December 6, 2005
Is It Time To Boycott Ford?
Well, the last Ford my family bought turned into a maintenance nightmare so this might be easy for me.
If this article is accurate then that will seal the deal and I suggest that everyone who is not a member of AFA show Ford what a real boycott is like:
Ford Motor Co. has averted a boycott scheduled for Dec. 1 by the American Family Assn. (AFA), Ward’s has learned.AmericaBlog is driving the train on this story. See the top of their left sidebar and for example here and here. Aslo see these articles.The proposed boycott, which was halted in June, a few weeks after its start, was in protest of what the AFA calls an “enthusiastic” support of the gay rights agenda.
In averting the AFA boycott, Ford may have made some concessions in its policy of advertising and support of gay publications and community activities, but neither side will comment on the details of the truce.
In a Nov. 29 meeting at AFA headquarters in Tupelo, MS, David Leitch, general counsel and vice president for Ford, and Ziad Ojakli, group vice president-Corporate Affairs, along with Dallas-area Ford dealer Jerry Reynolds, hammered out a deal.
“We are ending the boycott of Ford,” said Donald E. Wildmon, Chairman of AFA. “While we still have a few differences with Ford, we feel that our concerns are being addressed in good faith and will continue to be addressed in the future.”
On a related note: isn't time to remove the tax deductions for churches, religious organizations and, yes, even other non-profits at the local, state and federal level?
Via 10,000 Monkeys & a Camera.
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.
Until we hold corporations accoutable for more than their profits, this is what we can continue to expect. Ultimately, LGBT equality in the workplace will be a house of cards until society holds corporations accountable for more than making a buck.
Also, read my post on tax exemptions for churches:
http://martymusings.blogspot.com/2005/11/irs-says-peace-sermon-is-political.html
