He just doesn't want the negative press of boycotting something at Christmas (boohoo), so he's claiming that its not a boycott list, but that is exactly what he is doing anyway. The primary way to use that list is to choose which businesses you want to patronize and which you don't, don't see why that is a big deal either way, but he should own up to it.

I would just own up to it and call it a boycott, if it were me.