Most "Buy European" initiatives that I've seen are quite uncoordinated and disorganised. It's very grassroots. That's not bad, but maybe we could do better.
What do I mean by better? Well, imagine if there were ads in public transport, flyers in your mailbox, stickers, t-shirts and other merch, awareness campaigns on social media, a common database for European alternatives, outreach to businesses, partners, and even political affiliations.
I made a sticker, but I'm not a graphic designer. I asked about translations, but we don't have a place to really store that information. We don't have some kind of platform where we can organise stuff without the algorithm just hiding it after a day.
When a US company starts selling stuff in Europe, many people will know about it because of these things. It'll generate chatter and translate into action or purchases. This doesn't just count for products, but political campaigns, and so on. There's a directed, concerted effort, which we lack and probably waiting on some company or politician to get their lips off of a big tech donor's buttcheek will take a while.
Most people I know are barely aware of the Buy European movement. It's either not translated or it's in media they don't follow, but getting a flyer in your mail, seeing an ad on TV or while standing at a bus station, hearing a politician or influencer talk about it, will make people more aware.
Is this something we want? If so, how can we do it? Do we start an NGO? Reach out to a political party like Volt Europa (Although they don't seem to be on the fediverse)
I say it would be a nice step forward. One step after another, this is how we May proceed.
I did not realize how deep american brands are settled in our habits and economy. Almost every succesfull brands here, since our childhood hase be bought by an american firm.
It's a first step that we understand that. And it is not only about turning out back on american brands, it's also about trying to make better for a better world.
My words may be naรฏve. I know. We won't replace every american product in 2 years, but we gain consciousness. So keeping on educating ourselves is one way to go forward.
It's more about changing ourselves than hating americans, for what they represent today is just what we are but maybe worse. We should not replace one bad habit with another but take the opportunity to be better.
Honestly if yโall keep up this energy and keep investing in local goods, you could very well see a total flip on American products within two years. Stores donโt sell things that donโt sell for long. It doesnโt even have to be totally morally driven, the way this is shaking out it makes financial sense to carry non-american products.