by Michael Enright

I’ve always liked the story of Captain Charles C. Boycott of County Mayo, Ireland. Not the man himself, of course, for he was a thug and a poltroon.

Ever willing to suck up to the Oppressor, Captain Boycott went around the county in 1880 evicting poor tenants from the dirt hovels the English let them call homes.

Charles Parnell, the great fighter for Irish Independence, took up the cause of the tenants, telling them that instead of violence against Boycott , they should ostracize him.

It worked. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, the Post Office refused to deliver his mail, tenants wouldn’t work his fields. Boycott went into the language as one of the most effective weapons in the arsenal of consumerism.

It’s quite simple. If you don’t like something, or you feel ill-treated, you and your friends simply boycott the person, service or product. You may not win, but you will feel a helluva lot better than if you had done nothing.

So on this second day of a brand new year, a handful of, not resolutions exactly, but things and people I hope to shun in the coming twelve months. I’m sure you have your own list.

1)People at dinner parties who insist on talking about their newest titanium appendage. Having to listen to someone talk about their bionic rebirth with new hips and or knees is the equivalent of scratching fingernails on a black board – titanium fingernails or not.

2)Things in packages that can only be opened with heavy machinery. Every now and then, I have to buy a new pocket knife, to replace the one seized by the Mrs. Grundys at the airport. The last time I bought a small knife, the only way I could remove it from the packager was by cutting it with, yes, another knife. Everything now from batteries to baby toys is so packaged in hard plastic as to defy easy access.

The full essay at http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/2011/01/things-to-be-boycotted-in-the-new-year-1.html

This American Life, the U.S. public radio show hosted by Ira Glass, is coming to CBC Radio One this season.

The unique show tells the personal stories of a broad range of individuals — from everyday folks to unusual characters — using creative narrative techniques and journalism.

Every week, it focuses on one theme and uses the real-life experiences of various people to illustrate that theme. Past themes have included the turncoat, the cruelty of children, obsession and summer camp.

Produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, This American Life is one of the most heavily downloaded podcasts on American radio. Time has declared Glass the best radio host in America.

“It’s one of the most acclaimed and innovative radio shows in America. At its core, what the show does is take personal stories and make them universal,” said Chris Boyce, programming director for English radio at CBC.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2011/01/04/american-life-cbc.html#ixzz1ADBe7J4y

I sent the following via the feedback form that can be found at the CBC SHOP’s online outlet: Problem: I ordered two t-shirts, size XL, and CBC SHOP sent me two, Size M; they arrived today, Order #192111. OK, these things happen. But the exchange has been horrible: The fellow on the phone can’t get off fast enough (he sounds overwhelmed and overworked), offers no apology, no empathy, tells me someone will call me back with a ‘courier return plan’ but doesn’t know when and, get this, he needs my credit card number!?!

No. Way.

Here’s how it should be handled: Apologize. Flag my account to assure my purchasing history is exemplary, and to make sure I’m not a system-abuser in the future. Send out two correctly ordered t-shirts a.s.a.p., and tell me to keep the two $9.99 t-shirts CBC sent mistakenly (“Please pass them onto children, sir, consider it our effort to say sorry for our error, thanks for your business, and please come back with your wallet open as you have in the past”). Some retailers would even stick a small gift certificate in the client’s next mailing.

I got no reply, so I sent a copy of the above on to CBC ombudsman Vince Carlin, on the Friday before the Labour Day long weekend, acknowledging that I realize this is not part of the ombudsman’s mandate, but with no idea where to turn next, asking him for some guidance. I never expected to hear back directly from Mr. Carlin, but sure enough, he responded immediately, informing me that, no, it isn’t his mandate to deal with such issues, but to leave it with him such that he could, “check around inside to see if I can find who might be responsible for this area.”

An hour later, he emails me again to tell me he’s narrowed it down to two departments and is waiting on a reply from either to find out which (dep’t) might be best suited to help me.

Another hour passes and he writes again, informing me that yes, he’s found the department best suited to help, spoken with them, and that they will be in touch. “Good luck,” he tells me.

Fifteen minutes later my phone rings and it’s a friendly, apologetic Alexandra Menard from the CBC calling to apologize and to inform me they will be following the instructions I outlined in my complaint message right down to the finest detail, including slipping a $25.00 gift certificate into the envelope containing my two correctly-sized t-shirts, to go out that day.

I thank Mr. Menard and then write Mr. Carlin to express great appreciation. And, despite being the end of the last workday before the last long weekend of the summer, Mr. Carlin writes back (and I hesitate to share this but it made me laugh out loud):

“I am glad things worked out. Since most of my work involves dealing with implacable partisans of one ideology or another who are rarely satisfied with judgements based on facts it has been a pleasant end to the week to have been able to help get one thing right! Have a good weekend. Vince Carlin.”

Thanks right back at you Mr. Carlin – thanks for your efforts on my behalf, and thanks even more for bringing your authentic self to your work.
David Ward