Really bored? Google the words "Boycott" and "Target" and you will quickly come to the conclusion that the only group NOT currently boycotting the Target department store is...well, I'm not sure I can find a group totally in support of Target.
The Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transgendered group is boycotting them for a campaign contribution last year to a Minnesota Republican group. Flag-wavers are boycotting them for not donating to local veterans groups. And Christians are up-in-arms because Target does not allow the Salvation Army to stand outside their stores and ring bells. Environmental groups...animal rights groups...family advocate groups...heck, Pop singer and LGBT advocate Lady Gaga is boycotting Target by revoking an exclusive deluxe release of her second studio album Born This Way. My God, when Lady Gaga is offended by you, you must be scum.
And in the midst of all this controversy, Target Corporation continues to donate a tremendous amount of money to charitable causes every year, averaging roughly $3 million weekly. And, as in previous years, they continue to top Forbes magazine's list of "America's Most Philanthropic Companies." And yes, while the Salvation Army's Kettle Campaign does raise up to 70 percent of the Salvation Army's total annual income, Target also donates well over a million dollars to the Salvation Army annually.
People just like to boycott stuff, and it doesn't really matter that their reasoning is usually based on something they read on the internet. Just the other day I came across someone shouting that Target is foreign-owned (less than 2% of their shareholders are foreign), anti-American, anti-Christian, etc.. It is always wonderful to come across such enlightened individuals (and by "enlightened" I mean dumber than a sack of rocks).
Now I have to hear about it from my own back yard. A gentleman in Springfield, Oregon is being threatened by St. Vincent DePaul with eviction from his low-rent apartment (owned by St. Vincent DePaul) for violating an rental agreement he signed (with St. Vincent DePaul) that prohibits the hanging of any banners or flags on the outside of the apartment units. But wait...he's flying an American Flag....and (it gets worse)...he's a veteran.
So yesterday, in my email, I get (wait for it.....) an appeal to boycott St. Vincent DePaul stores. After all, these people who help thousands of needy people each year by recycling and reselling your used stuff to people who could not otherwise afford it, while providing jobs to hundreds of otherwise unemployed, and offering low-income housing to hundreds of people...many of whom are disabled or retired veterans. Damn these communist!
So you can imagine the words I might have used when I found out today that Saint Vincent DePaul has caved in and is allowing the gentleman to fly his flag...thereby opening the door for rebel flags, Nazi flags, political banners, and the LGBT rainbow flag (making Lady Gaga happy).
There are reasons why certain rules and policies exists that have nothing to do with the American flag, or Christian bell-ringers. Start a boycott to get what you want from a business, and all too often you end getting what you didn't want as well. And doing so without looking at the long-term consequences and the real heart of the business or corporation is just...well...stupid.
So this year I'm calling for a total boycott of stupid. And if you don't forward this to at least ten people...
