Amazon founder Bezos donates $2.5 million to support same sex marriage in Washington

[fallingblood]

Amazon founder Bezos donates $2.5 million to support gay marriage in Washington | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

For those who wish to boycott Chick-fil-A because of the stance of the CEO and it's funding of anti-gay organizations, are you planning on buying more from Amazon now?

For those who support Chick-fil-A because of Cathy's statements against same sex marriage, are you planning on boycotting Amazon now?

Outside of those stances, does the fact that multi-billion dollar corporations funding political movements bother anybody? Will this become a culture war fought at the corporate level with who will out-fund the opposition? If yes, how legitimate will the movement be? Or does the introduction of mega-cash-flow MAKE it more legitimate?

I don't have a Chick-fil-A around me so that's no problem. For me though, I'm not going to spend money somewhere when I know that the profits that the company are making, that the CEO is making, is going to fund something that I think is wrong.

As for Amazon, I can't really shop there more than I already do. The price I can buy books from them is always great. However, I do have more appreciate for them.

I personally think that the whole issue of same-sex marriage should be a non-issue. We should have learned a long time ago that there is no reason to discriminate against others based on who they are. We should have learned after the African American civil rights movement that denying people justice simply is unacceptable.

When someone like Bezos then tries to help correct this wrong, for whatever reason, I think it is a step in the right direction. Because really, we should have already learned from our mistakes.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Outside of those stances, does the fact that multi-billion dollar corporations funding political movements bother anybody? Will this become a culture war fought at the corporate level with who will out-fund the opposition? If yes, how legitimate will the movement be? Or does the introduction of mega-cash-flow MAKE it more legitimate?

In general, I don't have a problem with corporations making stances based on values and principles, or funding causes.

I can't see a clear dividing line between, say, a coffee shop chain deciding to get rid of their non-fair trade coffee, or an engineering company donating money to the local hospice, or a company like Amazon supporting same-sex marriage organizations. I think they're all part of good corporate citizenship.

How about Target?

Kraft Foods?

Chrysler?

Campbell Soup?

Best Buy?

.

.

.

Just a fraction of companies that support same sex marriage.

I think I asked you think in chat (IIRC), but why do you say that Best Buy supports same-sex marriage? I did some Googling for Best Buy and same-sex marriage, and all I could find was a bunch of petitions urging Best Buy to oppose anti-same-sex marriage legislation (though no sign that they actually did oppose it) and stories like this one, that talk about how Best Buy has donated money to organizations that are affiliated with anti-gay politicians, though Best Buy says they did it because of the organization's stance on business issues, not gay rights:

Best Buy joins Target: Adds $100K donation to MN fund that supports anti-gay politician [video] - Last Word

All in all, I can't find anything that says Best Buy supports same-sex marriage, but some things that suggest it indirectly (and perhaps inadvertently) gave support to same-sex marriage opponents.

Edit: scratch that. I found one offhand reference to Best Buy in this article: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/5-leading-lgbt-friendly-companies I wish it was a bit more specific about what they've done.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

In general, I don't have a problem with corporations making stances based on values and principles, or funding causes.

I can't see a clear dividing line between, say, a coffee shop chain deciding to get rid of their non-fair trade coffee, or an engineering company donating money to the local hospice, or a company like Amazon supporting same-sex marriage organizations. I think they're all part of good corporate citizenship.



I think I asked you think in chat (IIRC), but why do you say that Best Buy supports same-sex marriage? I did some Googling for Best Buy and same-sex marriage, and all I could find was a bunch of petitions urging Best Buy to oppose anti-same-sex marriage legislation (though no sign that they actually did oppose it) and stories like this one, that talk about how Best Buy has donated money to organizations that are affiliated with anti-gay politicians, though Best Buy says they did it because of the organization's stance on business issues, not gay rights:

Best Buy joins Target: Adds $100K donation to MN fund that supports anti-gay politician [video] - Last Word

All in all, I can't find anything that says Best Buy supports same-sex marriage, but some things that suggest it indirectly (and perhaps inadvertently) gave support to same-sex marriage opponents.

Edit: scratch that. I found one offhand reference to Best Buy in this article: 5 leading LGBT-friendly companies I wish it was a bit more specific about what they've done.

I saw Target not too long ago post an advert about wedding registries at their stores, and showed the engaged couple to be two men in a loving embrace. It was very touching for me (I teared up seeing it), since I know how I felt about the store in general after years of supporting anti-gay organizations.

I brought up Best Buy because I saw them mentioned in an article focusing on the rainbow Oreo cookie as a corporation that supports same sex marriage in a long list of other companies that do too. It surprised me to see them since they had been under fire for a few years. Their sources could be wrong, too.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I saw Target not too long ago post an advert about wedding registries at their stores, and showed the engaged couple to be two men in a loving embrace. It was very touching for me (I teared up seeing it), since I know how I felt about the store in general after years of supporting anti-gay organizations.

Funny - when you mentioned Target, I was surprised. I swore off them when I found out about the whole Minnesota Forward thing. Target recently bought Zellers, a national department store chain here in Canada (which they're now planning to turn into Targets), so I haven't shopped in Zellers since they made the announcement that Target had bought them.

Up here, I don't get anything in the way of Target ads, so I didn't have any information on how their stance might have changed since 2010. After you mentioned Target, I did some Googling on them, and was happily surprised to find lots of pro-LGBT stuff either from them or attributed to them.

... especially since a lot of the Zellers have massive clearance sales on right now while they sell off all their old non-Target inventory before the switchover.

I brought up Best Buy because I saw them mentioned in an article focusing on the rainbow Oreo cookie as a corporation that supports same sex marriage in a long list of other companies that do too. It surprised me to see them since they had been under fire for a few years. Their sources could be wrong, too.

Yeah - I can't find anything from them in support of same-sex marriage. Not any public statement, anyhow. AFAICT, they haven't taken a public stance on the issue, so maybe it just refers to some internal policy about benefits for same-sex partners of employees or something like that. I dunno.

I think it's put enough doubt in my mind that I'll consider shopping there again.

 

[Tarheeler]

It's not a corporation, as far as I know it's a private company so he owns it all and very likely makes millions off of it.

From Amazon.com - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia :Amazon was incorporated in 1994, in the state of Washington. In July 1995, the company began service and sold its first book on Amazon.com — Douglas Hofstadter's Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought.[11] In 1996, it was reincorporated in Delaware. Amazon issued its initial public offering of stock on May 15, 1997, trading under the NASDAQ stock exchange symbol AMZN, at a price of US$18.00 per share ($1.50 after three stock splits in the late 1990s).

Meanwhile I'll keep up the boycott! Forget appreciation day for an organization run by a homophobic man! If this man was racist and wanting to infringe the civil liberties of African American or Latinos would we stand for it? No! (Some people may ignore it if it was Latinos in this day, sadly). So why would we stand the oppression of the civil liberties of gay couples?

This comment makes me wonder if you actually read my post.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

It's not a corporation, as far as I know it's a private company so he owns it all and very likely makes millions off of it.

Generally, the terms "corporation" and "company" are interchangeable. A company doesn't have to offer shares to the public for it to be a corporation. There are both private and public corporations.

 

[s2a]

Amazon founder Bezos donates $2.5 million to support gay marriage in Washington | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

For those who wish to boycott Chick-fil-A because of the stance of the CEO and it's funding of anti-gay organizations, are you planning on buying more from Amazon now?

I buy products rom Amazon because they do not collect sales tax and offer free shipping on orders over $25. So, in answer, neither more nor less planning on my part

For those who support Chick-fil-A because of Cathy's statements against same sex marriage, are you planning on boycotting Amazon now?

No, as noted above.

Outside of those stances, does the fact that multi-billion dollar corporations funding political movements bother anybody?

Well obviously, it bothers some folks…

…what bothers me more is anyone foolish enough to believe that buying chicken sandwiches makes a profound statement of any kind.

Will this become a culture war fought at the corporate level with who will out-fund the opposition?

I think it unlikely, at least or until it can be demonstrated with evidential compelling effect that large corporation “endorsements” of one cause or another really lends a persuasive change of personal perspective…

ie, “Wow…I used to favor marriage equality, but now that I know that the President and CEO of Chick-Filet opposes marriage equality, I’ve changed my stance completely!”.

Um, not.

If yes, how legitimate will the movement be? Or does the introduction of mega-cash-flow MAKE it more legitimate?

Only if you retain the perspective that money is the same thing as speech, and that corporate money presents better ideas, solutions, alternatives, policies…than, you know, people

 

[jasonwill2]

From Amazon.com - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia :Amazon was incorporated in 1994, in the state of Washington. In July 1995, the company began service and sold its first book on Amazon.com — Douglas Hofstadter's Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought.[11] In 1996, it was reincorporated in Delaware. Amazon issued its initial public offering of stock on May 15, 1997, trading under the NASDAQ stock exchange symbol AMZN, at a price of US$18.00 per share ($1.50 after three stock splits in the late 1990s).


This comment makes me wonder if you actually read my post.

I must of gotten which one you were referencing mixed up. I thought you were saying chic-fil-a was a corperation

 

[Falvlun]

…what bothers me more is anyone foolish enough to believe that buying chicken sandwiches makes a profound statement of any kind.

It does if people have associated buying that chicken sandwich with a particular stance, which is precisely what has happened. Both buying and boycotting have long been a way for the populace to express their support or displeasure with a business.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I bet Cathy is kicking himself in the butt for not trying to move in to, I don't even remember where it was, much sooner as the controversy, including the appreciation day and protests, are probably the best things to ever happen to the chain.

 

[Meow Mix]

Amazon founder Bezos donates $2.5 million to support gay marriage in Washington | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

For those who wish to boycott Chick-fil-A because of the stance of the CEO and it's funding of anti-gay organizations, are you planning on buying more from Amazon now?

For those who support Chick-fil-A because of Cathy's statements against same sex marriage, are you planning on boycotting Amazon now?

Outside of those stances, does the fact that multi-billion dollar corporations funding political movements bother anybody? Will this become a culture war fought at the corporate level with who will out-fund the opposition? If yes, how legitimate will the movement be? Or does the introduction of mega-cash-flow MAKE it more legitimate?

I do sort of wish corporations would stay out of politics to an extent. I'm very uncomfortable with the notion that profits from my business would go towards causes not in my best interest without my knowledge (which it seems could have otherwise been avoided if i'd have known NOT to do business with that company beforehand).

If a CEO were to just voice some ignorant opinion, then fine. But that's totally different from actually contributing money to causes. I refuse to do business with Chick-fil-A because they contribute actual money to anti-homosexual rights causes. I'm not going to be ordering Papa Johns any more because they contribute to other political causes I think are not in my best interest. I'm looking for a new insurance company because, as it turns out, leaked documents show that Aetna also supports causes that aren't in my best interest, either.

I think it's sad that I'm starting to find it ethically necessary to be careful where my money goes after I spend it, but I'm even more tired of being apathetic about it. I don't want even a dime of mine to end up in the hands of causes that would turn around and oppress me second-handedly. I hate the idea of that, so I won't give business to those corporations if I can help it.

(Yes, I certainly will order through Amazon rather than competitors if I can, now that I know my money won't be going towards oppressing me down the line!)

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If a CEO were to just voice some ignorant opinion, then fine. But that's totally different from actually contributing money to causes. I refuse to do business with Chick-fil-A because they contribute actual money to anti-homosexual rights causes. I'm not going to be ordering Papa Johns any more because they contribute to other political causes I think are not in my best interest. I'm looking for a new insurance company because, as it turns out, leaked documents show that Aetna also supports causes that aren't in my best interest, either.

I'm caught in the middle with my phone service provider, AT&T. On one hand they are the only company that has good coverage where I live, and they are consistently rated as a good place of employment for the GLBT community. On the other hand they have supported anti-gay legislation and politics.
As for Papa Johns, I've only ever thought there pizza was just ok. The only reason I used to eat it was because of a cheap carry out special.

 

[Father Heathen]

They can have the fried chicken, we will have the books. If this continues they will end up fat, and we will be educated.

Or had this already happened?

:clap