Sunday, March 2, 2014

buycott: anti-boicoteo

This neologism seems to get used in two ways in English, but I think anti-boycott is probably the most common. 

The wikipedia entry USED to say: It has many names: “buycotting,” ethical consumerism, moral economics, latte activism, critical consumption. Whatever you call it, buying is getting ever more political across the affluent world. A car is no longer just a car, nor a cup of coffee just a cup of coffee. In the age of hybrids and fair trade, the mall is a forum to express convictions and hopes.

but NOW it says:

An anti-boycott or buycott is the excess buying of a particular brand or product in an attempt to counter a boycott of the same brand or product. It is also sometimes, incorrectly referred to as a "counter-boycott" (which, by the definition of "counter" would actually be the boycotting of another product/brand in response to a boycott).
The usual reason for an anti-boycott is to prevent a company or entity from backing down on the decision that initially caused the boycott.
Some examples of recent anti-boycotts include:
And, of course, now there is a buycott app, which actually seems to use the first broader definition. If you were talking about the app you could also try my absolutely made up neologism of compracoteo, which has 0 googlage and is unlikely to be understood! :)