[Ads-l] "Reverse boycott"

[Nancy Friedman]

Thanks, Ben!

Nancy Friedman
Chief Wordworker
https://wordworking.com
https://nancyfriedman.typepad.com

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On Mon, Jun 19, 2023, 8:32 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:

> The newspaper databases have many examples of "reverse boycott," often
> describing a kind of retaliatory boycott (e.g., the Soviet Union's boycott
> of the 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A. after the U.S. boycotted the 1980
> Olympics in Moscow). It's also been used as a way to encourage people to
> make purchases from certain retailers (sometimes also called a "buycott" or
> a "buy-in"). Here's an early example of that usage from 1920.
>
> ---
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-times-reverse-boycott-curing/126726363/
> Buffalo (NY) Times, Mar. 26, 1920, p. 18, col. 3
> Reverse Boycott Curing Gougers
> By Jim Marshall, N.E.A. Staff Correspondent
> SPOKANE, Wash., March 26. -- Led by a dean of the Episcopal church and the
> original woman "Bull Mooser," 3,000 Spokane women are battering down the
> high cost of living here with a consumers' league, a reverse-English
> boycott, a weekly bulletin of prices and a slogan.
> The league is supported by dues of 25 cents a month from each member.
> Instead of boycotting merchants who charge too much, the women seek out
> those who cut prices, boost them in the weekly bulletin, which is mailed to
> all members, and enable the cut-raters to sell large volumes at low
> profits.
> The slogan -- which is considerably worrying some local stores -- is "No
> thank you -- it costs too much!"
> The league is headed by Dean William C. Hicks, of the Episcopal church
> here. The organizer and guiding spirit is Mrs. Sarah Flannigan, who
> attained fame some years ago as the only woman delegate to the original
> Bull Moose convention in Chicago.
> A dozen Spokane drygoods and grocery firms have rushed into print recently
> to assure the league that they're with 'em. But the women aren't taking
> anyone's word for it. If a price seems too high the slogan is gently wafted
> across the counter -- and the next issue of the bulletin carries the word
> along.
> ---
>
> --bgz
>
> On Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 9:51 AM Nancy Friedman <wordworking at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > "Reverse boycott" has been in the news lately: It's what Oakland A's fans
> > called their June 13 protest of the team's impending move to Las Vegas.
> >
> >
> >
> https://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/2023/06/word-of-the-week-reverse-boycott.html
> >
> > I found only one pre-2023 usage of "reverse boycott," but I'm confident
> > list members will come up with others.
> >
> >
> > Nancy Friedman
> > Chief Wordworker
> > web: wordworking.com <http://www.wordworking.com>
> > blog: https://nancyfriedman.typepad.com <
> http://nancyfriedman.typepad.com>
> > Medium <https://medium.com/@wordworking>
> >
> > tel 510 652-4159
> > cel 510 304-3953
> > twitter/mastodon/instagram  Fritinancy
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>

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