Carol - So a responsible boycott must include plans to alleviate the distress of the disenfranchised, then - alternative employment for example.

Which could, theoretically, be done through politicians supported by unions/non-profit humanitarian organizations, as Forum Lurker said. If enough of them could (1)get elected, and (2) resist being co-opted into the major political parties.

Researching this topic on the web, I've found the list of familiar major corporations guilty of continuing human rights/environmental violations is truly staggering, leading me to wonder if any of them are NOT "guilty". For a partial listing and more info, click here .

Corporate Watch also has some excellent information:

Corporations are as rich as countries
"In 1999, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, 51 of the world's 100 largest economies were corporations. To put this in perspective, General Motors is now bigger than Denmark and three-and-a-half times the size of New Zealand; the top 200 corporations' combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all countries minus the biggest 10. Is it any surprise that they are able to dictate terms to many countries? National governments are often of a dubious moral character, but corporations are by their nature (see above) greedy, inhumane and parasitic, as well as lacking even a veneer of democratic control. Moreover, they share a common hatred of people interfering with their profits and 'rights'. This means they lobby to the same ends and can have massive effects - just look at the current US government."

"What can we do about it?
"Corporations need to be first tamed, then dismantled and replaced by structures people can control. In order to do this we need to understand how they work, to recognise their real motivations and methods, to unpick the captivating rainbow veils spun by advertising and PR and to document the abuses of humanity and nature that occur at each point of the corporations' activities ..."

Well, looks like only a few centuries of concentrated effort will accomplish the task ... and in the meantime I'm going to make myself a more competent gardener (for food, that is).

daylia