[Vision2020] Boycotts and morality

Wed Nov 8 16:56:12 PST 2006

Art is right in pointing out that boycotts can be used in the service of 
morality, as in the case of Dr. King and the Montgomery bus boycotts, or in 
the furtherance of immorality, such as the economic disenfranchisement of 
the Jews that helped to usher in the Holocaust.

All of us make choices with our money.  Sometimes we use our money to affirm 
better service, better selection, better prices, or better quality.  Other 
times we withhold it from those who offer a service or product that is below 
standard and do so rudely or incompetently.  And then there are those times 
when we withhold our patronage from people who, while undoubtedly very kind 
themselves, have chosen to identify with a man or an organization whose 
beliefs and practices are reprehensible to us.

I generally choose not to shop at businesses owned by those who attend 
Christ Church.  However, I have bought kitchen towels at Bella Vita, because 
I was hoping, after my radio debate with her father, to meet Rachel, the 
owner.  I ate last month at West of Paris at the kind invitation of a Kirk 
woman who seemed to genuinely want to get to know me.  To refuse would have 
been a greater offense than inconsistency in purchasing decisions, and while 
I hardly think the restaurant's owners felt graced by my presence, I did 
want to honor my new acquaintance.  (And yes, the food was great!)  
Nonetheless, I see the things coming out of the Kirk as so incompatible with 
my beliefs that I choose not to give money to the businesses of those who, 
even after the slavery debacle and other ugliness, cannot or will not 
repudiate what their leaders do and say.  They're absolutely free to affirm 
Wilson, et al, by remaining at Christ Church; I'm absolutely free to deny 
Wilson, et al, and those practices and beliefs, by choosing to spend my 
money elsewhere.  The "Christian Libertarians" among us forever extol the 
virtues of the free market, and this non-libertarian agrees that the 
"choice" aspect of it is wonderfully handy at times like this.

OK, so do I check the theology and moral practice of every store owner at 
whose place I shop?  Nope.  But if I found that, say, Big Bubba Butkus at 
Big Bubba's Used Cars was a member of a white separatist group, or had a 
sign that told gays to get out of Idaho, I sure as hell wouldn't shop there. 
  The things I hate about the Kirk are obvious enough to me, and ought to be 
to its congregants, that I see continuing to support it with their presence, 
their silence, and their tithes as an action I'm just not willing to 
finance.

The outrageous and ugly behavior from the leadership at Christ Church isn't, 
by the way, a normative expression of Christian faith and practice -- in 
fact, it's antithetical to the Gospel.  People who suffer the loss of my 
economic patronage aren't being persecuted because of their allegiance to 
Christ -- especially not by this Christ-disciple.  They're reaping the 
consequence of their allegiance to Doug Wilson.  However much Christ 
Church's defenders would like to paint this as persecution, they surely dare 
not compare it to Krystallnacht, just as they surely dare not compare 
suffering for Doug with suffering for Christ.

keely

From: "Art Deco" <deco at moscow.com>
To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] When is it and when is it not my business? 
(update)
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 16:12:05 -0800

Lemon-O,

No.

I have no problems with Jews, but I do with cults who are sexists, racists,
homophobes, theocrats, hypocrites, liars, and who wish to force their dicta
on all, etc.  That is why I boycott cult businesses and also demonstrate
here and other places that they act quite contrary to the basic teachings of
Christ whom they hypocritically allege they love and obey.

If you want a more accurate historical model of what is happening, think of
the boycotts organized against racists by Martin Luther King.

To compare the boycott of the Wilson and Family Christless Cult and Cash
Machine to the boycott of the Jews by the Nazis is and egomaniacal delusion
as big as Wilson's (and your) head.

Perhaps you did not get it the first time, but try again with all your idle
time:

"Against stupidity, God Himself is helpless."  -- Jewish Proverb

W.

----- Original Message -----
From: <heirdoug at netscape.net>
To: <deco at moscow.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 3:18 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] When is it and when is it not my business? (update)

 > Artie, Is this what you had in mind?!
 >
 > Well that would be exactly the same as:
 > On April 1, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels, declared a
 > national boycott against German Jews. The boycott was carefully planned 
to
 > begin simultaneously in every city and town at 1OAm. Uniformed, and often
 > armed, guards were placed in front of every store or business owned by
 > Jews. Customers were prevented from entering. Guards were also placed at
 > the offices of Jewish lawyers and doctors.
 >
 > Jewish businesses and department stores, which were a prominent part of
 > the community, became convenient targets for the boycotts. The modern
 > department store, with its fixed and low prices, was blamed for Germany's
 > economic crisis. Nazi propaganda claimed that all department stores were
 > in Jewish hands and were a danger to the German middle class.  As part of
 > the boycott, signs were posted warning, "Jewish store!  Whoever buys here
 > will be photographed." Trucks, with Nazis bearing signs, patrolled the
 > streets. The signs proclaimed, "Germans!  Defend yourselves! Don't buy
 > from Jews!"
 >
 >  The boycotts were among the first measures taken against the Jews during
 > the Holocaust and laid the groundwork for the subsequent removal of Jews'
 > civil and human rights. Following the boycotts the Nazis passed laws
 > barring Jews from public schools, the professions and the civil service.
 >
 > BOYCOTT
 > Refusal to buy a product or patronize a store. Often used as a form of
 > protest or coercion.
 >
 >
 > Doug
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 > -------
 >
 > Actually I was thinking of an expanded boycott and of alleged Christians
 > being vocal about the slander of Christ by the Cult.
 >
 > W.
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > ________________________________________________________________________
 > Check Out the new free AIM(R) Mail -- 2 GB of storage and 
industry-leading
 > spam and email virus protection.
 >

=======================================================
  List services made available by First Step Internet,
  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
                http://www.fsr.net
           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================

_________________________________________________________________
Stay in touch with old friends and meet new ones with Windows Live Spaces 
http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwsp0070000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://spaces.live.com/spacesapi.aspx?wx_action=create&wx_url=/friends.aspx&mkt=en-us