Though it hasn't quite caught fire yet—Google News only cites 59 news sources reporting on this at the moment—the news that national Home Depot competitor Lowes has pulled ads from a new, well-received Muslim American television show (All-American Muslim) on Discovery Channel/TLC ranges anywhere from astounding to infuriating. Or: fucking despicable.
Apparently, the Florida Family Association—narrowly defined as having the "goal of improving America's moral environment"...and "educat[ing] people on what they can do to defend, protect and promote traditional, biblical values."[1]—is behind a string of campaigns to pressure major advertisers into pulling ads on shows the organization deems "not appropriate" for children.
For example, here's one of its current campaigns, against MTV's Degrassi: "Mars-Wrigley advertise candy for kids during show that promotes the homosexual and transgender lifestyles and other inappropriate behavior."[2]. What the fuck—gay kids don't eat candy? If you're transgender, you don't chew gum? LGBTQ kids don't share a piece of their Snickers with their straight friends? Jesus. No, really...jesus. But I digress.
Facing imminent backlash, Lowes has posted this half-hearted, almost cavalier response on its Facebook profile page:
It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective – social, political and otherwise – and we’ve managed to make some people very unhappy. We are sincerely sorry. We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, across our workforce and our customers, and we’re proud of that longstanding commitment.[3]
[snip]
Aw, how fair and balanced of Lowes to consider every angle of this, and to apologize for making some people unhappy...what the fuck? Are they for real, justifying bigotry by appealing to some false sense of equivalency between the argument that presenting real Muslim-American families as the American families that they are is somehow a threat to American values or puts our nation at risk and the argument that presenting real Muslim-American families as the American families that they are is, umm, completely uncontroversial and important in that it reminds us that fear is our biggest enemy? That Muslim American schoolteachers teach your kids arithmetic in school, Muslim American cops protect your children from predators, and Muslim American soldiers literally fight for your freedoms in all branches of our armed forces? That's controversial? That's hotly contested?
So a few thousand people feel threatened by the dissonance between their views on Muslims and the reality they view on a television show, and Lowes responds by pulling advertising from said show? Good thing California lawmaker, Democratic State Senator Ted Lieu is publicly denouncing Lowes's decision and pointing to potential boycotts and legislative action [4] and Russell Simmons is publicly calling Lowes out with a "this can't happen in America" rallying cry.
But that can't be enough. Call Lowes yourself at 800-445-6937, visit its Facebook pageto post a comment, or tweet it @Lowes to voice your "unhappiness" over this bullshit, if you indeed think it's bullshit.
Corporations have every right to act in the best interest of their one operating goal: profit. Morality, ethics, and social consciousness are secondary. However, we live in a society where the second (our views on a company's practices) can and often does impact our ability to affect the first (its bottom line).
I don't know about you, but if a national corporation does something that targets one religious group at the behest of another and further divides our communities, it doesn't deserve my money.