By tom eichlersmith One way to look at it is that I boycott a lot of things — Amazon, Target, AI, Israel, cars, animal-products and probably others that I'm forgetting since its been so many years. I am against harm. The simplest way to reduce my contribution or complicity in harm is to refuse to participate in it. This is why I boycott all of these things, but it seems to be more clear to others that I am always against something. Boycotts are often pitched as "targeted" actions that "can force" some other organization or system to change, as purely "wallet activism" that only works if there is enough participation to force change through economic pressure, but that is too small scale. I don't want apartheid states, mega-corporations, slop-factories, animal agriculture, car-centric transportation, or other sources of harm in my future society so I remove them from my life now. Living in the future society I want now. Since we as individual earthlings form a society, a radically and systemically different society will require all of us to radically and systemically change how we live our lives. A boycott that never ends defines a new culture, a new set of rules about what is valued. These never-ending boycotts are a new frame of mind; one that pushes against the convenience and consumerism of capitalism. In the short term, there is a perception of friction as you are trying new, different things. Where do I get this item now that I'm not shopping on Amazon? What do I eat now that I'm not eating boxed mac-n-cheese? However, life and happiness are not about these conveniences. This perceived friction quickly evaporates as you develop new habits, ones that are more life-giving, ones that require you to push back against convenience capitalism by biking to your nearby hardware store or cooking a meal from produce grown in your community garden. The longer-term friction, the one that consistently causes me difficulty, is interpersonal friction. When friends and family consume animal products in my presence, I feel disgust, frustration, and sadness. “You still shop on Amazon? You ‘asked’ ChatGPT? How have you not woken up to the real harm apartheid states, mega-corporations, slop-factories, animal agriculture, car-centric transportation, or other source cause?” These internal feelings focus on a basic question: how can they believe this is all right? Our current culture tells us that these sources of harm are not only acceptable but inevitable. The process of defining a new culture, a new society, requires us to communicate our discomfort, our friction, with others in our community. I don't want to argue in favor of total "individual responsibility" politics. We must demand change from institutions, but changing ourselves and our community now improves our quality of life. Many of the replacement activities bring me a lot more joy than what I was doing before. I enjoy riding my bike and the community of public transit so much more than the fear and anxiety of driving a car. The folks at my local hardware store are so much nicer than the folks at whatever mega-corporation is near by. I eat a larger variety of food, have become a much better cook, and saved a lot of money once I embraced plant-centered cuisine as compared to my old meat-and-potatoes meals. While these boycotts originated out of an ethical imperative for me, they also improve my quality of life now — giving me the energy necessary to also fight for larger, systematic change. The power of boycotts is in the interpersonal friction that they originate — the force dragging people near you along, towards a better world. Some folks will resist more than others, but they are still feeling this force. They are feeling the discomfort, the pull towards a new world, one that does not have these sources of so much harm today. I am not boycotting these sources of harm because I want them to change. I am boycotting them because they do not improve my quality of life. Removing them from my life, my community, my society, and my culture demonstrate that they are not inevitable and we can form a happier society, choosing instead habits and practices that foster community and improve our quality of life now.
The Slingshot Collective