Is boycotting Carrefour a rational thing? - 抵制家乐福真合理吗?

I ask the question. Not that I don't have my own opinion already. But most French people I know came to the same conclusion: effects of such a movement seems to us most fruitless and counterproductive, and we still don't see the real rational link between the reasons why Carrefour is being boycotted, and what Carrefour really did as a company.

Let's summarize again what is at stake here.

So, days ago, a word starts to spread - one of Carrefour's main shareholders, from LVMH (who acquired a large chunk of Carrefour some weeks ago) is said to have contributed financially to the exiled Dalai-Lama government. Ok. Do we have his name so we can be sure of his identity? I say so because I didn't see his name on the internet yet, but maybe I just missed it. Nevermind.

So the Chinese are going to boycott Carrefour because of one of his investors' investors' connexions, am I getting it right or not?

Let's see that kind of situation the other way around - you'll see, that's an idiotic exercise I affectionate most - just like Ive read it on blogs such as 东南西北: is the fact that China is the most important US treasury bonds holder in the world implies that China wholeheartedly sympathizes with the US-led invasion in Iraq? Well Ive got doubts about that. Ive got a couple other examples of that kind of irony in my pocket, for sure.

For instance, do you remember how Marionnaud, a French famous perfume brand, was acquired by the Hong-Kong billionaire Li-Kashing (Li Jiacheng - 李嘉诚) back in 2005? Do you know about the identity of Marionnaud then most important shareholders?
Among them you have a Belgian citizen, named Albert Frère. But what is interesting is that M.Frère also holds responsabilities in LVMH... Damn! Does it mean Li Jiacheng gave his money to one of those evil LVMH Tibetan-huggers? Gosh!

Well does it mean Li Jiacheng actually financed the Tibetan separatist movement? Hardly. Does it mean the Chinese should boycott Belgian and other products because LVMH is actually being hold by people coming from half a dozen different countries around the world? Hopefully not.

Because if we were to follow the "logics" of the people out there demonstrating, I start to believe that you would show equal common sense boycotting Hong-Kongese products because of Li Jiangcheng involuntary involvement in financing a LVMH major administrator, don't you think?

Well actually I start to wonder if there is a real logic behind what is happening to Carrefour in China right now.
You know perfectly, and any French who went to China once will agree, that Carrefour is actually a Chinese-style supermaket with Chinese products sold to Chinese people. What the hell is really French in Carrefour, except for the shareholders and some people at the Chinese HQ? Ho yes. Wine. Perhaps, if you're lucky, some cheese. Most probably some liquors, or some L'Oréal product. And some Danone stuff too, even though they lost a lot of ground last year. And then? Do you think boycotting Carrefour will harm the usual Hennessy consumer? Ho man you can't believe how much France is scared by the idea that Hennessy may sell a thousand fewer bottles of brandy this year... Let's be serious and think again: who actually will really, REALLY get hurt the worst in the current situation? The French, or the Chinese who work with Carrefour, work for Carrefour, and buy Carrefour stuff? I don't see anyone getting any positive return from that crisis - except maybe Walmart ^^

If you think the thing is worth the fuss, well, come and explain it to me - to us. Please, I'm really eager to hear your point, I truly NEED to understand what is the logic behind that. Because from here, I can tell you, Chinese demonstrators in front of Carrefour give us the strange picture of a big mob who just can't get enough of shooting itself in the foot.

Agree, disagree? Come here and tell us!
Come over the forum and debate!