One of the gay websites I follow recently posted the news that the CEO of New Balance gave $500K to a conservative PAC that is outspokenly anti-gay (oh, and btw so did the Marriot brothers). I look at my feet and guess what? I’m wearing a pair of New Balance shoes.
My ethics are challenged on two fronts here. First, how do I think about a company based on the actions of one individual? Second, if I’m going to boycott a brand, what do I do about the implicit advertising I’m giving it by walking around with it on my body?
In answer to the first question: I absolutely initiate a boycott based on the behavior of the CEO. First of all, the company is paying him enough money that he can afford to part with half-a-mil for a disgusting cause. So in a sense that donation is company money. Second of all, there hasn’t been a peep out of the company in terms of apology, denial, request to don’t do that anymore…nothing that I can find. In my view the CEO is representative of the corporation, and so the two must be viewed as part of the same whole. Think of it in the context of the recent ruling by The Supremes – if the corporation is a person you wouldn’t condone the behavior of a murderer because only the right hand did the deed and the rest of the body wasn’t involved.
So I’m calling boycott on New Balance. But it isn’t a black-and-white issue, and I go looking for what’s been done in similar situations to try and gain clarity. The Target boycott offers some insight but no clear answers. When it became public knowledge that Target’s political arm gave money to the campaign of anti-gay conservative Tom Emmer, moveon.org initiated a boycott that remains in place today. HRC remained neutral on the boycott but dropped Target from the HRC buying guide. Target had been a high scorer on the HRC Equality Index, which means the “official” corporate culture is actively pro-gay, and that index is the basis for the buying guide. So the body is working for good while the right hand holds and wields an ax at a minority group. It’s a challenge and you’ll need to draw your own conclusions, but my take is you can’t separate the parts. Here’s more info on the Target situation if you are interested: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/08/20/HRC_Drops_Target_From_Equality_Buying_Guide/
Second question: I’m looking down at the NB logo and feeling pretty guilty. I’m not the only one struggling with this dilemma. A while back I posted a “Boycott companies with headquarters in Kansas” blog entry, and I got a note from my cousin Nancy saying that Levis are headquartered in Kansas and they are (of course) the only jeans that fit her properly so she has several pairs in her closet. Being a principled soul, Nancy was wondering whether she should ditch the offending products she already owns or just take the pledge going forward. Now I’m in the same boat (or shoes). My feet are kinda hard to fit (thanks mom) and I went through a bunch of different athletic shoes before I found these New Balance ones that fit me well. Do I consign them to Waste Management or continue to wear them? My advice to Nancy was you don’t need to pitch the existing product but don’t buy anymore. Does that still sound right now that I’m applying it to myself? I’m walking around with the brand name on my feet, providing advertising for a company with which I have a moral issue. Maybe I continue to wear them but take a marker to them and add a slogan along the lines of “New Balance supports bigots – don’t buy them”? How many people examine your shoes to see what brand you are wearing? I’m not sure where I’m going to end up with this, except that I feel guilty every time I wear them off the property so I guess I need to start shopping for a new pair of shoes. And if you know me you know how much I hate shopping for shoes (or any other clothing), and you will appreciate my dedication to the boycott.
What would you do? Post a comment with your thoughts. And vote with your wallet.
Great topic, as I too struggle with this regarding my passion, the food industry. I'm completely appalled by the New Balance Corporation, especially as I look at the ones on my feet right now. What I see is a complete breakdown in human "core values", and I'm not sure whether to feel more sorry for the victims of discrimination/racism, or the bigots for the miserable lives they must live. Think I'll side with the victims, as karma will take care of rest.
ReplyDeleteBecoming an advocate for sustainable farming and better food has taught me more than a few things. At first, I wanted to inform people in hopes of bettering the health of society; being proactive on eliminating the two big killers: diabetes and heart disease. I had been diagnosed as a pre-diabetic and felt completely jipped that I didn't know what I was eating! Now, it's become much more then that, after educating myself on what's happening with big ag-corps and government.
As an ex-elementary teacher, I always taught my students to stand-up for they believe is right, yet be open-minded and respectful of others. This is only true if I lead by example, so that is why it's important for me to inform others, and act upon what my core values represent; even if I don't hit everyone. I feel like I'm preaching to the preacher on this one! This is why we don't shop at mainstream grocery stores, because we can't support the current situation with industrialized food systems. For me, it's like paying the devil! And yeah, it's hard, but it makes me proud!
With that said, mark-up those shoes in every color, wear them out, and stand-up for what you believe! Tell the story! My personal favorite is always a bumper sticker! I was going to say wear the shoes around the house to get some use out of them, but that won't inform people. If the world is going to be a better place, then it will take humans who are willing to stand up and fight for the good. Contrary to that, as my doctor told me yesterday, don't let it control you and enjoy life, too! You already got one New Balance boy-cotter and I'm willing to bet you'll have many more. Keep up the great work and thanks for making the world a better place!