We've all heard of people or locations being boycotted; in today's society, anything can be boycotted for any reason! Everything is subject to boycotts, including sporting events, movies, tv shows, and political gatherings. Though "boycott" is a bit of an odd word when you think about it. What connection does the word have to not going or doing something?
If something is isolated or ignored? The word "boycott" has very little in common with other words, which is also odd. So, from whence does the word "boycott" originate? Let's go back to 1880 to find out, then.
We've all heard of people or locations being boycotted, and today, anyone will boycott anything for any cause! Sports events, TV shows, movies, political rallies, anything is subject to boycotts!
The word "boycott" is a little odd, though, when you think about it. What connection may the term make between attending or not attending something? Of excluding or disregarding something? It's also odd that there aren't many terms that the word "boycott" is similar to. So whence did the term "boycott" originate? So, let's go back to 1880 and find out.
Parnell advocated that members of the neighborhood simply ignore the offender and avoid doing business with them. After word of Charles boycott's eviction campaigns became widely known, he quickly came to feel alone in the neighborhood.
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His employees stopped coming to work at his mansion, in his stables, and in his fields despite the short-term economic hardship it bought them. Even the local postman declined to deliver his mail as local businesspeople ceased doing business with him.
Boycott was in financial danger as a result of the actions taken against him since no one would pick his crops. When the time came to harvest the crops, he hired 50 laborers from farther-flung locations. He paid for a 1,000-person armed police and military escort to take them to his estate.
However, the Irish land league's assurance that there would be no violence had been completely true, as boycott or his hired gunmen and laborers had not been the target of any violent actions. Boycott has suffered a significant financial loss as a result of the cost of providing safety for his harvesters, which was significantly more than the harvest was worth.
Following the harvest, the boycott was successfully carried on. The boycott was quickly covered by the media, and within a few short weeks, boycott's name was well-known everywhere! The phrase was first used in the worldwide press shortly after the occurrence by James Redpath of the New York tribune, and in November 1880, the times used it to denote a planned isolation.
In an article published in the spectator in 1881, nature was described as having "boycotted London from knew to mile end" as an example of how the word "boycott" was now being used to refer to things figuratively. Boycott became a common word in English over the world less than a year after the boycott.
There you have it the fascinating and wholly original beginnings of the word boycott! It's really remarkable how the word's usage and boycotting's actual usage have remained so true to their roots over time! The next time you hear your friends use the word "boycott, " be sure to let them know where it came from.
By Z. Khan
