If you have a Twitter account you probably saw the trend #BoycottHawaii this past week. I was more than confused when I saw that pop up on my timeline. Why are people "boycotting" the 50th state? To find out, I took to Google. Much to my amusement, as soon as I typed in "why are people boycotting..." multiple options immediately popped up, and they all sounded like random words someone chose out of a hat. So naturally, I decided to write an article on them.
1. Hawaii
Like I just stated, Hawaii is the most recent in this list of things people have decided to despise. The hashtag began a day after a federal judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide halt on Trump's revised travel ban. And all the Trump supporters (that, may I remind you, were "too busy to go to the inauguration because unlike liberals, they had work") were suddenly cancelling all these lavish Hawaiian vacations they conveniently already had planned.
2. Starbucks
Poor Starbucks. All they are ever trying to go is get people their veinte iced caramel macchiatos double shot with a mocha drizzle...but they always seem to be in some kind of political controversy. The company recently announced that they would be hiring 10,000 refugees. CEO Howard Schultz stated, “We have a long history of hiring young people looking for opportunities and a pathway to a new life around the world".
People were quick to attack the company for not giving these jobs to, say, American Veterans. However, these people failed to research Starbuck's Armed Forces Network (AFN) which aims to hire any veterans and military spouses who apply for a position. So far Starbucks has hired 5,500 American vets.
3. Hamilton
The famous Broadway show was boycotted immediately following Vice President Mike Pence being called out by the cast. A member of the cast told the VP how alarmed and anxious the diverse of America are at the severely conservative stances he takes on issues; specifically LGBTQ rights and abortion. He was then booed/clapped out of the venue.
4. Uber
This is the one thing on this list that isn't boycotted specifically by conservatives. Many people deleted their Uber apps after the CEO made a Facebook post stating his support for Uber drivers that would not be able to return to the country due to Trump's travel ban. However, his sentiment was lukewarm, and he never made a clear denunciation of the ban. Also, when the the New York Taxi Workers Alliance stopped working during the protests at JFK to protest the Muslim ban, Uber continued to do pick-ups. Many felt they were profiteering off the protest.
5. Lady Gaga
When it was announced that Lady Gaga would be the halftime entertainment for the Super Bowl, she was not well-received by many. Immediately, people began jumping to the conclusion that she was going to make an elaborate political comment and boycotted her involvement.
