for particulars and lists to explore for avoiding any support of them.

PERMANENTLY BANNED
Media/Arts People: Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Spacey, Danny Masterson, Louis C.K., Harvey Weinstein, Ben Affleck, Al Franken, Tony Robbins, Mel Gibson, Bill O’Reilly, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Rush Limbaugh, Geraldo Rivera, Tyler Perry, R. Kelly, Fox “News” anchors and commentators (everyone since 1990), (Keith) Rupert Murdoch, the US Military (all branches)
(add yours in comments for this post, please!)

Companies and investors: https://donegood.co/blogs/news/boycott-trump-companies-to-avoid
for another great list, go here: https://www.change.org/p/nationwide-boycott-of-trump-businesses-and-koch-brothers-products
And, here: https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/boycott-companies-that-exploit-women-and-girls-this-christmas/
And, here: https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/a-list-of-media-companies-reckoning-with-racism.html
ALWAYS avoid these companies/owners and their products/online stores/locations: Nestles, Minute Maid, Chick-Fil-A; Home Depot; Hobby Lobby; the still-living Koch brother, Charles; Equinox Fitness / Soul Cycle / Blink Fitness, Marvel Entertainment, Goya, AT & T, CVS, Starbucks, Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club, Amazon, MyPillow, Uber, and so many more.

If racial injustice is your focus, use this link to keep up with companies to avoid and companies to support:
https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/regularly-updated-blog-tracking-brands-responses-racial-injustice/2260291

If diversity/accessibility are your focus, check this out: https://mydiversability.com/blog/2020/12/17/vote-with-your-wallet-this-holiday-season

ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS/HERTORY
Want to be a more ethical consumer in all ways? use this site: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/bananas

Don’t just avoid baddies! Support good companies/places/people! B Corps are certified as ethical and wonderful in a variety of ways (see italicized section, below, for info).
Check this list out and keep checking for new additions: https://bcorporation.net/

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.

B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The values and aspirations of the B Corp community are embedded in the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.

You can choose to avoid companies that:
—use slave, child or sex-trafficked labor https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor

—have unsafe working conditions
—do not pay living wages
—pollute
—misuse company funds
—won’t pay workers as actual employees
—won’t give workers regular hours
—bust unions
—overpay upper management/owners
—refuse to deal effectively with any types of workplace harassment or bias
—won’t go “green,” but could
—lie/misrepresent their company’s policies, products, safety, financial status, stock values, etc.
—cheat (don’t pay fair shares of taxes, e.g.)
—contribute to the opioid epidemic
—ruin Native lands for profit
—cause injuries or deaths to employees knowingly and won’t compensate appropriately
—interfere with rather than support social and economic equality and justice
—enable/protect harassers/abusers/liars.
Such as: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/retailers/five-unethical-companies
And, The Evil List: Which tech companies are really doing the most harm? : https://slate.com/technology/2020/01/evil-list-tech-companies-dangerous-amazon-facebook-google-palantir.html

Learn more here, from Laura Holton: The Ugly Truth About Unethical Business Practices [2020]
https://myva360.com/blog/the-ugly-truth-about-unethical-business-practices-2020
and, here: https://www.businessinsider.com/american-companies-with-the-worst-reputations-2019-6