One problem I have with boycotts arose when I purchased a copy of the National Boycott Newsletter (if that is its correct name). It turns out that there are _so many_ different products that should be boycotted on simple moral grounds that it seems that it would be easier to list the products that _shouldn't_ be boycotted. The newsletter made no effort to decide which were reasonable boycotts and which not. And most of them seemed reasonable. So it seems to me that the boycotting tactic should be used sparingly. It makes most sense if it is used by an existing movement or organization -- which contacts those workers affected by the boycott to see if they think it's a good idea (as with the boycott of S. Africa, which was endorsed by Tutu, Mandela, and many others in that country). It also makes most if it's applied in conjunction with a public education campaign. In general, it makes most sense as one tactic that fits as part of a general long-term *strategy* which itself is aimed at attaining some clear goals. An attitude of "I don't like it so I'll boycott it" won't do much besides make one feel good about being morally superior. Beyond that, I generally agree with Tavis's comments (in the second version). As for bill mitchell's recommendation that we avoid commodified toys altogether: it's absolutely true that non-commodified toys are great. On Monday I bought some new shoes. My son Guthrie (4 1/2) seemed just as excited by the shoebox as by any of the individual toys that flooded our house during the Chanukah/Saturnalia/Christmas season. He immediately colored it and and punched holes in it and turned it into a toy. But commodified toys ain't all bad. Are we to make our own crayons and the like? Besides, boycotting toys in general doesn't deal with the fact of the gifts we receive and the crass commercial fact that my father-in-law is in the toy industry (he invented the famous yakkety-yak teeth) and wants to give his grandson the newest and coolest toys every time he can. (it would also undermine his income, but that's another issue.) Actually, the best reason to avoid commercial toys is that they clutter up an already insufferably cluttered house. But then again so does the shoebox. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles, CA 90045-2699 USA 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950 "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- K. Marx, paraphrasing Dante.
