For one day only, Americans are being urged not to make purchases from big companies, resist the temptations of fast food, and avoid filling stations.
Like a polar opposite of Black Friday – November’s annual post-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza – US consumers are being called upon to show “who really holds the power” by staging a 24-hour economic blackout on Friday February 28th.
It’s the brainchild of The People’s Union USA, which calls itself an a-political “grassroots movement dedicated to economic resistance, government accountability, and corporate reform”.
What is Economic Blackout Day?
Economic Blackout Day is a 24-hour boycott organized by The People’s Union USA and its founder John Schwarz that is calling on US citizens to avoid making any non-essential purchases between midnight on Thursday February 27th until midnight on Friday February 28th.
It allows only for necessary purchases like food, medicine and emergency supplies, and then exclusively from small, local businesses.
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Further, it lists out specific retailers and purchases that should be absolutely avoided, including:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Best Buy
- Other ‘major retailers’
- Fast Food
- Gas
It also urges to consumers to avoid using credit or debit cards for non-essential spending.
Author Stephen King, entertainer Bette Midler and actor John Leguizamo, have all leant their celebrity to the cause, posting messages of support from their respective social media profiles.
What is the Aim of Economic Blackout Day?
“For one day we show them who really holds the power.”
That is the leading message behind Friday’s Economic Blackout Day, with The People’s Union USA positing that disrupting the economy for just one day will send a powerful message to corporations that have “driven up prices, underpaid their workers, and outsourced jobs while raking in record profits”.
While the the organization’s website doesn’t state any specific desired outcomes, it talks about its aims to unionize the people and take back power. By disrupting the trade of large companies, it seems, it hopes to effect real change for consumers and workers.
“For decades, corporations, politicians, and industries have worked together to rig the system against the American people. They have built an economy designed to exploit workers, suppress wages, and keep the majority of us in a constant state of struggle. These are the forces that have stolen our financial freedom, manipulated our government, and kept power in the hands of the wealthy elite.” – The People’s Union USA
The organization calls the boycott its ‘first action’, with longer blackouts and other avenues set to be explored if corporations don’t listen and respond to its message.
The Origin of Economic Blackout Day
Economic Blackout Day – or, more particularly, The People’s Union USA – is the brainchild of John Schwarz. Describing himself as neither politician or corporate backed activist, the businessman says that he is fighting against a system that is rigged and “designed to keep all of us trapped”.
“I believe we deserve better. Because I believe it is possible to break free from a system built to exploit us. Because I know that if we stand together, we don’t just demand change, we create it.” – Jon Schwarz
The idea of consumer boycotts is not a new one, but they have tended to target specific businesses in the past.
Boycotts of Nestlé (due to its marketing of baby formula), Nike (its use of sweatshops) and BP (following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill) have had varying levels of success over the years. And, in 2022, sellers on Etsy staged a boycott of the platform that resulted in more protections for them and buyers.
