Ring the Alarm: Don't Boycott BP

Hey friends. I realize that I posted something less than 24 hours ago, but that last little diddy only touched on 3 of my 4 favorite topics: food, fashion and sports. The fourth? Well you must not read my blog very often if you don't know what it is.

POLITIC ME.

So I heard a radio DJ mention an upcoming topic on his show as I was pulling into my garage after my afternoon commute. His prompt was "are you boycotting BP because of the oil spill?" At first I was like HELL YEA I AM because it's cool to hate BP and not want to have anything to do with them right now, right? But then I realized that, beyond the fact that I have driven out of the way to find a BP many times in the past five years because I love neon green and yellow, boycotting BP really doesn't make much sense. Sure, we want this company to flounder because, as I detailed two posts ago, BP is predominantly responsible for what is now known as the worst natural disaster in North American history. However, before you start pumping your Lincoln's into Shell and Chevron, let me just point out a few things that may change your approach to hating BP.

1. BP is undergoing some wicked crazy scrutiny right now by everyone from the U.S. government to people who stalk sea turtles during egg-laying season. There is a lot of pressure on the company to not only look at their past and admit their mistakes, but also to prevent anything similar to the current oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico from ever happening again. Considering the number of states, species and industries that the oil spill is affecting, there is no chance that BP will be coddled or overlooked by the government or the people of North America any time soon. Now, after the last time you got in trouble with your mommy, you were probably really careful around her for a while after. Sure, you went about your business of being annoying and childish, but you really paid attention to the thing or things that had gotten you in trouble. So, perhaps BP will start overlooking their internal company policies, maybe they won't have the most up-to-date computers in every office. What they will have however is an unstoppable drive to be the cleanest, safest and most honest oil group in the world. So who would you rather have drilling on your coast line? An oil company that has yet to make a mistake, something that is natural to anything that is man-made? Or an oil company that has made the ultimate mistake, is facing the hefty consequences, and will forever be scarred by the memory of the current disaster in the gulf? I vote the latter.

2. As you know from reading the news or seeing the commercials on television, BP has already launched their claims process for those who have been affected by the oil spill. Eventually BP will have shoveled billions of dollars back into the economy of the states that are on the Gulf and will make up for the havoc it has wreaked on hundreds of local, national and international industries. Now, the last thing that we want to see happen is BP run out of money and no longer be able to pay people the amount of money that they deserve for the problems the oil slick has caused. Sure, the oil execs and countless other individuals who work for BP could shell out some money as soon as it looks like the company is running low, but that would only thicken the red tape and delay the process further because no one will want to give their own money to the oil spill 'victims' - that could be mistaken for taking blame. So where should the money come from? Us. Keep buying gas from BP. Keep pumping money into its treasury. Because you know that the United States government would not let it seep into the pockets of BP executives in unwarranted quantities and the people in the Gulf need you to help BP make amends. I know it's a twisted way of looking at it, but if BP doesn't get money from its consumers, then...well... money doesn't grow in the core of the earth.

3. Speaking of giving your money to BP, do you really want to see this company that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs to people all over the world each year fail? Is it really fair to condemn a company that made a horrible mistake to complete destruction? Sure, what happened is abominable and whomever is responsible for the oversight and bureaucracy that led to the problems with Deepwater Horizon should be exiled from the oil industry. However, BP is more than just one faulty oil rig. It is an international economic turnstile. It is a key resource for every human being, from a soccer mom who drives a mini van to a steel factory worker in Michigan (if there are any left). Reducing demand for something that has already been drilled from the earth and refined into a usable material would be even more wasteful than the oil spill has already been. So help BP help itself. We really are in this whole thing together. Even if it's more fun to point fingers at the men in the expensive suits.