Call WALMART and protest them folding to the American Family Association

[kevinbgoode]

(cross posted from Activist HQ)

Now I know many of you don't bother shopping at WalMart anyway for a variety of reasons - but this latest crap has done more than just push me over the line. After the American Family Association issued demands to regulate the tone of advertising for the retail giant (and WalMart agreed -for the holy-day rightwing Christian-only season), they've now attempted to issue a public statement to pander to the unfounded complaints of the American "Family" Association that contributions to the GLBT organizations and membership in the GLBT Chamber of Commerce constituted an endorsement of the homosexual marriage agenda.

WalMart issued a statement which said the company does not contribute money to any "highly controversial" issues or organizations but that it is committed to the concept of diversity in the workplace, a stunning statement since the American "Family" Association believes that discrimination in the workplace against gay Americans is necessary to preserve our "moral" society.
What is even more interesting is that WalMart doesn't seem to have any problem contributing large amounts to both the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army, both organizations of a highly controversial nature who practice public discrimination in the employment of gay Americans.

What this means, (at least to me) is that WalMart only considers issues "controversial" if the American "Family" Association and/or some other rightwing "religious" organization sends massive autobot mailings to the company complaining about them marketing to any other Americans. In their mind, WalMart exists exclusively for the AFA-designated "christian" family, and something as innocent as even carrying "Brokeback Mountain" is an assault on true AFA-defined "Christian" values.

Please take a few minutes and call WalMart and let them know that you have AMERICAN values, and those values prohibit you from doing business with any company which has its policies controlled by some fringe right wing "religious" organization such as WalMart. Point out that the AFA dictates holiday season advertising to them and now they are dictating a duplicitous company policy defining for them what a "controversial" issue is. WalMart has claimed it made changes to their policy in regards to gay Americans in response to "concerns from customers and employees" rather than the American "Family" Association. ASK them how a company that claims to be committed to diversity in the workplace would stand there and listen to religious bigot customers and employees degrade ANOTHER group of customers and employees, and then claim to make a blanket policy from such "concern." Then ask them why they are giving money to the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army, when both organizations go against the very diversity principles and avoidance of controversy that their "new" policy establishes.

Here is their contact number. By the way, feel free to spout off any of your other objections to their way of doing business anyway. It's time this company heard from someone besides the American "Family" Association.

Contact: 1-800-925-6278

You'll have a few recorded buttons to push, but they'll pick up the phone and record your complaint.

[swimmernsecretsea]

1. Thanks for posting this. nt.

[warrens]

2. Oh ,come on

Who cares if they say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? The theocrats turned it into an issue, and it's just plain stupid. I couldn't care less, and I'm not a christian. If you want to get sucked in to meaningless arguments, fine.

[kevinbgoode]

3. The "War on Christmas" and the boycott threats came from

the AFA. Of course who cares what a store chooses to do. But the American "Family" Association launched a monitering campaign months ago to pressure the retailer to change their advertising to the religiously correct version or face the wrath of its membership on that issue. They also declared the retailer had no right to stock Bareback Mountain. And yes, I DO care when a retailer bends over to endorse whatever wacko policy is demanded by some right wingnut group. I'm tired of having my life monitered and policies installed on the basis of some crazed lunatic on the Right - and having to swallow it because none of us want to bother to let the company know that we don't like places being dictated to by the Religious Right, either.

[warrens]

9. Some fights are worth fighting

This one ain't. I probably hate theocrats more than you do, but going to war over Merry Christmas is a loser and not worth the effort, IMO.

[kevinbgoode]

10. You misunderstand, and I'm wondering exactly why

Going to war over deceptive employment policies and placating the American Family Association is an important issue. Every time Don Wildmon gets his panties in a wad over the fact a company carries Brokeback Mountain, then organizes an email campaign to complain that a company endorses gay marriage simply because they employ gays, there is a concern. And a greater concern about the tone of the statement issued by WalMart.

If the company, after being pressured by the AFA, issues a statement that they will not contribute to any "highly controversial" issues, then why are they giving to the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army, both organizations which completely contradict the WalMart claim to diversity in the workplace? And why would the company claim this change has nothing to do with the nutty AFA's threat of a boycott, but all to do with "concerns" expressed by employees and customers about the measly $60k the company gave to gay business organizations?

Why the hell can't the company get it through their heads that the way to deal with religious bigots is to just NOT respond - and that every time you do, you make the situation worse?

[GymGeekAus]

11. Where did that come from?

I don't see a connection to the issue you present and that in the OP. But hey, I didn't click the link. Maybe I'm missing something here.

[Nick Fallon]

4. Autobot????

Trying to mix the Transformers in with it now?

[kevinbgoode]

5. hahaha....I guess we could consider automatic emailings

on command from fundie dictators as "autobot."

[Nick Fallon]

6. So I guess we can be Decepticons now

Can I be Soundwave?

[w13rd0]

7. No...

...those are DeciptiCONS...

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Why? We protest almost everything else they do

Just don't shop there (unless you live in a place where WalMart has already driven all the Mom and Pop stores out of business, in which case you don't have much choice).

[mitchleary]

12. That would just be one of

many reasons I stopped shopping at that "redneck's paradise" long ago.