Obligation To Avoid Remote Mediate Material Cooperation

[Poorly Catechized Convert]

What is out obligation to avoid this kind of cooperation? I've been told Catholics have no obligation to boycott and that it is so far removed to be no big deal. I have also heard that it's only licit of their is a proportionate reason. Which is it or are they both true?

[Nihil Obstat]

What is out obligation to avoid this kind of cooperation? I've been told Catholics have no obligation to boycott and that it is so far removed to be no big deal. I have also heard that it's only licit of their is a proportionate reason. Which is it or are they both true?

My initial thought is that remote material cooperation is indeed acceptable with proportionate reason. The key to that IMO is "proportionate". If the remote evil itself is relatively minor, then relatively minor reasons are proportionate and there is little if any obligation to avoid. The greater (or more proximate) the evil, the more serious a reason should be required.

Naturally there are differing degrees of evil and proximity to it. It makes sense to take that into account.

 

Think of it like a scale. On one end is the weight of the evil itself and your proximity to it. On the other end is your reason for your remote material cooperation. As long as that scale continues to tip in your favour, that cooperation is probably acceptable.

[Poorly Catechized Convert]

Thanks for the reply. That kind of makes sense; I have a hard time understanding proportiomate reason and proximity to evil. It makes a little more sense when speaking of essential items, but non essential ones become confusing. Starbucks for instance, they are one of the worse companies ams I'm more than happy to boycott them -- I don't like their product much anyway -- but sometimes buying from them is easier. Does the rarity of the purchase affect the proximity
, remoteness, or proportionate reason? Then there's Disney; there are other places to go do entertainment, but their animated movies are really good and they own Star Wars now. Do those things indicate proportional reason? It's easy to go somewhere else, but you won't get quite the same product.