The anti-gay American Family Association has announced what will be a completely ineffectual boycott of McDonald's because of the fast-food giant's involvement with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The move follows ineffectual AFA boycotts of Disney (for "its embrace of the homosexual lifestyle"), Ford (for running ads in some gay publications) and Target stores.
What's striking about the AFA's hit list is that the group's wrath is directed at the most iconic of American companies. Outside the fever swamps of the religious right or, for different reasons (e.g., "globalization") the anti-capitalist left, these are the companies beloved most by hard-working, family-centric Americans. It's a sure sign of the increasingly farcical marginalization of the AFA and its ilk.
The Washington Post reports that:
Corporations increasingly are courting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender markets for their buying power and trendsetting value. This translates into corporate sponsorships of events, such as gay pride festivals, and advertising targeted at nonheterosexual consumers.
While I doubt that corporations are actually targeting the small transgender market - a bit of p.c. boilerplate that the journalist picked up from LGBT activist groups - the gay market is a significant demographic.
Once again, free markets work to sweep away the ineffectual, inefficient and irrational (including unprofitable prejudice) when allowed by the state to do so.
More. So much for the hapless AFA's boycott efforts: Public Radio's "Marketplace" just ran a story on U.S. auto makers competing to capture the gay market. General Motors, for instance, sponsored a "speed dating" session at the Detroit gay pride festival. The transcript + audio is here. (Hat tip: Rick Sincere.)
9 Comments for “Homophobia’s Ongoing Descent into Farce”
posted by Eric on
Forgive me, but I?m not sure that I am able to readily see the ?farce?. For the AFA, surely this must be more of a tragedy than anything else. In attempting to discern just what that group could better do to advance its position, I?ve come up with nothing. If anything, the fact that these companies are ?beloved most by hard-working, family-centric Americans? dictates even more strongly that they ought speak out against them lest, their worldview become even more marginalized than it already is. This state of affairs does not move me towards laughter, as is implied by the word ?farce?; it moves me towards pity.
posted by joe perez on
Hi Stephen. Just wanted to say I liked your post (and blogged it today).
posted by Richard on
This group is still taken seriously by the Republican Party, and, in certain cases, Democrats. Enough voters still listen to what they have to say.
I also hope that the author is not trying to imply that anyone who is criticial of the mentioned companies is somehow anti-work, anti-family or even anti-capitalism.
posted by Bobby on
“This group is still taken seriously by the Republican Party,”
—Because they represent more than 30 million born-again Christians. However, McDonald’s won’t take them seriously because most people are not interested in boycotting companies just because they market to a minority.
posted by avee on
It’s “farcical” because only a miniscule number of AFA fanatics are actually going to stop eating at McDonald’s.
posted by David Skidmore on
Looks like I’m going to have go to McDonalds now even it does mean forcing down the food. Maybe I could just have the coffee. Would that be solidarity enough?
posted by Jason on
Richard, it doesn’t seem to matter because their boycotts, as the post stated, have proven to be ineffective.
posted by Craig2 on
Ah, but David, I know at least one
McCafe that’s wheelchair accessible.
There’s always disability rights…
Craig2
Wellington, NZ
posted by Marcus on
I think it’s great that we could finally institute a free market system so that this irrational prejudice could fall. Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?! Our gay fore-fathers could have had gay marriage had they only thought to institute a capitalist system! Prejudice cannot stand in the face of profit maximization!
Or *maybe* the free market is not defeating irrational prejudice left and right but merely fills the space once those prejudices have disappeared or weakened for completely distinct reasons. Maybe.