Shame on Ford - but Kudos for Kraft

[hsapiens]

Thanks to msjudi for alerting me to Ford's decision to promise the AFA that they won't spend any advertising dollars in GLBT publications. Here's the original article in the Detroit News. My protest letter is snug in its envelope.

Before I wrote it, I decided to get to know the AFA. Their target list is a veritable who's who of miscreants (not!), including Reader's Digest (wtf?) and Kraft. Kraft is my new hero; I will be writing them a support letter tomorrow. Specifically, Kraft told the AFA:

"Diversity is more than a word many people like to say. At Kraft we truly respect all kinds of differences. And diversity is not a selective concept. By definition, it’s nothing if not inclusive. We respect diversity of ethnicity, gender, experience, background, personal style and yes, sexual orientation and gender identity. Recognizing, respecting and valuing these differences helps us be a more successful business and a workplace where all employees can realize their full potential."

Holy cow - a company with balls and a strong moral sense. I'll be looking to see how many Kraft products I can buy in the future.

But...what to my wandering eye should appear?

Could it be that the upstanding [sic] folk of the AFA support theft of intellectual property? With a huge dose of "the lady doth protest too much" about the offensive nature of the pics that are posted for illustrative purposes because the Gay Games are inconceivably awful, the AFA has posted 3 photos marked, "www.ChrisGeary.com" A quick peek at Chris Geary's website shows lots of pics of very pretty men having fun rather than some 'born again' penitent's site.

Shocked, I'm shocked to find moral relativism at the AFA.

Comments

[superbadgirl]

I love Kraft cheese. Kraft Mac 'n Cheese. Kraft makes a decent peanut butter.

I'd say people are ridiculous, but I won't order Domino's Pizza for where they donate money, and I won't join Curves for the same kind of reason. ;)

[msjudi.livejournal.com]

And I won't shop at Walmart because of their policies... is it just me, or is big business going in the tank?

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

Truthfully? I always thought it had been there. It seemed as if the 80s and 90s saw the birth of corporations with conscience (of varying degrees). I miss precious little about working at the MFAH, but I do miss the option of investing my retirement savings in socially conscientious mutual funds that matched or exceeded the DJIA.

That's why I'm stoked about the statement from Kraft. It's unequivocal.

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

I thought this was going to be tough for me. I'm a vegetarian and I buy hormone-free dairy products and I try to avoid processed foods as a weight control measure...but a look through Kraft's website made me a happy girl.

Kraft makes BOCA meat replacers (their crumbles fool the resident omnivore), Wheat Thins/Triscuits, Baker's Chocolate & Baker's Coconut, Grey Poupon Mustard, Minute Rice, Planters Nuts, and even my super secret holiday guilty pleasure: Cool Whip.

Anyone looking for Kraft recipes can go here. I'll be shifting over to their products where ever I can. I appreciate their statement and its lack of weasel words.

I support the AFA's right to ask people to spend their money elsewhere, but I bear no illusions: their motivation is hate. The Aryan Nation could just as well demand that Ford promise to never again advertise in Ebony. They can do it, but it doesn't make their intent any less evil.