Shame - It's Actually Possible We Don't Have Any...

So I wanted to follow-up on my post of this morning.  And it seems we have some initial answers. And they are pretty disappointing.

Earlier today, an outlet far more popular than this one had the intestinal fortitude to speak some truth to power and put himself out there -

https://watchilove.com/open-letter-to-the-watch-industry

Dan-Andrei Kluska writes for a much bigger audience, and is sought after by much fancier brands than yours truly ; ). 

It says something about the situation that we find ourselves in, that someone is willing to put himself out there in an effort to help OTHERS, because in truth, there is nothing necessarily "in it" for him. He has my complete and total respect.

As I type this, the invasion continues. Tens of thousands of women, children and their pets desperately trying to get to safety. Think about that, their first concern is their children, the second their pets. I don't get the impression that they are packaging up their watch collections to ensure that they have all of the original boxes ad papers. 

It's a shit-show, and there isn't much that many of us can do, but there are some small things we as journalists, you as fans, and perhaps most importantly, the brands themselves can do. I am writing this with the assumption that on a basic, fundamental level, we can all agree that mindlessly killing innocent people and destroying their homes is maybe not a positive thing.

And before we duck and cover under that familiar "we don't get political" stance, I think that we can agree that the indiscriminate bombing of a helpless civilian population is not political. It is barbaric. Which brings us to the next question, do you really think that a tagline like this is going to work to stimulate Christmas/ Holiday sales:

"When you're working hard to destroy and displace an entire civilian population, every second counts!"

Maybe it's time for all you wonderful watch brands to sack up and take a stand? BP, and Shell have pulled out. Think about that for a minute. When some of the worst corporate citizens on the face of the earth feel that their image will be too tarnished by continuing to do business in Russia, that should tell you something. Adidas has dropped the Russian Football Federation. Adidas has been willing to look the other way for years regarding doping, dubious bidding practices to secure World Cups and Olympic Games as well as the most corrupt organization in all of sport, FIFA. When even Adidas drops you, well that is when you've hit bottom. Ford motor company and Volvo are leaving and the beat goes on. Perhaps the one brand's announcement that should let SWATCH, LVMH, Richemont, Rolex, Patek and everyone else realize that they are potentially catering a pariah party is Harley Davidson.  And this is a BIG deal, as sales to Russia represent a good slice of European sales which combine for over 30% of the global total. When the preferred supplier to outlaw bikers around the world decides that you're "too gangster" even for them?!?  Does this not say something loud and clear? 

And in truth, it's not even about a full-on boycott. What about using your social media accounts to simply say, I don't know, "No More War"?  The Lego company has donated A LOT of money to aid refugees and just announced it. And I think this is the thing that I find so frustrating in this entire situation - helping the helpless of Ukraine does not automatically mean you are blaming the Russian people. Which in truth, is not the point of any boycott or protest. The Russian people are just that, people. From all indications, it seems clear that they do not want this war either. Boycotting Russia does not mean boycotting Russians. And if cutting off watch sales for (hopefully) a few months can help curtail the war and stop this madness? 

Then let it.