Boycotts

Now, I’m not making love to anyone’s wishes
Only for the God I see
‘Cause when I’m dead and laid low in my grave
That’s going to be the only Thing that’s left for me

And if I make it to the waterside, will I even find me a boat, or no?
And if I make it to the waterside, I’ll be sure to write you a note or something…

Oh, I’m on my way, I know I am; somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now, I feel the power growing in my hair.

-Cat Stevens, a.k.a. Yusuf Islam, currently denied entrance to the United States by the US Government under the Patriot Act for having ties to Muslim organizations suspected of aiding terrorism.

*******

So I decided tonight on my way home from C&T Zone, while staring at a Bush/Cheney 2004 sticker on the back of an Expedition, that I’m against boycotting things. [I know this doesn’t have anything to do with the Expedition, but stay with me here.] The problem I see with boycotts is this- nobody really cares, usually, unless you’re a mom & pop type of place with only about 20 patrons anyway, and they all turn against you for using Canadian beef or something. When you lose all of your money, then you care that Mad Cow Disease isn’t that popular as a side dish. Places like Wal-Mart or Starbucks, however, are simply too big to feel the effects. And it seems to me that if we boycott, say, Wal-Mart for being connected to the pornography industry because certain magazines it sells are owned by the same parent companies that produce pornographic magazines, we are pushing the envelope a bit.

What are we trying to say with such boycotts? That we are going to financially punish these sinners until they finally cave? That at that point in time, they will run to us, bankruptcy notes in their hands, seeking salvation and looking to buy an overpriced Bible or Prayer of Jabez devotional book? What is the point of beating people into the ground with the knowledge of their own immorality? I remember Jesus saying something about sin and stones, and a bunch of overzealous hypocrites had to walk away on embarrassed legs. The thing is, we don’t boycott ordinary people. [Maybe we do- we create our own clubs and societies because we need to exclude ourselves from sinners… hmm…] What makes people in the pornography industry worse sinners than Billy Bones, living next door, in his respectable 9-5 job with his respectable family, that you have neighborhood barbeques with? They are more obvious with their sin. But aren’t these the very ones we are supposed to have neighborhood barbeques with? Jesus did. He ate with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. Yep, the prostitutes. Eating back then was not as it is now- everyone Biggie sizes their double quarter McWhopper and sits around in the fluorescent-lit feedlot, much as their food did before them. Eating then was an intimate experience. This is why communion takes place with food- Jesus was sharing himself at the meal, he was the meal. Once again, American Evangelicals who do things like promote boycotts against certain companies fall into their own trap of ridiculousness.

So, I think for continuity’s sake, I’m going to just say no to boycotts. Which, I guess, means I’m boycotting them. If you don’t want to support pornography, don’t buy it. Which I’m guessing isn’t the case, as the last statistic I read claimed as much as 40% of pastors in America have problems with pornography, particularly on the internet. Let’s not be pharisaical here, is what I’m saying. As John 7:24 says, let’s stop judging on mere appearances, and make a right judgment. If you want to stop shopping at Wal-Mart or Starbucks because they crush the little man despite being among Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, then I’m right behind you. But put a little thought into what you do; everyone will be better off for it.