I feel strongly that there is a qualitative difference between fence-building and compulsion
I agree. In crude terms, compulsion is forcing other people to change; fence-building is yourself withdrawing.
This distinction is blurry. Which side do boycotts fall on?
Public, organized boycotts are compulsion since they have the clear goal of changing the others’ behaviour. If you just quietly stop buying products from Acme without telling everyone (including Acme) about it, that’s withdrawal.
I agree. In crude terms, compulsion is forcing other people to change; fence-building is yourself withdrawing.
This distinction is blurry. Which side do boycotts fall on?
Public, organized boycotts are compulsion since they have the clear goal of changing the others’ behaviour. If you just quietly stop buying products from Acme without telling everyone (including Acme) about it, that’s withdrawal.