How to Change the World Without Leaving Your Couch
by Ben Cable (Citizen Ben)
Originally Posted on Substack Feb. 22, 2025
Let’s talk about boycotts. You know that thing where you stop buying something because you’re mad at the company behind it? Maybe it’s your morning coffee, your favorite sneaker brand, or an entire state. It’s the ultimate passive-aggressive economic power move. But do boycotts work? And where did they even come from? Grab your ethically sourced, fair-trade, cruelty-free beverage of choice, and let’s dig in.
Photo by Peter Scherbatykh on Unsplash
Slightly Sassy Brief on Boycotts
The term boycott owes its existence to one Charles Cunningham Boycott, an English land owner in 19th-century Ireland who found himself on the wrong side of tenant farmers. These farmers, sick of unfair rents and evictions, collectively decided to freeze him out—refusing to work for him, sell to him, or even talk to him. The poor guy was so effectively shunned that he had to flee the country. And thus, the boycott was born (well, the word at least—the practice itself is ancient).
From there, boycotts took off like a viral TikTok challenge, just without the ring lights and filters. Some major U.S. historical examples include:
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56): Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride city buses, crippling the transit system’s revenue and forcing the desegregation of buses.
- The United Farm Workers Grape Boycott (1965-70): Filipino and Latino-American grape pickers refused to work picking grapes. Led by Cesar Chavez, this movement pressured grape growers to recognize farmworkers’ rights. Spoiler: It worked!
- The Anti-Apartheid Boycotts (1960s-90s): International pressure, including economic boycotts, played a major role in dismantling South Africa’s apartheid system.
- The Coors Boycott (1970s-1990s): LGBTQ+ and union activists boycotted Coors beer due to its anti-union policies and alleged discrimination against gays and lesbians. Over time, the pressure led Coors to improve its stance on LGBTQ+ rights and labor practices.
- The Bud Light Protest (2023): A backlash erupted against Bud Light after the company collaborated with a fabulous transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Some “religious right” consumers, opposing the move, launched a boycott that significantly impacted sales and brand perception.
The Science of Starving a Business (Or Government)
So, do boycotts work? That depends on a few things:
- Numbers matter. If only three people and a dog refuse to buy something, it’s not a boycott—it’s just bad marketing.
- Sustained pressure is key. A weekend Twitter rage-storm won’t do much, but prolonged economic and social pressure can force change.
- Clear demands = clear results. Companies and governments need to know what they need to fix to make the boycotters go away.
Boycotts don’t always succeed, but when they do, they can change laws, end unjust policies, and even bring down regimes. They’re proof that consumers and citizens have a lot of power if they’re willing to wield it.
The Modern Era: Clicktivism
These days, boycotts are easy to launch. But there’s also a downside: boycott fatigue. When every week brings a new call to cancel a company, people start tuning out. The most effective boycotts still follow the old-school playbook—focused, strategic, and persistent.
