# Hate Wal-Mart? Get over to MD...NOW!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300 "2004-12-11T11:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/1 "2004-12-11T11:08:05Z")
Go ahead, sign up. You can get up to $74,500 if you bought the new [Evanescence CD](http://entertainment.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=175750) at a Wal-Mart in Maryland. Come on fellow Dopers. Stick it to tha Man! Hell, I might race down there tomorrow just to cash in! The hatred of Wally World may finally pay off. People are finally standing up and saying, “We’re tired of complaining about how the workers are screwed! We’re going for $74,500 cuz little Suzie heard ‘Fuck’ in a song!” Oh, I expect everyone defending the Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” fines to come and defend Wal-Mart over this slight _faux-pas_. No really, I do. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/2 "2004-12-11T12:24:04Z")
That money is extortion by parents and fundies who expect – nay, _demand_ – that Wal-Mart allow them to live in a sheltered little world without F-Words. If you take a penny of that cash, you’re supporting their Ashcroftian business model: nary a stray nipple uncovered; nary a blue word un-bleeped. If you honestly think that $75,000 is going to hurt Wal\*Mart, then good for you, you morally upright son of a right-thinking family. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/3 "2004-12-11T12:55:40Z")
I dunno. Wal-Mart has a long history of wanting only ‘clean’ music and such in their stores. If one got past well, then, it did. But it’s not like they’re not making the effort already. Or, legal-wise, does that make them more vulnerable to lawsuits when something DOES slip past? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/4 "2004-12-11T12:59:52Z")
Yeah, I’d say Wal-Mart is the lesser of two evils here. I’d rather give the 'Mart a pass than give the goddamned Puritans another victory. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/5 "2004-12-11T14:59:19Z")
Coming soon, the television saga you’ve been waiting for: _duffer: The heroic story of one man’s struggle to defend a helpless megacorporation_. They told him it couldn’t be done. They said he was crazy. But duffer’s sense of justice was greater than, well, any other sense he had. He refused to stand quietly while the innocent were mercilessly attacked. He fought for a vision, for a smiley faced price chopper, and for the love of one woman’s favorite place for bargains. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/6 "2004-12-11T15:07:46Z")
I still hate Wal-Mart. I’m not a big fan of puritanism either. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/7 "2004-12-11T15:11:56Z")
I dunno, watching a mega-greedy corporation that destroys small town businesses and exploits its employees fighting tight-assed, Bible-humping control freaks who want to turn America into Jesusland can be entertaining in its own way. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/8 "2004-12-11T15:47:48Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > I dunno, watching a mega-greedy corporation that destroys small town businesses and exploits its employees fighting tight-assed, Bible-humping control freaks who want to turn America into Jesusland can be entertaining in its own way. It’s kind of like when the tyrannosaurus and velociraptors got distracted fighting with each other near the end of Jurassic Park! ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/9 "2004-12-11T15:52:30Z")
Except that actual dinosaurs are cool. Metaphorical dinosaurs, whether the metaphor is for huge or for ancient and stupid, not so much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/10 "2004-12-11T15:54:58Z")
Evanescence’s album “Fallen” contains no vulgarity. It’s possible that Wal-Mart (or Evanescence’s marketers) overlooked the content of the new album, based on precedent. I agree that there’s some entertainment in watching Wal\*Mart, the monolithic hallmark of fundamentalist Christian values, being sued for not quite carrying the cross high enough. Bite the hand that feeds you, anyone? The proper recourse would be for Wal\*Mart to apologize, refund the money for the CDs, and for the church to forgive them for this mistake. But good thing the right wing didn’t get it’s frivilous lawsuit awards cap passed before they had the opportunity to take advantage of it. I’m glad they’re learning from their good friend Tipper Gore. I hate getting such enjoyment out of a bad faith posting by **duffer** , but there you have it. The implosion has begun. _Thank god someone is finally thinking of the children._ ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/11 "2004-12-11T16:00:59Z")
> [@Rysler](#): > > I hate getting such enjoyment out of a bad faith posting by **duffer** ah, some I’m not the only one wondering if maybe Duffer doesn’t respect us very much, eh? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/12 "2004-12-11T16:26:46Z")
From the OP’s link: > [@](#): > > the lawsuit claims Wal-Mart knew about the explicit lyrics in the song, “Thoughtless,” because it censored the word in a free sample available on its Web site and in its stores. To which Wal-Mart’s rep responded that > [@](#): > > . . . the song sample online was censored by [Walmart.com](http://Walmart.com), a separate division of Wal-Mart. At which the plaintiff’s idiot of an attorney > [@](#): > > . . . dismissed Whitcomb’s suggestion that Wal-Mart stores didn’t know about the censored version of the song. “They are a multimillion-dollar corporation and they certainly can communicate among their various entities,” he said. Obviosusly the lawyer is from some two-bit location and has never worked in a company of more than 10 people. I’ve seen companies from small shops to major multi-nationals not exchange enough information to realize that two groups or divisions were working on the same project (or finding one working to build a process another was trying to destroy) without realizing it, and he thinks the technician in the web division is going to communicate “bad” lyrics to the purchasing division of a whole separate company? What a maroon! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/13 "2004-12-11T16:30:11Z")
“Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which promotes itself as a seller of clean music, deceived customers by stocking compact discs by the rock group Evanescence that contain the f-word, a lawsuit claims.” Does anyone else find this type of reporting annoying? The talking heads on the news do this all the time. Come out and make some statement against a person or thing, then throw a bit on the end saying so and so said it. Compare to: “A recently filed lawsuit claims Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which promotes itself as a seller of clean music, deceived customers by stocking compact discs by the rock group Evanescence that contain the f-word.” Oh well, I’m probably just too picky about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/14 "2004-12-11T16:34:31Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > At which the plaintiff’s idiot of an attorney Obviosusly the lawyer is from some two-bit location and has never worked in a company of more than 10 people. I’ve seen companies from small shops to major multi-nationals not exchange enough information to realize that two groups or divisions were working on the same project (or finding one working to build a process another was trying to destroy) without realizing it, and he thinks the technician in the web division is going to communicate “bad” lyrics to the purchasing division of a whole separate company? > > What a maroon! Well, let’s be honest with ourselves. The lawyer is going to present things in a light best for his client. The plaintiff’s attorney may well know that large organizations frequently communicate poorly but he’s SURE not going to highlight that. Instead he’s going to paint Wal-Mart as the paragon of perfection, communications-wise, and try to hang them for selling this CD. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/15 "2004-12-11T16:41:25Z")
Have to agree with **Johnathan Chance** on that one. Whether the lawyer realizes the truth himself or not, many people tend to think of corporations (or governments, or whatever large organization you’d imagine) as Big Giant Heads where all parts know what all the other parts are doing, or are supposed to. This is even true of many people who themselves work for large organizations and ought to know better. And Wal\*Mart doesn’t help the perception with their ‘we have more terabits of data about our customer than the whole internet’ and ‘we’re dialed into our suppliers so they know everytime someone buys a garden hose they have to ship a new one’ and whatnot. Playing into that is smart lawyering. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/16 "2004-12-11T17:37:19Z")
Useless hijack: The _24 Season Three_ DVD features an original made-for-DVD short that sets the stage for Season Four which features a scene in which the character of Jack Bauer says “I can find my own fucking job.” I wonder if there will be a lawsuit over this? ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/17 "2004-12-11T17:41:52Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > this slight _faux-pas_. Don’t you mean _fuck_-pas? omg roloffle ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/18 "2004-12-11T17:47:18Z")
I say we lock the two of them in a steel cage and let them duke it out. Two enter and only one makes it out… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/19 "2004-12-11T18:07:12Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s kind of like when the tyrannosaurus and velociraptors got distracted fighting with each other near the end of Jurassic Park! I’m also reminded of that modern masterpiece _Freddy vs. Jason_. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300/20 "2004-12-11T18:24:22Z")
Pfft. I’m surprised none of you see what this is really about. Wal-Mart, for years, has made a big deal out of selling “clean” music, to the point of making bands “fix” their songs before agreeing to sell their CDs. They finally screwed up, and now a CD with a bad word has slipped through the cracks. Think those families care about one little word? Puhleze. Wal-Mart violated their own policy, albeit accidentally, and it’s time to CASH IN. If they had simply sold music as is from day one, this wouldn’t be happening today. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-wal-mart-get-over-to-md-now/279300.md?page=2)