Myopic Consumerism

Please forgive this screed -- you may want to just move on if you want something truly edifying, I just wanted to make a brief comment about the hypocrisy of boycotts.

I have heard MANY comments about "Brokeback Mountain', 'End of the Spear', and the TV show 'The Book of Daniel', none of which I have seen; however I read a very good review of 'End of the Spear' by John Ferguson here.

People are up in arms about the fact that a homosexual was hired to portray Nate Saint, and that Daniel portrays Christians in the worst possible light. I have no doubt that there is validity to these complaints. Daniel has been cancelled, I believe, but I have heard that EotS is doing well... Brokeback Mountain -- well, we know what it is about, so why go see it?

Anyway, the problem I have is that groups such as the AFA, and the Moral Majority, are FULL of boycotts and protests; everything from Kraft Foods to Reader's Digest, from Ford Motor Company to Movie Gallery, but they never decry some of the more blatant issues.

Why? Because, it is about an agenda -- that is, we are going to ensure that we wield power over these godless heathen's who would dare do something we dislike. These folks (AFA) do SOME good, I am sure, but I am always amazed at how myopic their perspective is. The BIG BOX stores are well-known for their importing of goods made from forced labor, yet I know many AFA/MM members/supporters who happily march to the Wal*Mart beat and think nothing of buying something made in China (as an example) that has been made by forced labor. Nor, do Christians think about their spending habits when it comes to items developed and produced overseas due to the toxic nature of their production.

To me, this is hypocrisy on par with the PETA group's decrying of animal research, all the while they live off the benefits of animal research (one of their leaders is diabetic, as am I, and the insulin she injects is made with animal research).

Why is it that the Christian community boycotts some things, and not others? I have a theory -- If it won't impact my life, I will boycott it; for example -- who cares about boycotting Movie Gallery? BUT, if it impacts me financially, then forget it. I will shop at the Big Box because I save money -- why boycott cheap slippers, and DVD's? After all, Wal*Mart is a FAMILY store! They don't have any of those AFA-boycotted products, they are FAMILY-FRIENDLY (unless that family happens to live in, say, Indonesia, or China, or any of the other places we have exported our livelihood to.).

I am just bothered by the activism of Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver when it comes to something that really does not affect them, but the absolute silence on items where they would be in any discomfort. Now, this is a generalization, but I have found through sleuthing a bit that this is far more the case than people want to admit.

Well, there you have it -- Don't boycott Ford until you have checked out your favorite store and seen their business practices. Now, in this day and age, it is impossible to not have something in your house that was produced in a questionable manner, but we should be much more discerning than we are. It seems that if it involves SEX then boycotts are coming, but if it is about quality of life in a NON-USA/Western country, many Christians seem to turn a blind eye to it...

End of screed! We now return you to your regularly scheduled program...