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Boycotting Buddhists

December 2, 2009 by arunlikhati

Several Buddhist boycotts have been bubbling up over the past few months. In August, Ethan Nichtern announced his resolution to boycott Whole Foods to protest the CEO’s stance on healthcare reform. Burmese monks announced a potential pattanikkujjana, a boycott on alms from the undeserving in the military. Thich Quang Do, leader of GHPGVNTN (Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam) pressed for Vietnamese at home and abroad to boycott Chinese goods in response to “the grave effects of poor quality and toxic Chinese goods on the health and environment of Vietnamese consumers.” More recently, Ajahn Sujato reports of boycotts on monasteries that oppose bhikkhuni ordination—and also provides his tacit support. And the dismay over the Tricycle article “Dharma Wars” has prompted others to talk of boycotting Tricycle itself.

Boycotts are among the humble consumer activist’s cherished weapons of choice. Non-violent and non-confrontational, they target what hurts a business most: revenue. In its most potent form, a boycott effectively holds its target ransom. Even when a community holds little economic leverage, its actions can set in motion the chain of events needed for change to occur. In 2004, the placement of a classic Buddha image on a bikini top galvanized a global protest against Victoria’s Secret. Overseas Vietnamese communities spearheaded letter writing campaigns and a boycott of Victoria’s Secret goods. Soon after, Thai authorities issued stern messages of indignation and publicly mulled import bans. News of the outrage overflowed into media outlets, and the offending merchandise was quickly removed from sales outlets.

The utterness of a boycott can, however, appear excessive—no less when Buddhists set their sights on Buddhists. We are one community after all! Why build walls where we could build bridges? As Danny Fisher has written: “I’m a little concerned by this talk of no longer subscribing to, buying, and/or reading Tricycle. Obviously, folks are upset. But why not use this situation as an occasion for dialogue and understanding? Why does this piece have to be a dealbreaker of epic proportions where we refuse to read anything published under the banner of Tricycle henceforth? My wish is that we can all grow from this conflict instead of holding grudges. How can all of us do better? How can we help?”

In my case, it was the proposed boycott on monks that felt overly harsh. The situation is—from my perspective—too complex to boil down to a litmus test of either recognizing or opposing bhikkhunis. Must one either be branded as “friend” or “misogynist”? I found myself typing up a very similar reaction to the one Danny Fisher wrote above. But then I couldn’t publish it.

After all, a boycott is also a form of communication and dialogue. It’s where we draw the lines. More than just communication with the target of the boycott, these decisions shape the way we communicate our values to the broader community. On the serious issues, boycotts allow us to express our firmly-felt beliefs through both our words and our actions—and our pocketbooks. They can even make corporate strategists think twice. When it comes to issues such as Tricycle and the recognition of contemporary bhikkhunis, I feel obliged—at least in these instances—to respect people who wish to make the firmest statement possible. I have no intention of boycotting Whole Foods, China, bhikkhuni-opposing monks or Tricycle magazine, but I have every intention to take into account what the boycotters have to say. Even if I might not-so-quietly disagree with their strategy, they have given me reason to listen close.

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Posted in Community | Tagged boycott, engaged Buddhism, Tricycle | 5 Comments

5 Responses

  1. on December 3, 2009 at 10:35 am James

    I’m not going to completely avoid Tricycle but I’ve always preferred Buddhadharma and Shambhala Sun more anyway.


  2. on December 4, 2009 at 12:57 pm Danny Fisher

    “We are one community after all! Why build walls where we could build bridges?”

    That’s what I was originally trying to say exactly. You got it all in two lines! Well done, sir. : )


  3. on December 11, 2009 at 3:03 pm Mumon

    You’ve got several choices here:

    – Agree with the boycott because you think its worth it to do so.

    – Oppose the boycott because you don’t think it’s worth it to do so.

    There’s really no reason at all – no reason at all – to talk about “building walls” versus “building bridges.” There’s no reason you can’t have both a dialogue and a boycott or refrain from communication and support but not to declare a boycott or refrain from communication and support.

    In fact a boycott is itself a form of dialogue.

    As for the boycotts:

    – I haven’t seen a Tricycle in ages worth buying so I don’t buy them.

    – On the other hand, I’m appalled at their lack of scrutiny given to certain teachers, and in particular their acceptance of largess from the Frederick Lenz Foundation.

    – I don’t think that’s a boycott; I still reply on their blogs.

    – Burmese monks got cojones. Good for them.

    – Good luck to boycotting Chinese goods (and watch out for anti-China sentiment for exploitation in general).

    – Re:boycotts on monasteries that oppose bhikkhuni ordination, I haven’t had a chance to support or refrain from support, but I think the sexism’s misguided.

    Call me what you will, but that’s how I see it.


  4. on December 16, 2009 at 5:59 pm John

    A boycott from me would be meaningless since I never purchase those magazines. I do think the thought of completely throwing something away due to one poorly written (IMHO) article silly.

    That being said, I do agree that it provides a great opportunity for discussion. If anyone starts talking.

    Cheers,

    John


  5. on December 29, 2009 at 5:20 pm nathan

    Hi Arun,

    I’m writing an article about online Buddhism and blogging for Tricycle, and would like to include you in the survey I’m doing to help shape the article. If you’re interested, write me back at the e-mail address I provided.

    Nathan



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