Beyonce has let me down again
I try and tell myself that music does not have to be about ethics. It’s ok to listen to cheesy R&B pop if you want to and it doesn’t have to mean that you necessarily support the beliefs of that group or that you think that you like them for any kind of artistic integrity. Sometimes it’s just about liking the music and turning a blind eye to
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Wal-Mart does have some questionable practices, this much is certain. However, Wal-Mart is not owned by one person. It is a publicly traded corporation, which means that with a little bit of cash, you, I, or any other person can buy shares of stock and own a little bit of the company. The "owner" usually has the lion's share of the stock, and therefore the controlling interests, but they do not own the company as a whole unless they own all the outstanding stock shares.
Advocating for the devil, Wal-Mart isn't the first major chain to do the things they do. I read an article from the NY Times recently that compares Wal-Mart to a company that operated over 70 years ago, back in the '30s... A&P. Back then there were mom & pop stores everywhere. A&P came in, with a revolutionary supply chain, and managed to undercut these small stores, and even managed to drive some wholesalers out of the picture, much like the Wal-Mart juggernaut does today. Unions tried to organize A&P workers over low wages, people started speaking out against the chain in public media, the governments passed laws to limit A&P's abilities, etc. The same thing is happening now, and is having the same effect. Wal-Mart continues to grow.
The solution to the Wal-Mart problem is simple. We all need to stop shopping with them and start patronizing the smaller stores that are suffering. But that probably will never happen...Why? People love a bargain, and that's exactly what Wal-Mart gives us.
Just something to think about...I'll give the soapbox back now.
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I can't even remember the last time I set foot in a Wal-Mart much less the last time I bought anything. I'm just trying to show that I practice what I preach and I put my money where my mouth is. If I don't believe in something they don't get my dollar. Which is my conflict with Destiny's Child. I don't want to support them if they support WM and McD's but I'm really guiltily addicted to their music and I wish I could just separate the music from the ethics.
Actually, I remember precisely the last time I was in Wal-Mart. It was to buy an $8 Destiny's Child Fan Pack DVD last Christmas that was only being sold exclusively in Wal-Marts. So I guess that signifies that they've had a pre-existing business relationship with the company but it still makes me judge them.
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