It is simply American and dates back to our Colonial Founders. When faced with the Townshend Act, the Colonial patriots started boycotting the imported British goods. The colonists were outraged by this increase in their taxes. They not only boycotted the goods taxed by the Townshend Act but well over 100 other British imported goods not listed by the act. The colonists either found alternatives to the imported goods, bought the goods off the black market (thus avoiding the tax) or did without. Probably the most famous example of these boycotted and substituted goods is tea. The Colonial women developed a local alternative to tea made from flowers and herbs native to America and called it Liberty Tea. The Townshend Act was repealed after 3 years due to the damage the boycott and the black market were able to cause to the British import market and the East-India Company. The only import tax that remained was on teas (The Tea Act), which lead to the Boston Tea Party and the other “tea parties” that boycotted the British tea.
That is the beauty of our capitalist society. It is based on supply and demand. If we don’t like something, we have the right to refuse to purchase the product and create a decline in demand. And I maybe wrong, but I am pretty sure Oprah is more attached to her income and lifestyle than she is to her ever changing beliefs and principles. Not that she will admit it, but endorsing Obama has damaged the rapport she has with her core audience. Americans can respect a difference in opinion but we will not tolerate someone shoving their beliefs down our throats. Can one person make a difference against her? Probably not. But our forefathers proved that if enough people banded together it can work. (Personally, I think that Iran, Russia, Venezuela and OPEC are starting to learn that lesson as the oil prices continue to fall.) There are plenty of alternatives to Oprah’s brand and sponsors out in the market today. If anything, a boycott of Oprah, her brand and her sponsors is merely an added incentive to support our local communities by buying goods made, produced and sold by small businesses in and around our neighborhoods.