Taking a Stand

I am very disillusioned these days.

There are so many places and things I am boycotting that it's getting difficult to find anything that meets my standards.

Here are a few examples:

• I haven't eaten pork, veal, lamb, wild game or shellfish for many years. I eliminated pork from my diet because of the inhumane way in which American pigs are factory farmed. The same goes for veal, which I have never eaten. Lambs are just too cute to eat. I enjoy watching wildlife, so there is no way I will consume wild game. And shellfish I simply don't like.
• I quit eating beef a couple of years ago to protest the cattle industry's war on wolves, bears, cougars and bison.
• I try to avoid palm oil because of the associated deforestation, habitat degradation and loss of habitat of orangutans, and abuses of indigenous peoples, among other reasons. To make room for oil palm plantations, native forests must be removed. Avoiding palm oil is nearly impossible, as it is found in countless store-bought products such as cookies and crackers, and it is often disguised as 'vegetable oil.'
• I won't buy farm-raised, so-called 'Atlantic' salmon.
• I'm running out of countries to visit in Africa. The government of South Africa is so corrupt that even wildlife in sanctuaries are being slaughtered. And now, Botswana, which until the election of a new government did a great job of protecting its wildlife, has decimated the anti-poaching patrols, taken away their weapons, and parked numerous vehicles due to unpaid fuel bills. The result? The murder of 87 elephants for their tusks. And I'm sure this is just the beginning. So I won't visit Botswana any more. I've already booked a trip there with three friends in 2019. That will be my final visit there. Zimbabwe is also on the no-go list due to its allowing of trophy hunting (remember Cecil the lion?) and its sales of baby elephants to China, where they languish and die.
• I won't buy anything made by or sold by the Amish, who are huge operators of puppy mills. They also are frequent abusers of other animals.
• I do my best to avoid buying anything made in China due to its abhorrent treatment of animals, the environment and for being the driving force behind the trafficking of pangolins, the slaughter of elephants for their tusks (to be made into ivory trinkets) and the decimation of rhinoceros (because of the 'magic potions' made from rhino horns). And let's not forget the killing of lions so their bones can be made into more magic potions and magic wine.
• As much as I love visiting Yellowstone (I have been there nine times in the past few years), the war on wolves supported by Montana and Wyoming has made me realize that next year's trip to the park will likely be my last.

I don't mind avoiding these items, but I wish I felt that my boycotts did anything to help the situations that concern me. If enough people stop buying beef, perhaps the cattle industry's war on wolves and wild bison would stop. But how likely is it that thousands or millions of people will give up their steaks or hamburgers? My boycott isn't likely to make any difference at all. 

I also sign petitions, some of which have tens of thousands of signatures, but again, what good does it do?

I think the sad reality is that the only good that comes from my boycotts and petitions is that it makes me feel that I am doing something to combat these wrongs. It makes me feel a bit better, but does it really make a difference? I think not.