The verdict in the George Zimmerman trial has already evoked calls for boycotting Florida. Any state where an unarmed young black man can be gunned down by an armed wannabe-cop assailant is not a place to spend money. Any state where the police would just as happily have turned a blind eye to the crime deserves to be punished. Any state where jurors would deliver a "not guilty" verdict in such a clear-cut injustice can't get another dollar. We have the power to punish Florida. They'll be sorry they ever messed with us.
Living in Texas, we hear the same thing. Any state where legislators would enact some of the most restrictive anti-choice legislation in the country is going to be cut off economically. Don't travel there. Don't buy products or services from Lone Star State businesses. Hell, don't even set foot in that hell-hole. If that's the way they want to run their state, screw 'em. If they want to elect [insert name of witless politician here], they obviously don't want my business.
I'm in the process of moving from Texas to another "state hate" target: North Carolina, where anti-choice legislation gets attached to, of all things, a motorcycle safety bill. The Tarheel Taliban is hard at work making North Carolina a hinterland of hatred; a burning sacrifice on the ALEC altar. Lest you think that this sort of malfeasance is a Southern phenomenon only, you have only to take a peek at Ohio, where laws are regressing faster than we can chronicle.
While you may shake your head in dismay at these atrocities, you'd better stay vigilant. Your state may be next on ALEC's march to the sea. Here in Texas, we like to think that Wendy Davis' remarkable solo filibuster has drawn a citizens' line in the sand in a state where the spirit of "Come And Take It" lives on in shirts and signs emblazoned with the Texas Uterus and Ovaries. Texas women - and men - have risen up and roared back against the legislative assault on reproductive rights.
"State hate" is nothing new in the world. Sadly, it's nothing new on this site, either, where hardly a day passes without another state being thrown off the cliff of moral outrage. We see it when natural disasters hit a Red state. There's always someone who can't resist pointing out that the folks whose lives were uprooted deserved this. After all, they voted the wrong way. They're all [insert hateful stereotypical insults here]. They only have themselves to blame.
Trouble is, we're running out of states to scorn, boycott, and avoid. We've gerrymandered the country into so many places where it's no longer acceptable to set foot, do business, visit family, move for employment, or go to school that we've painted ourselves into a corner of righteous indignation from which there's no easy way out.
Please note: I have no issue with anyone who genuinely fears for their life or safety in a particular geography due to their gender, ethnicity, sexual appearance or other personal factors. While such fears may be spawned or exacerbated by unfortunate stereotypes, they're your fears, and you're entitled to them.
Boycotting entire states to punish them for legislative or criminal malfeasance triggers a lot of collateral damage. Those most harmed by a tourist boycott include hotels, restaurants, shops, and the vendors and suppliers who serve them. Disney World, Marriott, Universal Studios, and Sea World won't likely feel a dent in their massive profits, but the small coastal seafood restaurant, the shrimp boat captain, the local tour bus driver, the gift shop proprietor and the bed-and-breakfast could go under. Exxon/Mobil won't even notice your absence, but the gas station operator will.
Similarly, business boycotts might not bother a massive conference center or an airline or a major hotel chain, but the union workers who set up and pack exhibits and handle the wiring will lose out, as will caterers, cab drivers, and local printing businesses. Those who can least afford the hit will feel it the hardest.
State boycotts also a huge kick in the teeth to the many Progressives fighting hard for the rights of women, minorities, the poor, the uninsured, the unemployed, and everyone else on ALEC's hit list. I lived in New England for 54 years, then moved to Texas where - mirabile dictu - there are 10 million+ Democrats. Between the millions of people coming to Texas from other states - and countries - for jobs, and the demographic shifts underway, Texas is turning more bluebonnet blue by the day. Even as a purplish swing state, you write off 25 million people at your peril.
Boycotts have their place as a powerful tool for good, provided that they're targeted to the entities who are causing a problem, or subsidizing those who do. If you want to boycott ALEC's corporate sponsors, that would be a great start. If you want to boycott Koch Industries' portfolio of products, there's even an app for that.
Rather than carpet-bombing an entire state, use your economic ammunition wisely. Pick your targets to achieve maximum impact. Together, we do have the power to impact the corporate behemoths who are working to crush the rights of the 99% and further enrich the already-obscenely-rich. Remember: these people would be delighted to see us all turning on one another, rather than turning on THEM. Don't let "state hate" distract you from the mission!!