ford motors caves to the american family association and pulls ads from gay and lesbian magazines.
so, ladies and gentlemen, this is a gentle reminder that, in this country, whoever holds the purse strings is in charge. even if you go into public service, you must still depend on private contributions, and you're still the bitch of the people with the dough.
two words: get rich.
i went to law school, i'm busting ass, and i hope to be rich someday. this is the most socially concious thing you can do if you are a member of a disadvantaged minority. and i say this with a straight face and without a trace of irony.
this has been a public service announcement.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
battle of the pocketbooks
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1 comment:
I agree with you--it's about money.
Ford has insisted that this is strictly a "business decision." If Ford really just decided to pull the ads because they weren't effective, then why is Donald Wildmon so smugly declaring victory?
This "business decision" is the crux of the problem. We've been making great headway in Corporate America by arguing the "business case" for diversity. Offering domestic partnership benefits doesn't cost much, but attracts highly talented employees, we've argued successfully. Promoting respect and inclusion increases productivity, we attest, because employees who are respected do better work. We don't bother to argue that it's simply the right thing to do.
HRC, which rates companies on a 100-point Corporate Equality Index, explains that corporations are becoming more gay friendly because "fairness is good for business."
But that makes for a dangerous equation. If the AFA folks buy more Fords than we do, we lose. Justice cannot be denied just because it doesn't make money. It may be that Ford has concluded that an Equality Index score of 100 isn't the right mark to aim for. They may decide to go for a sweet spot where the fundamentalists leave them alone; maybe an 82 or a 76.
The bottom line is, indeed, the bottom line. Ford is a corporation that exists to make money. As long as "shareholder value" is the only value that matters in Corporate America, Donald Wildmon will continue to carve notches into his belt.
Read more of this excerpt at my blog.
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