Attention all Gay Wal-Mart Shoppers

Oh, second blog of the day ONLY because this is priceless.

It appears that the uncertainty of US foreign policy and US domestic issues is prompting a few major corporations to start hedging their bets.

That means that Wal-Mart has opted for a collusion and illusion strategy.

On one hand the megalithic dollar-dropper spends 85% of its political donations on the Republican Party. The party known for pro-traditional (read: religious) family values that fights against the notion of expanding the definition of family and spouse from the myopic, patriarchially defined version of man and wife (notice the distinction -- person and property) to same-sex partnerships. Collusion.

On the other hand, Wal-only-too-s-Mart recently formed a partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, a move the corporation calls "a very sincere effort to reach out to people who are a significant part of our customer base." Illusion.

Oh, I get it -- we'll take your money, but we won't support your politics.

While the gay and lesbian community is valuable for their ability to spend and consume, their importance and role, as defined by our societal customs and laws, are not vital enough to support and establish on equal footing.

This is the difference between tolerance and acceptance.

This is also the difference between politics and economics.

We'll take your money. But you don't have to like you.

Thankfully, Wal-not-so-s-Mart does not simply discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Their disdain for low-income workers and women (even in the role of spouse) is legendary.

So, I say good luck Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce! May you infiltrate from the inside out, rather than being co-opted into Wal-Mart's hedge your bets marketing ploy of illusion and collusion.

(FINAL NOTE: Wal-Mart WOULD not announce the partnership. Rather, it left that responsibility to NGLCC. Perhaps...because the monolithic retail giant realized that their important consumers on the Republican Right would probably not visit the NGLCC site).

For more information on the partnership between NGLCC and Wal-Mart go to:
http://www.nglcc.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/5735

For a great synopsis of why this deal is a ridiculous marketing ploy go to Peter Laarman's blog at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-laarman/will-gay-people-now-save-_b_27984.html