A recent thread dealing with companies that posters refuse to do business with due to their owners got me thinking. It’s fine to dislike, say, Curves gym or Chik-Fil-A or Domino’s for their right-wing values, but what’s the alternative?
We need a vast left-wing conspiracy to deprive them of income. Companies with progressive values don’t seem to trumpet them like conservatives do, so it’ll be tough. What to do? Why, form a list! We could call it a reverse blacklist…a whitelist? Whatever.
Here’s the deal, though. Ya gotta suggest reasonably well known and distributed companies. National chains and regional chains are okay, just not Joe Smith that runs a shop or two. I’m sure Joe’s a standup guy, but putting him on the list won’t help most people here. Suggestions?
WTF you talking about? How does a gym or a pizza chain have “conservative” or “liberal” values? Their values should be to maximize shareholder wealth. Are you talking about companies with progressive employment or environmental policies or something?
The owners of both Curves and Dominos donate very large amounts of money to right-to-life groups. The owner of Dominos was at the center of the plans to build a “Catholic city” in Florida, which would be run according to Catholic principles (no doctors in the town could provide abortions, etc.).
Note that Tom Monaghan, the founder of Dominos Pizza, sold 93% of the company to Bain Capital in 1998, so I don’t think it’s correct to describe him as the owner of Dominos.
It’s my business in the sense that I get to decide if I’m going to put money in his pocket with which to pursue his agenda. Were I a woman, I would not patronize Curves. And I do not order anything from Domino’s precisely because of Monaghan’s views. (I know he’s no longer the majority shareholder, but I wasn’t ordering Domino’s for that reason before he sold).
Just out of curiousity, do you distinguish between a business’s values and a business owner’s values? Between the causes a company supports (e.g. things it donates money to in the name of the company), and the causes the owner supports with his own personal money that he just happened to make from that company?
Technically an interesting point, but moot. I find it hard to believe that the owner of a company would donate company money to a cause that he didn’t believe in personally.
So, what do you do when things aren’t so black and white?
What about a company that pollutes the environment but simultaneously provides benefits to the partners of gay employees? Is that a “progressive” company?
How about tobacco companies that give generously to Planned Parenthood?
How about a supermarket chain that supports small-scale organic farmers, but crushes all attempts by its employees to unionize?
Now, I’m a Catholic and I happen to stand with the right-wing extremists far more often than not. So, do I support Domino’s? Of course not! Their pizza SUCKS! That matters to me far more than what causes Tom Monaghan might support with money I might give him.
Thank God I worship a Christ more sensible that to be anti-capitalist.
Got a question for the OP- is it OK for us righties to boycott businesses that
promote “liberal/progressive” values with which we differ?
(Btw, I don’t heed to anyones call for boycotts- thought while I like Domino’s Pizza & would order it anyway, knowing that lefties were bugged enough by
TM’s conservatism to boycott Domino’s did encourage me to order it more often.)
What if a company was very progressive, but 40% of its ownership was the Southern Baptist Convention pension fund?
Or… better yet, what if a company’s owner is seriously Christian, and through his company, donates a lot of money to help the poor, invests in the community, highly subsidizes his workers’ health insurance, etc… AND also donates a sizeable portion o f his own personal wealth to right-to-life groups?
You have to draw a distinction, at least with public companies, between ownership of a company, and the company itself.
There’s also approaches, where you can profit from a company you disagree with or might not its values. I’ve heard Jim Cramer talk about how much he doesn’t like smoking, but you can still profit from owning Altria or Reynolds, then take your profits and donate them to an anti-smoking foundation. I have no idea if it’s true, but I’ve read that Moby will let various companies use his songs (car companies) then he takes the money and gives it to environmental orginizations.
You’re right, no doubt about it (except for the tobacco analogy…if you disapprove of tobacco, you don’t smoke, right? If you don’t smoke, there’s no reason to give them your business ). The quandaries that you present concerning conflicting values have to be solved by the conscience of each individual person. Keep in mind, though, that that may be easier than you think…it’s not necessary for companies to be perfect, just better than other companies providing the same goods or services. I don’t think people are obliged to torture themselves about the values of the businesses of every single purchase, they should make a reasonable effort and make their best guess (t-bonham@scc.net is right, http://www.buyblue.org looks good). I also think it behooves people making these judgements to show some respect for those who share similar general progressive values but make decisions differently, e.g., an upper class gay might place an emphasis on gay rights but a blue collar worker might place a greater emphasis on workplace security. Everyone is obliged to recognize that others may have different priorities, no?
We could call it a reverse blacklist…a whitelist? Whatever.
:eek: 
). The quandaries that you present concerning conflicting values have to be solved by the conscience of each individual person. Keep in mind, though, that that may be easier than you think…it’s not necessary for companies to be perfect, just better than other companies providing the same goods or services. I don’t think people are obliged to torture themselves about the values of the businesses of every single purchase, they should make a reasonable effort and make their best guess (