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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>Jim:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><br>
Holy shit! Hating on Whole Paycheck is seriously akin to
anti-semitism?!?!?!? Are you joking man?!?! I do not mean to be
dismissive but I seriously find this assertion to be the funniest thing I've
ever read on here (a considerable thing).<br>
<br>
There's a good article on whole foods' busting of a union in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">wisconsin</st1:place></st1:State> by one of the busted union
members, debbie rasmussen, reposted at <a
href="http://djwilson.livejournal.com/130643.html">http://djwilson.livejournal.com/130643.html</a>.<br>
<br>
But I'm just putting this out there; I shop mostly at union stores, but not
entirely, and I even shop of that bastion of (cheap) vegan elitism trader joes
(three dollar wine man!).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>[WS:] Look man, do not try to dismiss what
certainly is a valid point here. Almost every <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> business is like WF – fundamentally
anti-union, embracing a “social cause or concern” of one sort or
another for marketing and publicity reasons, and but really concerned about one
thing – their bottom line. It matters little whether that “social
concern” is x-tian values (Wal Mart), all-American appearance (Hooters), fair
trade (Starbucks), environmental protection (“people do” Chevron)
or sustainable food production (WF) - all of it is PR, marketing and name
branding which covers up rather than reflects the true goal of the management
and shareholders – profit uber alles. So the fact that someone singles
out for criticism a company that clearly has an “un-American” image
is quite suspicious, no? It certainly reminds me of populist anti-Semitism
disguised as a “radical” critique of capitalism, or more recently –
explicitly jingoistic and racist spectacles of auto workers or steelers
smashing Japanese products in front of TV cameras, or construction workers filling
the ranks of anti-immigrant nativist movement. Are you trying to tell me
that those things did not happen, or what?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>I already addressed the issue of futility
of this approach as a strategy in my previous posting. Here, I’d
like to look at this from a somewhat different angle: self interest vs. public
displays of piousness. People certainly have their personal preferences.
I may prefer to shop at Giantcorp Foods instead Trader Joe Schmoe, because I do
not like to be excessively gauged, and Giantcorp’s big box is closer to
where I live than Trader Joe Schmoe’s delicatessen. Or conversely, I
may hate the cavernous big box look of Giantcorp, and prefer the more cozy look
and feel of Trader Joe Schmoe, or whatever. The bottom line is that these
are my personal preferences based on my tastes, convenience and
expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>Turning those personal preferences into
pompous political statements is one of the most annoying aspects of the US
political culture. One no longer buys what one likes and avoids what he
dislikes – that would be too mundane. One shops for a greater cause
– saving the planet, following Jesus, freedom of butt-fucking, supporting
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
fighting for justice, letting the freedom ring, whatever. It is annoying,
because it is a self-serving public display of piousness, no different than throwing
a few pennies to beggars to secure one’s place in heaven or history, or business
campaigns espousing “social causes” to improve their public image
(and bottom line), but does absolutely nothing to actually advance the
purported cause. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>Stated differently, while I dislike
Islamism as ideology, I feel certain respect for its followers who are willing
to make significant personal sacrifices to advance its cause. They are at
least honest in what they are doing, even if what they are doing is
reprehensible. By contrast, I support the ideals of fair labor practice, equal
justice, fair trade or environmental sustainability, but I am turned off by their
supporters (or perhaps some of them) who do little more than pampering their
own asses while making big claims to do it for a cause.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>To sum this up, while I am certainly
supportive of organized labor (and other progressive, liberal causes,) I
dismiss the idea of shopping for a cause as a bunch of crock.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>Wojtek<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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