Washington Post, February 28, 2018: Here’s why #BoycottTheNRA worked so quickly
After the tragic Valentine’s Day shooting of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla., survivors, advocates and businesses quickly worked together to press for social change. On Feb. 20, #BoycottTheNRA started trending on Twitter, as progressive website Think Progress encouraged consumers to abandon companies offering deals to National Rifle Association members; Parkland high school students amplified the message. Within five days, 24 of the biggest 25 companies with such arrangements had cut their ties, including United, Delta Air Lines, Hertz and Enterprise.
Some called this shift a victory for well-oiled online activism; others viewed it as proof that companies were falling victim to politically correct culture. But either claim treats companies as passive entities that react to public pressure like pinballs.
