On the Purpose of Boycotts

Terry Mattingly just published an interesting story on the question of whether the great Southern Baptist/Disney boycott ever really accomplished anything.

I tend to side with the Baptists on this one. Sure, the boycott did just about nothing to hurt Disney economically. And there is no evidence that Disney has altered its policies one bit. Indeed, the boycott might have boosted the Magic Kingdom's profits just a little bit by helping them loosen the "strictly for kids" image which may have hampered the entertainment giant for years.

At the same time, the boycott played a major role in helping me realize that when it comes to children's' entertainment, I just can't trust anyone. That is, the boycott was an effective educational tool for other people-- mostly Christians-- who have been trying to preserve traditional values in this pornographic era we live in. I never took part in the boycott. But because of it, I now prescreen even Disney videos before I let my children watch them. Further, it is through the process of explaining to my children why there are certain videos-- even Disney videos-- that they can't watch, that they have learned the important lesson that just because something is on television does not necessarily mean that it is good or true.