Who is really hurt when we join a boycott?

Since the rise of social media, I’ve seen more and more organized boycotts. They grab you with a headline condemning a company’s offensive opinions or actions, then urge everyone to boycott the company.

We’ve been asked to avoid Jimmy John’s because the owner hunts large game. Chick-fil-A because the management expressed anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Hobby Lobby for not providing certain types of contraception to their employees. And now, a long list of companies is floating around, all of whom have some sort of tie with Donald Trump or his businesses, including retail giants such as Walmart, Amazon, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Macy’s.

I happen to agree with the reasons behind the above-listed boycotts, and I’ll stand firm in my beliefs.

Yet to boycott these companies doesn’t seem to hit the bullseye. In fact, it feels like low-scoring shots that hit mainly those on the peripheral. The support employees will go down first while the owners, the ones we’re targeting, will hide in their bunkers.

And, of course, there’s the flip side of the boycott or endorsement when urged by a controversial figure. Our president-elect endorsed L.L. Bean, so a select group of people will now be avoiding it. Breitbart urged followers to boycott Kellogg’s after Kellogg’s pulled advertising from the dubious news site. In response, droves of consumers rushed to the grocery store to buy extra Kellogg’s and donate the product to food banks.

Regarding the boycotts, I thought of people I know who rely upon these retailers for income. A friend, a Mexican dad counting on income from Jimmy John’s. The friendly kid at the Chick-fil-A counter who sets off my gaydar. The high school kid who just scored a first job at Bed, Bath and Beyond. A family member who depends on their Walmart management position to support their family. Liberal, gay friends who sell on Amazon. Financially struggling friends who work in the Amazon warehouse. Conservative author friends who sell there, as well.

Let me tell you a little bit about individuals or small businesses selling on Amazon. Business owners self-manage the process. As long as a product doesn’t violate Amazon’s standards and they follow the selling protocol, they can sell. It’s equal-opportunity. Nobody goes around to check skin color, religious affiliation or sexual orientation. It’s an amazing opportunity to reach buyers, world-wide.

Certain items, are, however, banned from sale on Amazon. Illegal drugs. Confederate flags. Foie gras (banned for inhumane treatment of geese.) Human body parts.

Isn’t that what we’re looking for in America? The freedom to live, pursue our dreams, run our businesses, sell our legal goods. If we say Ivanka shouldn’t be allowed to sell in an open forum, what are we really saying?

I want to know where my dollars go. I favor fair-trade products. I’m a sucker for a sale that supports a cause. I drive past the big chain to mom-and-pop stores. And I do, in truth, avoid Jimmy John’s because I can’t shake the memory of the photo of the owner sitting by a freshly slaughtered elephant.

But we must keep in mind that the free market is a tangled web of all walks, and a boycott is not the clean shot of a sniper. It’s a dirty bomb with non-discriminate effects.

We want our voices heard, but we have to make sure the right people are getting the message and consider who it is we’re really hurting when we join a boycott.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Who is really hurt when we join a boycott?."