Lets review the major and obvious ways the poster child of boycotts, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, was different from an online boycott
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Replying to @arthur_affect
The biggest one is that it was heavily organized. Like a strike, the boycotters and strong leadership holding ppl accountable
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Replying to @arthur_affect
For the obvious reason that it's much easier to "express support" for a boycott than actually boycott
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Is there anything at all stopping you from "pledging" to boycott a company then buying whatever you want anyway? Generally no
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Generally not even informal social structures - your co-boycotters these days dont go to church w you, aren't your neighbors, etc
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Even if you weren't part of the organized campaign, if you "cheated" and took the bus there was a high chance you'd be shamed for it
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Replying to @arthur_affect
The second part is tied to the first part - the organizers did actually successfully capture an entire market
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Replying to @arthur_affect
They got a plausible commitment from the black community institutions of the whole Montgomery metro area
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Replying to @arthur_affect
They unambiguously shut down the revenue the buses depended on, at a specific point in time
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It wasn't a general nationwide protest against "the bus industry", it wasn't aimed at shaving 0.05 points off giant revenue figures
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Replying to @arthur_affect
That's kind of the ugly truth about boycotts - they work best locally against local power
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Replying to @arthur_affect
A boycott can really fuck up a small business, or a local chain, or even a municipal public transit system
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