Australia: buy our products or go to jail

Peter sent word that the Australian government is planning on changing their laws so that the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) can go after groups like PETA who organize boycotts against products or organizations. In PETA’s case, it’s in response to their campaign against Merino wool, which is produced using a process called mulesing, which involves ripping a strip of skin off of the sheep. That’s right, Australia wants their farmers to be compensated if it turns out nobody wants to buy their products. They’d also like a new rattle and a fresh bottle. I was looking up government responses to other boycotts in the past, and it turns out that this isn’t an uncommon reaction, or at least it wasn’t 50 years ago. Hey Australia, we’ve got this internet thing now, try pulling your heads out of your butts and recognize that consumers’ right to make informed buying decisions outweighs your farmers’ rights to make money through nasty practices like mulesing. Link.