A Brief Discussion over Boycotting and Censorship

Is the act of boycotting a form of censoring? I suppose that individuals engaging in boycotting, either privately as a group, or within a government organization, are expressing their desire to prevent, or put a stop to, a person or a group of people from doing or saying something.

In this sense, I guess boycotting is the act of removing oneself from having social and economic interactions with a person or business based on a particular disagreement with that person or business’s portrayal, treatment, statement, or endorsement of an individual or individuals, philosophy, or idea with the intent that they will alter, change, or retract their behavior, treatment, or portrayal that is causing the perceived offense.

Censorship is an individual or individuals within an authoritative position deciding to remove certain parts of speech, text, art, or news based upon its contention within societal norms. Censoring would also include silencing, directly or indirectly, an individual or individuals from expressing themselves in a certain way. So, both words boycott and censor fall under the word “ban,” either before or after judgment on what should be banned is passed.

I suppose that the act of boycotting involves an individual or individuals seeking justice to right a wrong, whereas censorship is a method of control, centering on mistrust, fear, and ignorance. Censorship can be based on various reasons, such as an exaggerated sense of morality (in the pursuit of seeking and maintaining a sense of purity), fear, as well as economic, political, or social gain.

Perhaps this is the difference between the two concepts, though. The act of boycotting an individual, a group, or a business creates a situation where a determined moral expression (situated within a largely agreed upon set of societal norms, customs, and ideology) by and through public opinion produces economic, social, and political consequences.

The act of censoring an individual, a group, or a business creates a situation where a predetermined moral expression (situated within an exaggerated sense of largely agreed upon societal norms, customs, or ideology) by and through an individual or groups’ agenda produces economic, social, and political consequences.