Wednesday night at Open Left and Thursday morning here at Daily Kos I posted an argument for supporting health care reform by boycotting Whole Foods. This idea has taken off.
There are now about 2,500 (update: 4,100) people who've joined a Facebook group dedicated to this. That's a good start but I think it needs to grow to at least 10,000 members so join if you haven't, send the link to your Facebook networks and anyone you think might shop at Whole Foods.
The goal here is to make a stand for real health care reform and to generate publicity for this cause. It's already working as media outlets have picked up the story. I'll list the developments below.
Here is some of the media coverage so far:
- ABCnews.com ran a front page story called Health Care Stirs Up Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Customers Boycott Organic Grocery Store.
- The LA Times ran an opinion piece called Whole Foods is in a whole lot of trouble.
- A Chicago Tribune blog ran an item called Whole Fooey, Part II.
- The Austin American Statesman (Whole Foods headquartered there) ran a piece yesterday noting the CEO's potential gaffe and the boycott.
- More than a 100 Tweetshave gone out just this morning about the Whole Foods Boycott after hundreds more went out yesterday.
Here are some other developments:
a gnostic has an interesting diary called Canvassing Duke physician booted from Whole Foods parking lot
Tzimisce has some interesting insight as a former employee in a diary here called The view from a former Whole Foods employee
There are two Whole Foods protest events that I know of on Sunday. Join if you can. There's a picket planned for Sunday at a Whole Foods in Berkeley and another Sunday event in Austin Texas (WH HQ) which you can read about here.
Please, add your events, with links, in comments. Please spread the story on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms and rec this if you support the boycott.