The best tactic

topic posted Thu, September 8, 2005 - 1:09 PM by  Pi
Share/Save/Bookmark
Advertisement
Okay...I'm gonna be the house whip here, so I need some feedback from you guys. I'm envisioning actual demonstration in front of your favorite gas station. Toward that end I think it would be helpful if we zero in on ONE oil company. With us so spread apart it would be helpful if we get on the same page so said profit rapist gets reports from around the country that there is a unified effort in the works.

Exxon/Mobile and Shell are the two most likely candidates. There are some lesser players, but I think we need to make the bigger ones the targets. thoughts?

Also, it is VERY important that you guys start sending out invitations to join this tribe. This thing can snowball for the benefit of all if we are willing to do the leg work. So perhaps all y'alls can start sending out invites on your tribe lists.

Lemme know what you think.

Paz,

Pi
posted by:
Pi
offline Pi
SF Bay Area
Advertisement
Advertisement
  • Re: The best tactic

    Thu, September 8, 2005 - 7:24 PM
    www.snopes.com

    Just type "oil company" into the search....
    • Re: The best tactic

      Thu, September 8, 2005 - 8:24 PM
      how do you get people who are freaking out over rumored gas shortages to change their thinking? Fear of immobility seems to be more frightening to our public than paying... psychological warfare!

      Pi, i like your idea to focus on the big guns. though it will take alot more of us to spread the word.

      <out to tribecast>
      • Re: The best tactic

        Fri, September 9, 2005 - 8:28 AM
        It would only take a few hours once to begin with. We have peeps spread ALL OVER THE AREA. Each of us, at a pre-destined time, sets up in front of the subject station and just stands there with some well-worded signs. Little newspapers pick it up, big newspapers notice the pattern...etc. etc.
        • Re: a complement to the best tactic: mass transit

          Fri, September 9, 2005 - 9:45 AM

          aside from actual protests...
          taking days out to boycott filling stations isn't a bad idea; but will it really make economic difference to the stations if you're filling your tank the day before (stocking up on gas, so to speak) so you can continue driving that day but simply not stop by a filling station? i recommend taking mass transit on the day(s) decided upon.


          (this will be especially difficult for me: i commute from SF to the east bay daily for work, by car - transit takes me approx. 1hr longer and, with gas prices as they are, still costs me more than driving. bah!)
          • Re: a complement to the best tactic: mass transit

            Fri, September 9, 2005 - 10:03 AM
            This has often been cited as a buzz-kill for these types of protests. We have to drive...I mean, we're from California. My idea is to single out one of the majors. I truly don't care which one...shell, valero, chevron, etc. We make ONE oil company the bad guy. That one is boycotted. We protest that particular oil company and hope it snow-balls. That one gets the sweat and the others realize that it could just as easily be them. This is a grass-roots effort (as is every protest not sponsered by media darlings).

            The idea here is that if we bring one giant to the sacrifice, the others will realize that they are next.

            Again, the idea here is demonstration being infectuous. We all drive down the street and see the "End War Now" demonstrations. We honk our horns and feel good about ourselves. Meanwhile the war rages on and the oil companies enjoy the most profit realized since Rockefeller was king of the U.S. Bush and Cheney feel invincible because their energy cronies are worshipped as gods. Gods are only such if they are worshipped. Their power lays in OUR hands.

            Tear the bastards down one power at a time. You will be surprised how dependant they are on us and the dominant power structure.
            • Re: a complement to the best tactic: mass transit

              Fri, September 9, 2005 - 10:57 AM
              Pi, really, read the results posted on snopes of the email campaigns that are similar to your line of thinking. They are inherantly flawed and never work.

              The only thing that COULD work is a replacement of our use of oil. Most of the busses in LA are on LPG, some people CAN bike to work, others can carpool.

              Instead of attacking one of the beasts where another gains, why not attack them all. Free From Oil Fridays: If you can bike, do it. If not, take a bus, or carpool if you must. Do this EVERY friday until the war is over and gas prices start going down. Start today. When people ask about it, you can casually tell them about it around the watercooler. AND we're making MORE of a long-term impact on the though patterns of our fellow americans.

              Show people that they can bike to local bars instead of taking their cars to the "right" party. Show them how to use www.mta.net/default.asp to plan out trips (including to and from work). DON'T tell them to just put things off (like switch your Friday shift for a Saturday), but to learn to deal without their car as much as possible.

              Maybe we could whip up a web page, and make this a National thing... ooooh. Get the radio stations into it.... This could be fun...
              • Re: a complement to the best tactic: mass transit

                Fri, September 9, 2005 - 11:48 AM
                I do agree that mass transit is the best tactic. You posted this while I was typing up my response that just hit. However metropolitan transportation just doesn't work for a lot of people as most people think it is a wonderful idea for 'everybody else'. Me? I'm in commercial real estate and have put (truly...ask Mem) 30,000 miles on my car in the last 8 months. This is killing me. I tour people around daily.

                Perhaps we can do an Oceans of Fire in front of the refinery in Richmond? 70 fire breathers spitting toward the refinery would be one hell of a flash mob!

                Okay...Clear Channel and DoHS: THAT WAS A JOKE!

                Memory has a key to my car. She's driven it maybe two dozen times in the past 8 months. She also gets up at 4 in the morning on a regular basis to head to work in SF on mass transit. A lot of people use the mass transit. 5AM for Rodan and Adana. It is time to take a slightly more high-profile approach.

                We will see the end of fossil fuels in our life times. It only took us 120 years to deplete the entire supply. I, personally, look forward to it provided that the power shifts at the same time.
    • Re: The best tactic

      Fri, September 9, 2005 - 11:39 AM
      I love snopes, and I've reviewed the theory contained therein. I agree with the principle, if not the tactic. Any two economists in the same room are going to debate everything that is debatable. A good friend of mine is the dean of economics at a large Eastern university. While he has already pointed out the potential pitfalls in grass-root protest of oil companies, he has also expounded on the S&D principles.

      If Shell suddenly is in cahoots to sell surplus petroleum to Chevron they're going to have to sell the non-additive stuff (same stuff that they sell to independents at a significantly reduced price). Chevron can't offer petroleum with V-Tech and can not market something as having the Techron additives if it deviates from the recipie.

      The gasoline retailers carry much more control over their prices than they are willing to admit. Gas stations do not take delivery on a daily basis unless they are a very high-volume station. Most mid-size retailers take delivery once a week. While the cost of the fuel is often regulated by the price they just paid, often it is adjusted by a cost that they *anticipate* paying in the near future. A case in point is right here in my town of business. I have three gas stations clustered together at the North end of town. This morning the gas was $3.29 per gallon (I have to use the good stuff in my car). These were the prices set by Unocal, Chevron, and a small independent who takes delivery from Benecio which handles Shell in our region. Across the freeway overpass is a Valero station all by its lonesome. $3.45/gall at the freeway onramp. Downtown Shell? $3.29. Across town Shell? $3.35. This is indicative of price gouging on the parts of the stand-alones and price-fixing on the parts of the clusters.

      Now let's take a look at my town of residence. I type in my zipcode on gaspricewatch.com and find some interesting information:

      Shell a half mile from my house in one direction:

      $2.95

      Shell a half mile in another direction OWNED BY THE SAME RETAILER:

      $3.19

      Chevron two blocks from the most previous Shell:

      $3.19

      Now let's hop in to San Francisco and look by station:

      76 on Chavez: $3.09
      76 on Portrero: $3.19 (wealthier neighborhood)
      76 on Valencia: $3.41

      and the Chevron on Valencia: $3.45

      Shell on Valencia: $2.95
      Shell on S. Van Ness: $3.05
      Shell on Guerrero: $3.26
      Shell on Mission: $3.40

      Now one can argue that the retailer makes different rent/mortgage payments based on the length of time in place, tax rate, etc. Fine. I deal with property taxes and Net-to-gross ratios for a living. However they are also charging more for their tobacco, soda, sundries.

      I am far more sympathetic to Bob's Gas and Shop than I am to the Chevrons of the world. Strangely enough, these guys tend to charge less for gas.
      • Re: The best tactic

        Fri, September 9, 2005 - 1:28 PM
        I just registered www.FreeFromOil.com, so if you want to take this big, we can do it...
        • Re: The best tactic

          Fri, September 9, 2005 - 1:31 PM
          Where are you based? Lets take it big.
          • Re: The best tactic

            Fri, September 9, 2005 - 1:32 PM
            Does it matter if we're gonna take it big? :)

            I'm in Hollywood.
            • Re: The best tactic

              Fri, September 9, 2005 - 1:34 PM
              Just deciding if email is the best way to do this or if we should do it on the phone

              Pi(at)pyrotation(dot)com
              • Re: The best tactic

                Fri, September 9, 2005 - 8:58 PM
                I'm down to rally in sacto...

                My truck is down so it's Real easy for me to not fill up for the next couple days. However as I will be fixing that problem soon I'd like to offer some persuasion to the choice of boycott. They're all evil for the impact to the planet, we also can look at who the different corporations give financial support to. Shell is a Democratic supporter and Cheveron a Republican supporter. I vote down with the Republican supporters personally, don't want to give 'em my money. Thanks for having some fire in this Pi.....I'll send out invites....
                • Re: The best tactic

                  Sun, September 11, 2005 - 11:42 PM
                  Ted...

                  the website aint workin... : (
                  • This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.

                    Re: The best tactic

                    Mon, September 12, 2005 - 8:32 AM
                    I was supposed to ping ted on Friday evening. And then "de-playa-ing" hit. I finally bounced back on Sunday, at which point I'm sure he was off doing his Sunday Thing. That's on me.
                    • Re: The best tactic

                      Mon, September 12, 2005 - 12:31 PM
                      The site is registered, it's just not hosted....or built for that matter.

                      But here's what I was thinking (first draft).
                      -=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-

                      We all know the problems with the use of oil: greenhouse gasses, a shift in the carbon cycle, greedy oilmen that will do anything to maintain their power base. And we know that every mile we drive is making the problem worse rather than better. But what can you do about it? Just give up your car?

                      Statistically, about 1 in 100,000 people in the US are in a good position to do just that, but what about everyone else? How do we maintain our financial infrastructure and reduce the amount of oil we use?

                      Some people would have us boycott oil producers for a single day. But doing this only causes us to buy a little more the next day instead, or stock up beforehand. Such tactics don't "show" anyone anything. There's always enough people who haven't heard about the plan (or just don't care) that the slight dip in sales is a predictable anomoly.

                      So, what's a budding activist to do? Baby steps. Instead of large meaningless guestures, we take small meaningful steps. We're talking about One day a week. We're talking about carpooling with just one or two people. We're talking about taking the bus to work one day.

                      This is where Free From Oil Fridays began. If your town is like Los Angeles, Friday is the biggest traffic day of the week. We get all-day gridlock on most of our highways from 6 am to about 10pm. Gridlock can mean that you travel 5 miles in about 2 hours; most people can walk faster than that. So, This is where we start: Fridays.

                      All we ask is that everyone make a little extra effort on Friday (or whatever day YOUR town has the most traffic) to reduce the number of cars on the road. If you carpool with just 2 people, that's 1/3rd the number of cars on the road. A 66% reduction in fuel use is an amazing thing. Heck, you might just decide to do it on Monday and Wednesdays as well...

                      But here's how you're really helping. By carpooling, or taking the bus, or riding a bike, you've taken one car off congested streets. This means that overall traffic moves a little faster. The more people that get with the program, the faster the roads will run on those heavy days.

                      So, instead of having an engine running for 2 hours to get that 5 miles home in LA, we might start seeing people (people who haven't seen this site, I might add) getting home faster. Like, in 10 minutes instead. Now, not only are YOU using 66% less fuel, but the other guy next to you is using about 1/10th the fuel, too!

                      And the hits keep coming: less time on the road means a little less stress for everyone, lower heart disease, world peace, angels happy and the Rams have a chance at the superbowl! Well ... okay ... but I think you can imagine what a faster commute would mean for everyone.

                      This is just idea #1. Once you've done your part on Friday, start telling other people about it. Send them here. Start a Movement. You want to know how to SHOW the big oil companies who's boss? STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS! Even if it's only one day a week.

                      But, what if you're a good New Yorker who only takes the subway? Bravo! Excellent start, but remember, we have to get electricity from somewhere, too. Often this is from coal or nuclear sources. Solar powered lamps can replace a porch light, reading light at night, or even ambient light in your living room. Check our links section for more great ideas to reduce and reuse.

                      -=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-
                      *sigh*
                      Not much, but it's a start.
                      • Re: The best tactic

                        Tue, September 13, 2005 - 11:18 AM
                        Sounds great and realistic. And once people start seeing how easy it can be to cut back in little ways, those little ways can become habits. A few people doing a lot is nowhere as effective as a ton of people doing a little.
                      • Re: The best tactic

                        Tue, September 13, 2005 - 1:03 PM
                        This is very well put together Ted... and a lifestyle I try to emulate. Walking or biking to work once or twice a week, biking to the grocery, etc. If you are able to use alternative transportation... DO IT!

                        On another hand, I received a few negative responses to my listing & tribe invite... responses basically expressed the frustration and futility of the seemingly same ideas being rehashed (boycotting for a day when drivers "stock-up" the day before). I'd like to respond to their discouraged messages.

                        Do you mind if I use some of your wording in my response & invite them to join this tribe again? I think it would be helpful to us all if they were to participate in our tribal discussions...
                        • Re: The best tactic

                          Tue, September 13, 2005 - 2:36 PM
                          I think everyone should get a good bike or two. Large 26 inch BMX bike, a cruiser, mountain bike...whatever. Eventually bikes will start to up in price.

                          I bought my 26 inch Redline BMX/Mountain bike hybred for $250 a few years ago and now that same bike is going for close to $400.
                          • Re: The best tactic

                            Tue, September 13, 2005 - 5:15 PM
                            "Do you mind if I use some of your wording in my response & invite them to join this tribe again? "

                            Gopher it....


                            I'm trying to replace my use of an automobile with my motorized bike: 150MPG and holds 2-3 bags of groceries. I've already stopped commmuting each day by switching to a home-based business, so no, to reduce on the other parts of life... :)
                        • Re: The best tactic

                          Tue, September 13, 2005 - 11:59 PM
                          >>On another hand, I received a few negative responses to my listing & tribe invite... responses basically expressed the frustration and futility of the seemingly same ideas being rehashed (boycotting for a day when drivers "stock-up" the day before). I'd like to respond to their discouraged messages. <<

                          Maybe you should think about changine the name of the tribe as well. That's what hits people first...
                          • Re: The best tactic

                            Wed, September 14, 2005 - 7:28 AM
                            "Maybe you should think about changine the name of the tribe as well. That's what hits people first... "

                            Maybe, 'Alternatives to Gas Cars'???

                            Here in Austin, the metro buses have bike racks attached to the buses, but can only hold two bikes at a time. What I do is ride my bike to a bus stop, ride to bus downtown, get dropped off and ride to work. Then ride all over downtown for earands on my bike and back home on the bike/bus.

                            BUT, since I have my twins several times a week, I can only do this half the week.

                            At our local Pep Boys they are selling electric motorcycles for under a grand.
                            • Re: The best tactic

                              Tue, September 20, 2005 - 9:52 PM
                              some people i invited to this tribe wouldn't join because it's political. life is political. not taking a stand is political. reaching out and having people not grab on is better than not reaching out at all. I say keep the name and keep reachin'.

                              I'm down to do the friday boycott of buying gas. it's a small effort in comparison to how much of the world lives. I have feet, a bike, and friends to carpool with and at worst a messed up transportation system that is doing it's best to grow with the city. If we can support each other in making the most effort that we can individually, collectively we make a difference. One step further is collaborating to all bike, walk, carpool or use public transport on a PARTICULAR friday collectively across the country and hold protest at our local gas gougers. Let's rally....
                            • Re: The best tactic

                              Wed, September 21, 2005 - 7:46 AM
                              Ludo had some clever ideas for alternative tribe names that i wanted to toss out here...

                              <"Crude Independence" or "Freedom from Oil".>

                              I agree with Bliss bout the politics. I've gotten a few disinterested responses myself. Putting the word "oil" in our tribe name may catch the attention of the tribe searchers... i dunno
                              • Re: The best tactic

                                Wed, September 21, 2005 - 12:21 PM
                                I figured out why the link wasn't working, I registered
                                freefromIOl.com
                                not
                                freefromOIl.com
                                :(
                                • Re: The best tactic

                                  Wed, September 21, 2005 - 2:47 PM
                                  Charity and action begins at home .
                                  I am certain all of us either have or are putting money aside for an alternative (biodiseal etc ) engine or atleast a hybrid vehicle. I got my Prius last week.
                                  Or as suggested earlier in this thread we should all take mass transit.
                                  Protesting gas stations is not going to work - it is only going to make people who work there EXTREMELY nervous and why do you want to bother the poor wage slaves ? Follow the money. Protest at the top. Go to Houston or Dallas and protest there. Protesting in Cali is preaching to the MOSTLY converted.

                                  Is there anyone from Texas or ANY of the Southern states here ?

                                  Oil is just the tip of the ice berg. If you really really want to put a dent then go ahead and protest in Virginia where most of the defense contractors work.

                                  My 0.02 $.

                                  Sincerely,
                                  Tapan Trivedi
                                  www.indiancomedian.com
                                  Yes , I am Indian .
                                  Yes I worked at a gas station - its the fucking law for us!!
                                  • Re: The best tactic

                                    Wed, September 21, 2005 - 3:56 PM
                                    I understand that the folks who are working at gas stations are sweating. I don't blame them. Sorry, dude, but the exploited workers can go be exploited at other jobs. I consider that along the same lines as using human shields. There are plenty of slave-wage jobs out there.

                                    Protesting at the top has done absolutely nothing. They are every bit as insulated and immune to the Top-Down approach as President Cheney and his cohorts.

                                    Additionally, stating that protesting in california is preaching to the converted is a cop-out. If the people of this fine state were truly converted (as opposed to talking a good game) we would not be experiencing the current climate. I am saddened to see so many W'04 stickers still stuck on so many F350s that barrel down the highway on their way to the malls. My girlfriend gets to listen to me bitch about the SUVs taking up every lane, four deep on the 'free'ways. These vehicles are the least expensive to build, the highest profit to the dealerships, and the least utilized in terms of the actual use vs. the slick brochures. Its sort of like a Marlboro ad showing somebody kayaking down a waterfall: The reality is significantly different from the pitch.

                                    Congrats on the Prius. I'm thinking I'm gonna go the motorcycle route for my main driving needs. I worked at a gas station as well. We had a high turnover rate.

                                    No, I'm not Indian...I'm frikkin' Cherokee. One would think that after four hundred years they'd get it right. ;)

Recent topics in "Boycott Gas Stations"

Topic Author Replies Last Post
$3.25 a gallon??? Heather 0 March 12, 2007
Bullshit article from Conoco/Phillips re oil profits Pi 0 February 3, 2006
3months & counting... pooh 2 February 2, 2006
Gas Alternatives Bunny (AKA T... 0 January 13, 2006