Have I mentioned the snow yet? One day it was beautifully autumn, the suddenly the snow hit. A lot of it. Seriously, it looks like January out there. It feels like it too, but that's only because we're not used to it. Come February, by the time it gets back to where it is now (it's been around -1 or so) we'll be walking around in t-shirts again. Until then, I can't wait to go pick up my boots after work today. I have a really great pair that I bought at Payless Shoe Source that are very warm, very comfortable, and until they started wearing out, very waterproof. Well, with a great pair of boots like that, better to get them repaired than having to seek out a new pair that might be inferior.
Besides which, I've joined in the atheist boycott of Payless that will be ongoing until Starr Jones is no longer their spokesperson. Jones has said some rather unflattering things about atheists, so I can't in good conscience shop there again until she is no longer representing the company. It's one thing to have hateful opinions, but it's another to voice them in public.
I know I say things here on my blog that might be considered hateful or hurtful by Christians and conservatives, and especially by conservative Christians, but I'm doing so anonymously and I am not a public spokesperson for my company or any others. It sucks, I know, but a private individual has more leeway on this than someone in the public eye. Of course there are people at all levels of business that have opinions that I would find horrendous. They're not being quoted in interviews though. They don't have the audience that someone like Starr Jones has. They might have the money to support causes I find abhorrent (thus my boycott of Dominoes Pizza a while back) or they might gave completely repellant business practices (my ongoing boycott of Wal-Mart) and that will cause me to reconsider who gets my money, but rarely do they come out and have their words published.
Is there any hypocrisy on my part? Maybe a little. I got upset over the way the Dixie Chicks were treated by many after their comments about Bush. But the difference there is that while I'm not buying footware from Payless, I'm not trying to keep other people from doing so. I'm also not going to boycott anyone who advertises on The View, because I understand all about demographics and that they are just trying to reach the audience. Payless chose to hire an outspoken spokesperson though, and that comes with consequences.
posted
by Tabby at 10/20/2004 04:24:00 p.m.
