What Makes for an Effective Boycott?
From Choose Democracy and Build the Resistance, Boycott Central is a fledgling resource about boycotts. I found this checklist of requirements for effective boycotts really interesting & useful:
- a target (who is supposed to change behavior)
- a demand (so the target knows what they have to do to get the boycott to stop)
- boycotters (a lot of people who used to be customers refusing to be customers anymore)
- leadership/negotiation committee (people who can show the target they’re hurting their bottomline and negotiate over demands)
- a way to communicate with the boycotters (a structure and massive social reach!).
They go on to note that most of the recent boycotts, including the Feb 28th one, do not meet these criteria — but that we shouldn’t despair: “boycotts take some time to organize well”. As others have noted, the activism & organizing muscles of many Americans have atrophied in recent years, and it will take time to get ourselves into shape. Boycotts are like anything else…you need to practice in order to get better.
See also The Complete History of the Famed Delano Grape Strike. (via @prisonculture.bsky.social)
Comments 1
Yes. I hope seasoned activists don't get all caught up in the (all too common on the Left) "you're not doing it right" trap. Because I'm afraid that we're going to need a hell of a lot more than a one-day boycott before things get better. People being confused and arguing over this simple boycott are nothing compared to what it will take to organize successful (read: massive) general strikes.
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