Cultural Boycott — some reflections

A week ago, I started my cultural boycott of Israel, in direct response to, but not caused only by, the events surrounding the murders (or war crimes) on the Freedom Flotilla. These are some reflections on the boycott itself and on the reactions it has caused.

What is a cultural boycott, and is it fair?

I consider my blockade as part of a cultural boycott of the same kind as that against South Africa in the 80s. As such it is a gesture which some people will feel is hurting them unjustly.

On an individual level, that is entirely true: why should all the good-hearted, friendly citizens of Israel, those who have never voted for Netanyahu and who are against the blockade of Gaza and feel sorry for the citizens of Gaza – why should they be punished for the transgressions of their Government and the IDF?

But this misses the fundamental character of a cultural boycott: Unlike trade embargos or disinvestment it is not meant to hurt the economy, or to pressurize or punish individuals through the means of market economy (�we have something you need, but we won’t give it to you�). Rather, it is a symbolic gesture, aimed to send a signal: “judging by your behaviour, as a group, we can’t regard you as decent people. We can do without that contact. It’s up to you to give us a reason to want talk with you.�

This is the perspective in which I see the boycott: as an explicit act of non-communication. The way you let yourselves be represented as a collective (and, I must add, present and re-present yourselves, again and again) I don’t want to talk with you, just as I didn’t want to help the schoolyard bully with his homework, even when he hadn’t done anything to me directly.

It has been said that a boycott of this kind is based on a fundamental trust in the people one wants to reach and influence. The comparison with South Africa is illustrative: the apartheid rulers were – or wanted to be – an integrated part of international society, and they wanted to be seen as decent people, by themselves and others. That’s why the boycott worked.

As far as I can tell, the same can be said about the people of Israel: they want to be met as decent people. I hope that’s true.

Reactions from Israelis

So far, I’ve received lots of emails from Israeli citizens in response to the boycott. It has been a depressing read.

There are two trends in these mails.

First, there is the hoard of mails with the main or – usually – only message: “go fuck with dogs you mother faker�, “you are a pig and a dog�, “your children will be sick�, “ISRAELRAPEDYOURASS�, “Go to the hell, idiot!!!�, “Good day to you, Adolf�, “bloody antichrist� (which I found oddly amusing, coming from Israel. Could have been a Christian Israeli, of course), and “you nazi pig. we know where you live�. These are exact quotations, and just a small selection

A large portion of them also seem to know exactly how much – or should I say: how little – I know about the true situation, that I only know what I’ve seen on CNN and other brainwashed media.

Quite a few tell me – openly or indirectly – that the reactions against Israel in general and the boycott in specific are anti-semitic, that the boycott is a hostile assault or even an act of violence.
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