Could this really help lower gas prices?

[auburngrad82]

I got this e-mail and it sounds reasonable if enough people participated. Could this actually be considered grassroots activism?

Here's the idea:

For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit.

But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out at this point.... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people.

I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us sends it to at least ten more (30 x 10 =3D 300) ... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 =3D 3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers. If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten fr iends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am, so trust me on this one.)

How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!

I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you?

Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN.

THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

Personally, I never buy from Exxon and haven't in years.



Liberal bumper stickers

[Fridays Child]

1. As snopes.com points out, this won't change anything.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. Yeah, but what are you supposed to do?

Those guys control distrubution to independent dealers too.

[bunkerbuster1]

3. oh god, not another "To HELL WITH SHELL" chain letter

I've been seeing this crap for 25+ years.

No, it's not activism, it's fucking annoyance.

[AllegroRondo]

4. Not one bit - check Snopes

even if 90% of the country refused to by from one company, that company would sell its gas to the others. The only people that would lose are the individual owners of the gas stations that are boycotted.

[hlthe2b]

5. Law of unintended consequences...

We'll be putting untold scores of "little people" who manage the stations (or own a station franchise) out of business, along with their employees. While the Mobile and Exxon CEOs rob us blind, they are not passing any of those profits to the gasoline retailers.

Having said that, I do try to frequent 7-11 that sells Citgo or Conoco (sources mostly from Mexico, Venezuela and Canada).

And, while I'd love to bring Exxon/Mobile to its knees, I think the best thing we can do is dramatically reduce consumption and keep it down. I drive only to work and back, with maybe a onece a month longer trip (for sanity or mutliple errands). Other than that, I try to walk for errands, or stop on the way home.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. Just screwing the independents (local gas stations).

The big guys (ExxonMobil, TexacoChevron, etc.) just off load it through jobbers and wholesalers.

The way to cut prices is three fold:

1) Sell your SUV and get a smaller car,
2) Switch to 85/15
3) If you have a diesel - switch to bio-diesel.

[lonestarnot]

7. I stopped buying from them months and months ago.

[adarling]

8. I buy from either Phillips or Shell :)

So no exxon or mobil for me everrrrr!!!

[heidler1]

9. To best get out of the box, buy oil stocks. Then you will be glad to see

the the price go up.

[BiggJawn]

10. I have been boycotting Exxon/Mobil for almost 40 years,

Hasn't done a DAMN thing. I boycott Shell, Conoco, Citgo, Phillips 66, AND Texaco, too.

And OOOH! here's another bright idea! Let's all NOT buy gas on FRIDAY! (I buy on wednesday)

Maybe if those of us who have 'em would leave our gasoline-powered TOYS sit in the garage this summer instead of being out there RVin' or Boatin' or 4-Wheelin' or playing Queasy Rider EVERY weekend it might have an impact.

[brmdp3123]

11. Not this lame shit again.

[Initech]

12. Lame idea. You know what will really get gas prices down?

Stop electing oil barrons to the highest levels of government. If Bush can say "America is addicted to oil", that makes him the fucking drug dealer.