Boycotts

I have a hard time understanding some things.

For one thing, the other day a woman came into the store where I work (Lowe's) and among other things she rattled off was that her tile guy was no longer doing business at the Home Depot because they support the "Homosexual Agenda"... whatever that is. Evidently, I missed something. I know and I even work with a number of gay people and to date I have yet to discover that any of them have an agenda. Must be a big thing, because this morning I stumbled on to the tail end of a broadcast from some Christian Talk radio station and one of the items that the announcer mentioned in the credits was to remember not to shop at Home Depot.

Now, working at Lowe's I see Home Depot as a competitor. There are some things that the Depot has that we don't and vice-versa. I hold no emnity toward them. If you want to shop there or not shop there, go ahead. Yes, I would prefer it if you purchased your next appliance, flooring job, light fixture, toilet or whatever from Lowe's, but not if you're doing it to spite Home Depot or Menard's or the "Mom and Pop" down the street. Besides, the people who get hurt because of some phoney baloney boycott are not the "suits" who live in Atlanta (Home Depot's HQ), it's the little guy who is working to support his or her family.

It's like the supposed boycott of the Salvation Army. The lovely Miss Carol was telling me that we were supposed to be boycotting the Salvation Army for some silly reason or another. The Salvation Army is among the most efficient (if not THE most efficient) charities in the whole country. The lovely Miss Carol and I will continue to make donations to the Salvation Army, regardless.

Now, the Salvation Army doesn't have kettles in front of Target stores, therefore, there is a need in some people's minds that Target should be boycotted. But at the same time, Target donates a portion of their reciepts to local charities and/or local schools. At the same time, a different group of people want to boycott Target because they made political contributions to certain far-right candidates for public office (later withdrawn because of all the fooforaw). Does that make them some sort of an equal opportunity offender? I like Target. I still shop there.

There are other boycotts out there which make as little sense as those already mentioned. Name a retailer and you can probably come up with some stupid reason not to buy there. Name a product and the same thing can be said. Whatever happened to personal preference? If you don't want to shop somewhere or you don't want to buy a particular product because of a personal preference, why disguise that personal preference by masking it with a boycott or some other stupid reason. I prefer driving my Dodge over Carol's Chevrolet. It would be the height of lunacy for me to state that I don't like Chevrolet because Chevrolet was a French racing car driver and that the French are nothing but a bunch of wine-swilling, cheese-eating surrender monkeys!

Just remember, that businesses and products are collective works of people just like you and me who are attempting to make a decent living for ourselves. Boycotts, no matter the reason, do more harm to those like us than to those we think we are attempting to harm.

Happy Christmas!

Be Seeing You!