Your Dollar is a COSIGN

By: Chris Panayiotou | @CPLocalCeleb

     I’ve been thinking lately about how I vote with my money. This is nothing groundbreaking, I just start thinking about things sometimes and here we are.  This concept is old, and we all do it, but perhaps not consciously, but your dollar is truly a COSIGN.  That’s why companies pay big bucks to a PR company to keep their misdeeds appearing not-so-bad so that you stop COSIGNing them (giving them your cash).

     People have recently stopped spending money with H&M because the little boy in the hoodie. I personally have been boycotting H&M for quite some time, but for me it’s because when I was growing up we didn’t wear the snug smedium clothes that H&M sells, and yes I will admit, that I’ve had a tough time transitioning into 2018, hell 2017, 2016 and 2015 for that matter.  But honestly, it’s a beautiful thing that people are paying attention enough to stop spending their money with companies whose values don’t match their own.  I may not always agree with the latest boycott, but I’m all for people flexing their economic power.

     I vote with my dollars all the time and encourage others to do the same.  I don’t shop at Walmart because they pay their employees shitty wages that the taxpayers have to subsidize, and because they sell crappy quality stuff. I could go on forever about them, but that would be another (also not groundbreaking) article.  I do my best to avoid self checkout at the grocery store.  They saved all this money by not having to employ someone, but my groceries haven’t gotten any cheaper?  If Chick-fil-A ever had a kiosk tell me “My pleasure,” It’d be the last time I ate one of their sandwiches.  And I know there are already people that boycott them which is cool with me, vote with your money.  On the rare occasion I’m in the stripclub, I don’t tip strippers with fake asses, nor will I buy a plastic butt girl a drink in the club, because I don’t want to encourage all of that plastic surgery.  Hell, it becomes like an arms race between dancers, like a “Coulo Cold War,” everyone is just ramping up and girls start to be built like caricatures.  (For the record, I am a wholesome man that does NOT regular such establishments.)

     Going forward, we really need to look into who we spend our money with and their agenda.  We don’t realize just how poor many of us really are.  The term “Middle Class” might make us feel good about our economic position, but many people that think they are middle class, aren’t, therefore we have to take the finite financial resources that we do have, seriously.  If this company profits off of war, or polluting your community, or puts mom and pop businesses out of business, stop spending your money there.  And those are just examples, because everyone holds different things near and dear, all I’m saying is be aware.  Whatever we allow these entities to do to the most vulnerable of us, they will eventually do to the rest of us, (and yes, I bastardized someone’s quote).  The point is, while most of us don’t have a lot of money, we make up for that in numbers, so if as a collective we decide to stop shopping at <insert store name here>, we can make a huge impact.  If we decide to spend money with small businesses, like COSIGN Magazine (yes, shameless plug, but our merch is fire though, and we put together great issues, which if you purchase a subscription, you’ll save 25% off the cover price), we make our peers successful, rather than some faceless giant corporation that doesn’t have our best interests at heart.  And if we all do the same, I know it sounds cheesy, but we all win, and we all come up.  I’m not saying just buy anything someone comes up with, of course look for quality, but consider the entrepreneur you know.

     I’ve just been feeling kind of inspired to write lately, to relay my thoughts, even though most of the time I don’t think anyone gives a fuck to know, or that what I think is not really all that profound, but I’m passionate about certain things.  Just remember when you’re earning those dollars, everyone is out to get them from you, and whoever you give them to, you are giving your COSIGN.  Make it count.