The citizens of several American allies are (allegedly) boycotting tourism towards USA, and also some American goods, especially Tesla’s. I sympathise and agree but would not call my plans a boycott. But what’s in a name?
I used to love North America and made many vacation visits. Nowadays, I prefer taking my Japanese full-hybrid car and visit European countries. Visiting USA again is the least of my priorities but (probably) not a political choice.
Boycotting products is not new to me. Several grocery products are not on my list anymore due to their continued price inflation. Even their bargain prices are higher than their former regular prices.
Boycotting is emotional rather than rational. Hence, I usually do not participate. My (negative) opinion on Tesla is rooted in its many safety issues, and the ongoing NHTSA safety Investigations (eg, Reuters).
Before his role as a Trump adviser, I viewed the South African tech billionaire as an example of a mad scientist, and accepted his madness to a certain extent. His role at U.S. Department Of Government Efficiency is changing my views.
A recent article in the Washington Post is an excellent example why a relentless drive for efficiency will hurt other – more important – criteria like effectiveness, quantity, and quality of services.
That WaPo article (also) explains the American voter anger because Trump had promised “not to touch” Social Security but “Musk did not” (eg, Atlantic, MSNBC, NBC-2024, NBC, New Yorker, NPR, White House).
“Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans.”
Source: The Washington Post, 25 March 2025: Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down
Today, an American boycott is about emotion and ratio, including mine.
U Can’t Touch This (1990) by M.C. Hammer
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-artist, Wiki-song
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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