What Makes a Boycott Work?
Throughout history, nations, activists, and political movements have resorted to the power of boycott by exercising economic and political pressure with the purpose of reaching specific achievements in terms of freedom, human rights, and general welfare. The term was first used in Ireland in the late 19th century. However, in earlier times, there have been many attempts to cut political and economic relations, such as the boycott of American colonies against British goods in 1769.
In the recent past, several calls for boycotts were made. One example is when oil-producing Arab countries implemented an embargo on countries that supported Israel in its war with Arabs in the 1970s, forcing Israel to consider diverting efforts from the military to negotiations. Another recent example is when several countries completely shut down business with South Africa until they ended the apartheid that separated people based on color in the 1980s.
Boycotts are not exclusive to tyrant regimes; they also extend to include organizations thought to be involved in supporting bad governments or engaging in activities damaging to the environment, public health, and societies. A major example is the boycott of Nestle Co. products in the 70s when they marketed their baby milk formula – intended for babies who can't be fed by their mothers – as better than mother's milk to increase their potential customers. The boycott ended when Nestle agreed to comply with WHO marketing rules.
We can learn from history that many major boycott movements were successful in achieving the intended goal. However, many failed. The question is, what is the difference between an effective and ineffective boycott?
When one looks into successful boycott movements, they will often find the same common characteristics:
A Just Cause: The intention behind the boycott aims for the betterment of human lives, societies, and the environment, not for the sake of hurting economies, businesses, and governments.
Marketing: Word about the movement must reach the maximum number of people who share the same moral values and would be interested in participating in making a change in the world through a boycott.
Consistency: Many human rights activists agree that the most important characteristic of a successful boycott is consistency. It is the key to everything and the key to a boycott. When the intended goal seems too far to reach, people get used to the situation as disbelief creeps in, and the boycott slowly fails.
In the face of humanitarian crisis, the free people of the world find themselves helpless. This is where boycotting for the cause rises as an effective weapon to fight evil. History proves that for a just cause, spreading awareness and consistency are the keys to achieving success.
When the death toll rises, human rights become exclusive to specific poeple, and lives become just numbers, it is illogical to deal or partner up in any way with the source of evil. It is immoral. Inhuman.