Yeah, I know; I haven't posted much lately.
Let's see if I can explain why.
We're up to our neck in SAGE testing at school. For those of you who haven't heard, there's a good deal of controversy over the test and the Common Core all over the nation, and, well, Utah's gone berserk over it. Plus, I teach in a school district that requires more a LOT more standardized testing than any other in the state. Bleah.
So, my life has been all about testing this week. And I pretty much can't talk about it, as the state school board has sent out two threatening e-mails about how teachers will lose their jobs and license if they spread the word about what's on those tests. So, I can't really blog about SAGE -- except maybe to tell you that the highlight of the week was when one kid got a bloody nose in the middle of testing. Yeah, that was about the BEST thing that happened. The rest was worse.
Then, it's spring. So all the dogs are out. Noise. Lots of noise.
But I can't really blog about that, as I've been told not to.
Then, there's a good deal of political stuff going on in Utah. There's the whole gay marriage bit. And the Ordain Women movement.
I'd LIKE to blog about those, but I've been warned against doing so.
Oh, and there's been some political stuff going on in our own school and the high school. There's a lot of good gossip there, but, again, I can't blog about it.
OK, well BOOKS!! Yes, I can blog about books!
But I've been going through book drought. I've had a hard time finding decent books to read lately. I've been re-reading some of my favorites, but reviews of older books do not make for good blog fodder.
This is why I could be up for the Boring Blog Award lately.
However, my Pinterest boards are buzzing right along, and I pick up sometimes a dozen new followers daily. Take a gander, if you like. You can find me here.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Frozen vs. Brave: What Are Disney's Messages Now?
In years past, Disney's messages have pretty much been things like "girls get married and boys have adventures." Take Snow White, for example. The princess is young (did you know she's only 14?), pretty, and inexplicably good at housekeeping -- for a princess. Basically, she has to be passive and sweet, cleaning and hanging out with animals, while under the protection of non-sexual men (the dwarves are short and goofy, so this -- naturally -- makes them non-sexual beings *eye roll*) and wait while the prince fights off her evil step-mother and then claims her as a prize for his efforts. Fast-forward five decades to The Little Mermaid. Ariel is less passive, and Prince Eric is more so, but the whole point of the movie is that the girl changes her life, her body, her home, and her whole lifestyle in order to be accepted by the guy. He merely has to accept her and change nothing about himself. Then, in Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, we do get a bookish princess and -- oh my gosh! -- a brown princess, but the whole message here is "Girls, if you're good and sweet enough, you can change an abusive man or a worthless one into the right kind of husband." Groan. Then people praised The Frog Princess and Tangled for being so "modern." But the whole point is still the same as in Beast and Aladdin, although we do get a Black princess for a change.
Then Brave happened. And the Wonderful World of Disney finally changed.
Frozen is also keeping right on track, and some folks say it's even better.
Let us compare.
Both movies actually have women dealing with problems that are not about men. In Brave, it's the mother-daughter relationship that drives the central conflict, and in Frozen, it's Elsa's problems with herself and with her sister. Score: one point for each movie.
Princess Merida in Brave is (in the movie, anyway) more ordinary in looks and actions. She is cute but not beautiful. She tromps rather than gliding. She is strong, likes archery, mountain climbing, and her horse. She is not at all passive. She also prefers practical clothing and natural hair. She is a princess who appeals to little boys as much as to little girls. In contrast, Elsa in Frozen is at first reserved and beautiful and then sexy and beautiful. True, she gets to do spiffy stuff with ice, but she's struggling with internal conflicts and doesn't do anything to appeal to adventuresome boys and girls. Anna is funny and more adventuresome, but she's still way too perfectly pretty. Only once in the whole movie does she look anything other than lovely and graceful (the bed-head scene). Score: Brave 2, Frozen 1.
Neither movie has very many women in it. Brave has only 4 important women, and in Frozen, there are the two sisters, with briefly their mother and a couple of female trolls. Both movies are about a few women dealing with a men's world. Hmm... However, Brave at least shows the three traditional aspects of women: maiden, mother, wise woman (OK, so she's a goofy wise woman), all of whom work together to solve the problem of family love and respect. Frozen doesn't really have any generational stuff going on. Score: Brave still 2, Frozen loses a point to be 0.
Now let's consider what each movie teaches about love.
In Brave, Merida's insists that 16 is too young for marriage. (Hooray! It's about time, Disney!) She also declares -- and her mother finally agrees -- that young people should choose for themselves, in their own time. In the end, Merida is seen at least accepting a kiss on the hand from the most promising of the young suitors (the one who speaks the Doric, and who is pretty dang hard to understand), showing that she'll be willing to think about acceptable guys when she's ready. (Then she rides off to have adventures with her mom -- because the time for romance is NOT 16.) In Frozen, we have that wonderful moment when Elsa tells us all that you can't marry a man you just met. (Hooray for Disney!) Unfortunately, this wisdom is completely undermined when romantic love and the fake-marriage of Anna to Kristof occurs within just a few more days. So, Disney's telling us.... uh... you can't marry the wrong guy if you just met him, but you can marry the right guy. What the crap?! Oh, sure, Anna doesn't actually marry him by the end of the movie, but it's clear they're completely paired off. Score: Brave +1 for a total of 3, Frozen + 1 then - 1 for 0.
So what do the movies have to tell us about men? Let's look at that.
Brave: Dad and Mom are totally in love with each other and love their kids very much. Awwww. Cute. However, over and over again, we are shown that men are warlike and can't control themselves without a woman there to calm them down. Boo. Hiss. That's no message to give either girls or boys! Making women responsible for men's actions is totally not cool. In Frozen we have Dad and Mom who are pretty concerned for their children's welfare, but they're more obsessed with public image than anything else. Not great. We also learn that you really don't know whether to trust men or not. It's obvious we shouldn't trust the merchant of Weaseltown, but Prince Hans is just as charming and sweet as can be -- until we learn his true motives. Oaken is also totally sweet until his temper flares up. So, how can we possibly trust Kristof? How do we know, without giving him some time to show his true colors, whether or not he's the good guy? Uh, well, we know because Disney says so. OK, right. Whatever. So, don't trust men. Unless... unless something. What? This makes no sense. Score: Brave -1 for a score of 2 and Frozen -1 for a score of -1.
Brave teaches us that parents can love each other romantically and in a friendly way. It also shows the huge importance of parents and all children (Merida and her little brothers love each other) working together to keep the family going. Yes! There's also no sense of Merida's having to give up her family or change herself just to get a man, like Ariel does in Mermaid. In fact, it's pretty clear that Merida's not going to change herself for any man. Well played, Disney.
In Frozen, however, we have a broken family trying to mend itself. The parents have stifled love and joy in the family until Anna, as Hans truly tells us, is so desperate for love she'll take the first person who pays attention to her -- and apparently also the second, as she takes to Kristof mighty fast as well. Poor Elsa is completely damaged, but love is the answer! Yes, as soon as she realizes love can thaw things, she does. Even though this makes no sense. How did she learn to love? Yes, she loves her sister, but Elsa's barely beginning to accept herself. How can she suddenly and completely reverse all the damage done to her and her country just by saying that love is the answer? Merida takes a whole freakin' movie to understand that she loves her mother and needs to work things out with her. How can Elsa heal years of abuse (which Merida did not have) in a few seconds? Love, in Frozen, is presented as some kind of magic spell, rather than as something people have to work on and work out.
Score: Brave +1, for a total of 3, and Frozen + 0, for a total of -1.
There you have it, folks. Disney has come a long way from the pathetically passive princesses of the past (here, have some alliteration, OK?), but Brave is still better than Frozen at teaching life lessons to kids.
(Plus, dude, it's set in SCOTLAND, for crying out loud. Norway's cool and all, but you just can't top Scotland. :D)
Then Brave happened. And the Wonderful World of Disney finally changed.
Frozen is also keeping right on track, and some folks say it's even better.
Let us compare.
Both movies actually have women dealing with problems that are not about men. In Brave, it's the mother-daughter relationship that drives the central conflict, and in Frozen, it's Elsa's problems with herself and with her sister. Score: one point for each movie.
Princess Merida in Brave is (in the movie, anyway) more ordinary in looks and actions. She is cute but not beautiful. She tromps rather than gliding. She is strong, likes archery, mountain climbing, and her horse. She is not at all passive. She also prefers practical clothing and natural hair. She is a princess who appeals to little boys as much as to little girls. In contrast, Elsa in Frozen is at first reserved and beautiful and then sexy and beautiful. True, she gets to do spiffy stuff with ice, but she's struggling with internal conflicts and doesn't do anything to appeal to adventuresome boys and girls. Anna is funny and more adventuresome, but she's still way too perfectly pretty. Only once in the whole movie does she look anything other than lovely and graceful (the bed-head scene). Score: Brave 2, Frozen 1.
Neither movie has very many women in it. Brave has only 4 important women, and in Frozen, there are the two sisters, with briefly their mother and a couple of female trolls. Both movies are about a few women dealing with a men's world. Hmm... However, Brave at least shows the three traditional aspects of women: maiden, mother, wise woman (OK, so she's a goofy wise woman), all of whom work together to solve the problem of family love and respect. Frozen doesn't really have any generational stuff going on. Score: Brave still 2, Frozen loses a point to be 0.
Now let's consider what each movie teaches about love.
In Brave, Merida's insists that 16 is too young for marriage. (Hooray! It's about time, Disney!) She also declares -- and her mother finally agrees -- that young people should choose for themselves, in their own time. In the end, Merida is seen at least accepting a kiss on the hand from the most promising of the young suitors (the one who speaks the Doric, and who is pretty dang hard to understand), showing that she'll be willing to think about acceptable guys when she's ready. (Then she rides off to have adventures with her mom -- because the time for romance is NOT 16.) In Frozen, we have that wonderful moment when Elsa tells us all that you can't marry a man you just met. (Hooray for Disney!) Unfortunately, this wisdom is completely undermined when romantic love and the fake-marriage of Anna to Kristof occurs within just a few more days. So, Disney's telling us.... uh... you can't marry the wrong guy if you just met him, but you can marry the right guy. What the crap?! Oh, sure, Anna doesn't actually marry him by the end of the movie, but it's clear they're completely paired off. Score: Brave +1 for a total of 3, Frozen + 1 then - 1 for 0.
So what do the movies have to tell us about men? Let's look at that.
Brave: Dad and Mom are totally in love with each other and love their kids very much. Awwww. Cute. However, over and over again, we are shown that men are warlike and can't control themselves without a woman there to calm them down. Boo. Hiss. That's no message to give either girls or boys! Making women responsible for men's actions is totally not cool. In Frozen we have Dad and Mom who are pretty concerned for their children's welfare, but they're more obsessed with public image than anything else. Not great. We also learn that you really don't know whether to trust men or not. It's obvious we shouldn't trust the merchant of Weaseltown, but Prince Hans is just as charming and sweet as can be -- until we learn his true motives. Oaken is also totally sweet until his temper flares up. So, how can we possibly trust Kristof? How do we know, without giving him some time to show his true colors, whether or not he's the good guy? Uh, well, we know because Disney says so. OK, right. Whatever. So, don't trust men. Unless... unless something. What? This makes no sense. Score: Brave -1 for a score of 2 and Frozen -1 for a score of -1.
Brave teaches us that parents can love each other romantically and in a friendly way. It also shows the huge importance of parents and all children (Merida and her little brothers love each other) working together to keep the family going. Yes! There's also no sense of Merida's having to give up her family or change herself just to get a man, like Ariel does in Mermaid. In fact, it's pretty clear that Merida's not going to change herself for any man. Well played, Disney.
In Frozen, however, we have a broken family trying to mend itself. The parents have stifled love and joy in the family until Anna, as Hans truly tells us, is so desperate for love she'll take the first person who pays attention to her -- and apparently also the second, as she takes to Kristof mighty fast as well. Poor Elsa is completely damaged, but love is the answer! Yes, as soon as she realizes love can thaw things, she does. Even though this makes no sense. How did she learn to love? Yes, she loves her sister, but Elsa's barely beginning to accept herself. How can she suddenly and completely reverse all the damage done to her and her country just by saying that love is the answer? Merida takes a whole freakin' movie to understand that she loves her mother and needs to work things out with her. How can Elsa heal years of abuse (which Merida did not have) in a few seconds? Love, in Frozen, is presented as some kind of magic spell, rather than as something people have to work on and work out.
Score: Brave +1, for a total of 3, and Frozen + 0, for a total of -1.
There you have it, folks. Disney has come a long way from the pathetically passive princesses of the past (here, have some alliteration, OK?), but Brave is still better than Frozen at teaching life lessons to kids.
(Plus, dude, it's set in SCOTLAND, for crying out loud. Norway's cool and all, but you just can't top Scotland. :D)
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Controlled Substances
Yesterday I was in a Michael's Craft Store, and I wanted to buy a can of spray paint to update some antique paintings by covering the really ugly paint on the frames.
The rack of spray paint was locked up in a cage. I had to push a button and wait until a clerk could arrive. While I was waiting, a lady with a girl of about 8 arrived, and the girl was disappointed that I had already pushed the button. I told her she could push it again if she wanted to. But just then, the clerk arrived and nearly shouted, "No, don't push it again!"
I mouthed "sorry" at the little girl, but I could see she felt shamed.
The clerk opened the cage with her key and stood in front of the rack of paints. I told the little girl she could go first -- and she cheered right up, carefully pronouncing the name of the color her mom (presumably her mom) wanted.
The clerk then looked at me, and I asked if I could please take a look at the can. She had to hold it for me; I couldn't hold it myself.
The other lady with the girl had to wait while this happened.
I finally chose two colors quickly, as I could not study the cans to determine how much I needed, drying time, color mixing, etc.
The clerk slammed the three cans of paint (my 2 + the 1 for the lady and little girl) under one arm, wrestled the cage closed, and locked it -- all while body-blocking the rack, as if the three of us customers might at any moment throw her to the ground to get at the paint. She then announced that she had to take the paint to the cashier herself, that we would not be allowed to touch it or keep it in our shopping carts.
I was thoroughly surprised that the cashier didn't card me when I later went to pay for the stuff.
Geez, I know graffiti is a big problem, but I had no idea it was this hard to buy spray paint. Seriously.
In Utah, I think it's probably easier to buy a gun.
The rack of spray paint was locked up in a cage. I had to push a button and wait until a clerk could arrive. While I was waiting, a lady with a girl of about 8 arrived, and the girl was disappointed that I had already pushed the button. I told her she could push it again if she wanted to. But just then, the clerk arrived and nearly shouted, "No, don't push it again!"
I mouthed "sorry" at the little girl, but I could see she felt shamed.
The clerk opened the cage with her key and stood in front of the rack of paints. I told the little girl she could go first -- and she cheered right up, carefully pronouncing the name of the color her mom (presumably her mom) wanted.
The clerk then looked at me, and I asked if I could please take a look at the can. She had to hold it for me; I couldn't hold it myself.
The other lady with the girl had to wait while this happened.
I finally chose two colors quickly, as I could not study the cans to determine how much I needed, drying time, color mixing, etc.
The clerk slammed the three cans of paint (my 2 + the 1 for the lady and little girl) under one arm, wrestled the cage closed, and locked it -- all while body-blocking the rack, as if the three of us customers might at any moment throw her to the ground to get at the paint. She then announced that she had to take the paint to the cashier herself, that we would not be allowed to touch it or keep it in our shopping carts.
I was thoroughly surprised that the cashier didn't card me when I later went to pay for the stuff.
Geez, I know graffiti is a big problem, but I had no idea it was this hard to buy spray paint. Seriously.
In Utah, I think it's probably easier to buy a gun.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Vanity Plate
Running errands for my parents today, I noticed a parked car (in a reasonably well-to-do area) with a vanity license plate that read simply, "STORK."
Let's vote.
Is the owner a) an ornithologist? or b) a gynecologist?
Let's vote.
Is the owner a) an ornithologist? or b) a gynecologist?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
People Watching At The Jiffy Lube
In the same way I automatically correct people's grammar inside my head because I'm an English teacher, I also people watch -- because I'm a writer. Today's trip to the local Jiffy Lube for an oil change provided me with some good character fodder.
First of all, in spite of the fact that there were some dozen drivers there, I was the only woman (besides the two working in the shop, that is). Apparently, Saturday afternoon car issues are a mostly male thing. (Come to think of it, most times I'm in Jiffy Lube, it's men who are the other customers. I wonder why. It's not like one needs any car knowledge to go to Jiffy Lube, so we can't even apply the usual gender stereotyping here.)
As I have a nasty case of bronchitis and a sinus infection, I took care to sit as far from the room's other occupants as possible, but it wasn't all that far, as the room was fairly small.
First off, there was the guy with the dog.
Now, it was not a guide dog, so we can make some assumptions about the selfishness of this man. After all, a dog does not enjoy Jiffy Lube, with lots of strangers, lots of cars, and lots of commotion. Also, it was a nice, sunny day outside, and the man could've easily taken the dog out to walk about on the grass. But, no, he sat with the uptight mongrel on his lap, petting it over and over so that fur flew into the air. I wanted to smack some manners into him, but I couldn't, so I coughed into my sleeve and tried to concentrate on grading papers.
Several people left, but Dog Guy remained, much to my annoyance.
Then Mr. Center of Attention arrived.
Now, I'm an extrovert, but I know when to back off. No one appreciates someone who tries to draw everyone's attention to him in a public waiting area.
This man was 50-ish, wearing a fisherman's cap, and rather good-looking with silvery hair about his ears and dark eyes. However, he clearly knew he was good-looking, and he wished to enforce his superiority on the world.
First, it was onto Dog Guy.
In a voice far too loud for the room, he began a conversation about the mongrel, his own yappy dogs and how they annoy his neighbors (Probably about as much as you do yourself, buddy), and how their annoying his neighbors was unimportant to him (I just bet your neighbors can tell). This caused Dog Guy to preen over the attention and to pet the mutt more vigorously, which, in turn caused me to cough from the increased amount of dog hair flying in the little room.
Then Dog Guy was called into the shop area (yea!) to pay and leave, so it was just Mr. Center of Attention with me now -- and the stupid TV show going on about two idiots trespassing and hunting alligators for some reality show.
About 2 seconds after Dog Guy's departure, as I still sat green-penning kids' essays and wondering how it is that so many of the kids just can't seem to follow a model, suddenly Mr. CoA bursts out with a fake laugh and a loud comment about the show.
Dude, you are desperate, I thought. But I didn't look up. The man was not flirting -- as he'd gone on and on about his wife to Dog Guy -- he wanted my attention only to feed his ego, not to flatter mine.
I thought he'd calm down, but, apparently miffed that I ignored him, he got up and went into the shop area, leaned on a railing, and yakked at the mechanics for about 10 minutes.
Mr. CoA's car was finished long before mine was, although he arrived later than I did. I understood, however. The Jiffy Lube crew just wanted him out of there.
In retrospect, I wonder how the man is married. How could his wife tolerate that all the time?
Somewhere, I will work these two into a plot; I just know it.
First of all, in spite of the fact that there were some dozen drivers there, I was the only woman (besides the two working in the shop, that is). Apparently, Saturday afternoon car issues are a mostly male thing. (Come to think of it, most times I'm in Jiffy Lube, it's men who are the other customers. I wonder why. It's not like one needs any car knowledge to go to Jiffy Lube, so we can't even apply the usual gender stereotyping here.)
As I have a nasty case of bronchitis and a sinus infection, I took care to sit as far from the room's other occupants as possible, but it wasn't all that far, as the room was fairly small.
First off, there was the guy with the dog.
Now, it was not a guide dog, so we can make some assumptions about the selfishness of this man. After all, a dog does not enjoy Jiffy Lube, with lots of strangers, lots of cars, and lots of commotion. Also, it was a nice, sunny day outside, and the man could've easily taken the dog out to walk about on the grass. But, no, he sat with the uptight mongrel on his lap, petting it over and over so that fur flew into the air. I wanted to smack some manners into him, but I couldn't, so I coughed into my sleeve and tried to concentrate on grading papers.
Several people left, but Dog Guy remained, much to my annoyance.
Then Mr. Center of Attention arrived.
Now, I'm an extrovert, but I know when to back off. No one appreciates someone who tries to draw everyone's attention to him in a public waiting area.
This man was 50-ish, wearing a fisherman's cap, and rather good-looking with silvery hair about his ears and dark eyes. However, he clearly knew he was good-looking, and he wished to enforce his superiority on the world.
First, it was onto Dog Guy.
In a voice far too loud for the room, he began a conversation about the mongrel, his own yappy dogs and how they annoy his neighbors (Probably about as much as you do yourself, buddy), and how their annoying his neighbors was unimportant to him (I just bet your neighbors can tell). This caused Dog Guy to preen over the attention and to pet the mutt more vigorously, which, in turn caused me to cough from the increased amount of dog hair flying in the little room.
Then Dog Guy was called into the shop area (yea!) to pay and leave, so it was just Mr. Center of Attention with me now -- and the stupid TV show going on about two idiots trespassing and hunting alligators for some reality show.
About 2 seconds after Dog Guy's departure, as I still sat green-penning kids' essays and wondering how it is that so many of the kids just can't seem to follow a model, suddenly Mr. CoA bursts out with a fake laugh and a loud comment about the show.
Dude, you are desperate, I thought. But I didn't look up. The man was not flirting -- as he'd gone on and on about his wife to Dog Guy -- he wanted my attention only to feed his ego, not to flatter mine.
I thought he'd calm down, but, apparently miffed that I ignored him, he got up and went into the shop area, leaned on a railing, and yakked at the mechanics for about 10 minutes.
Mr. CoA's car was finished long before mine was, although he arrived later than I did. I understood, however. The Jiffy Lube crew just wanted him out of there.
In retrospect, I wonder how the man is married. How could his wife tolerate that all the time?
Somewhere, I will work these two into a plot; I just know it.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Hilarious Mis-Heard/Misspelled Metaphor
Saw this on Twitter last night.
KUTV 2News
Experts Say Utah In Mists Of Long Drought http://bit.ly/1kEZv7E
Um, no.
Droughts don't have mists. The lack of moisture would prevent that.
We're in the midst of a drought, not the mists.
*facepalm*
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Voting With The Wallet
I was buying some scrapbook paper at a Michael's craft store last night, when I overheard an interesting conversation.
Woman #1: I think these are cheaper at Hobby Lobby.
Woman #2 [nods to man near her]: We don't shop there anymore, and this price is all right.
Woman #1: What's wrong with Hobby Lobby?
Man [moves nearer to woman #1]: They're anti-gay.
Woman #1: Oh. Good thing we have this place and JoAnn's [a craft and fabric store] then!
I was impressed to hear this.
I checked out their claims, and it's not just gays where Hobby Lobby has issues; apparently, they want to claim they have a right to deny health insurance coverage to women who want birth control as well.
Swell. Anti-gay and anti-women.
I'll never shop there either. My wallet will give my opinion of their hatred.
There are already a few other places I won't shop -- or won't shop anymore.
Chik-a-Fila. After their huge, free sandwich, gay-hating campaign, you couldn't drag me into one of their restaurants. Sick and wrong.
But if I'm straight, why do I care? I care because when people use religion as a cover for bigotry, I find it nauseating. And I'm not about to eat when I'm ready to barf.
Overstock.com. I used to shop at this website all the time -- until I found out that the owner donated a couple of million dollars to undermine public education in Utah and try to privatize it. Now I tell everyone I know to avoid the site.
Every time you make a purchase there, you help to fund the downfall of free, public education. Don't do it.
Jolley's Corner Pharmacy. This is a small pharmacy in Salt Lake, but the owner came out in the newspaper a few years ago, claiming (erroneously) that Plan B contraception was the same as an abortion. He refuses to sell it. I, therefore, remind people that this store is anti-women's rights, and I refuse to shop there.
Not that I've ever had a need for Plan B, mind you. It's the whole fact that this man thinks he has the right to restrict women's access to good health and to control over their own lives -- all based on a completely wrong assumption about a drug.
That's my list.
What about you? Where do you vote with your wallet? Do you buy local? Do you avoid companies that exploit children? Do you boycott homophobes or misogynists like I do? Where will you NOT shop/eat?
Woman #1: I think these are cheaper at Hobby Lobby.
Woman #2 [nods to man near her]: We don't shop there anymore, and this price is all right.
Woman #1: What's wrong with Hobby Lobby?
Man [moves nearer to woman #1]: They're anti-gay.
Woman #1: Oh. Good thing we have this place and JoAnn's [a craft and fabric store] then!
I was impressed to hear this.
I checked out their claims, and it's not just gays where Hobby Lobby has issues; apparently, they want to claim they have a right to deny health insurance coverage to women who want birth control as well.
Swell. Anti-gay and anti-women.
I'll never shop there either. My wallet will give my opinion of their hatred.
There are already a few other places I won't shop -- or won't shop anymore.
Chik-a-Fila. After their huge, free sandwich, gay-hating campaign, you couldn't drag me into one of their restaurants. Sick and wrong.
But if I'm straight, why do I care? I care because when people use religion as a cover for bigotry, I find it nauseating. And I'm not about to eat when I'm ready to barf.
Overstock.com. I used to shop at this website all the time -- until I found out that the owner donated a couple of million dollars to undermine public education in Utah and try to privatize it. Now I tell everyone I know to avoid the site.
Every time you make a purchase there, you help to fund the downfall of free, public education. Don't do it.
Jolley's Corner Pharmacy. This is a small pharmacy in Salt Lake, but the owner came out in the newspaper a few years ago, claiming (erroneously) that Plan B contraception was the same as an abortion. He refuses to sell it. I, therefore, remind people that this store is anti-women's rights, and I refuse to shop there.
Not that I've ever had a need for Plan B, mind you. It's the whole fact that this man thinks he has the right to restrict women's access to good health and to control over their own lives -- all based on a completely wrong assumption about a drug.
That's my list.
What about you? Where do you vote with your wallet? Do you buy local? Do you avoid companies that exploit children? Do you boycott homophobes or misogynists like I do? Where will you NOT shop/eat?
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