Boycotts of American brands & uncomfortable questions for us travelers

By / April 9, 2025 / budget slow travel, commentary

We walked into an empty Starbucks in search of air conditioned caffeine hits in a sweltering Malaysian afternoon. Husband Theo commented on the empty store to a worker and asked if there would be a lunch rush as it was nearing noon. The young man replied no, there would be no rush because of the boycott.

Boycott?

Yep. Muslims are boycotting the coffee chain in protest over America’s support of Israel’s slaughter of tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.

Boycotts of American brands

We rarely go into Starbucks; we usually use local chains for coffee and refreshments. But in Kuantan, our latest stop, most coffee shops are open air and I wanted air conditioning as we waited for my doctor’s appointment nearby. We stayed about two hours, and in all that time only a dozen customers came, mostly Chinese Malaysians who weren’t Muslims.

More than 400 Starbucks franchises in Malaysia are owned by one corporation. Berjaya Food’s has had a few years of losses, thanks to the boycott. Similar boycotts against other American brands such as McDonald’s, KFC, Coke, etc. are also ongoing. This American-brand boycott is also happening in other majority-Muslim nations. We’ve seen countless Palestinian flags in Malaysia and Indonesia this year.

A fishing boat in Kuantan, Malaysia with national, state, and Palestinian flags.

American consumers

American consumers should take note of these boycotts and resulting profit losses. They’re a testament to the power of spending. Americans, too, could change the game with their spending habits.

I see Americans outraged over Elon Musk and his DOGE team protesting at ‘Tesla Takedowns’ and see the company has taken financial hits as a result. Now imagine what could happen to other companies that give support to political views that don’t align with your personal morals.

You can easily identify these morally listless business leaders with “Goods Unite Us” — an app I’ve urged people to look at since January 2025 on my main social media account with Bluesky.

Another idea: get off all Meta social media.

I deleted Meta apps from my phone, and only download them when absolutely necessary. I can’t remember the last time I looked at my Instagram. I hardly use Facebook or Messenger except when I have to contact people who use no other social media apps.

I am occasionally forced to use WhatsApp because that is the way the world outside of America communicates. When we travel, it’s needed for arranging guides, rides, and doctor’s appointments.

But when people ask me ‘what’s your WhatsApp number’, I tell them I use Signal instead. (For anyone who doesn’t know the different between WhatsApp and Signal, here is a simple overview.)

One of the Meta deal breakers for me was Zuck’s announcement of moderation changes. For example, I believe it is hate speech to call trans people derogatory names – not free speech. Also, giving one company and one billionaire so much control over ‘social media’ was creeping me out.

Uncomfortable questions

As international travelers, we feel increasing uncomfortable in certain situations. I have been asked outright by a Malaysian Muslim woman processing my registration at a medical facility (where I had to show a passport): How do you feel about Gaza?

In nearly 10 years of travel, I’ve never been asked such a point-blank politically loaded question when someone learned my nationality. ‘Do you support Trump’ was an occasional question in his first term and since January – but no question was ever morally prompted before.

Palestinian flags in Malaysia.
Top: on a counter in a Kuantan doctor’s office.
Bottom: outside in Georgetown, Penang.

I can only imagine the questions to come as our travel continues this year: tariffs while in Thailand; tariffs and Gaza while in Egypt; general what-the-fuck while in Europe.

For now, I’ll just enjoy a day at a time. That includes puppies spouse Theo found on the beach while I was at a 10-day vipassana mediation retreat at Dhamma Malaya near Kuantan. He fed them every day while I was away because he thought that’s what I would have done if I had been around.

Now that I’m back, that is indeed part of my day.

Kindness matters, morality matters, and Life is Now.

Thanks for reading, “Boycotts of American brands & uncomfortable questions for us travelers.”

taj mahal trip cost includes a minimum three-hour visit

Ellen’s sobriety date is April 13, 2010. She left the news business in 2015.

During budget slow travel in early retirement with husband Theo, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She had a double mastectomy without reconstruction in Croatia in 2018.

Today she travels the world as a ‘flattie’.

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