Kulturkampf......umm - NO!

The Post has a fairly accurate article about the Ford Motor Company's recent cow-tow to the AFA on advertising in GLBT media.

I've got a couple of things to say about this article & this situation:

1. The article annoyed me just a touch when analogizing the Ford situation to the Microsoft situation (re: the anti-discrimination bill) - in relevant part the Post said "Ford is the latest company to be ensnared in the culture wars over homosexuality" - to me, this is unfairly framing the question. Presented as such it looks as though this is simply a cultural disagreement - that both sides have colorful arguments and that we should all sit back and see what happens. Umm, NO - this isn't a cultural disagreement to the tune of "Which is better the Phillies or the Philharmonic?" - this is a fight for equal civil rights. And those trying to continue legalized oppression shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt. In the 1950's many white supremacist groups boycotted or threatened to boycott companies who advertised in the Black media. This is the same thing. And it should be so called.
2. Ford ought to know better. This is a big true-blue American company and as such it shouldn't fall under pressure from such an un-American group. Ford should publicly renounce the AFA and it's goals and continue in its commitment for equality amongst its employees and its customers. Further, by succumbing to the AFA's threat - Ford is endorsing their techniques......get a bunch of right-wing Christians to threaten not to buy your SUV's and all of the sudden your principles fly out the window. And the only reason that they're doing so is because the GLBT community is small - if the AFA was attacking interracial marriage - Ford would most certainly have none of that....but that's because its still acceptable to hate gay people....especially if "God" told you to.
3. Lastly, what the hell does this say about our culture. Ford is an American Icon and it's falling sway to the demands a fanatical group, small in number, but large in power. I guess it's illustrative of the Christian control over this nation. It's remarkable that such a fringe position can dictate......and more remarkable that a once great American company is complicit.
4. Right...I lied - this is really my last point: Ford should be thankful for it's GLBT customers. It's fairly well documented that we [the GLBT] community are an incredibly loyal market group - you advertise to us, you support us.....we'll support you. And what are you trading our loyalty for.....you're using it to buy off a reactionary group because you're afraid that it's 3,000,000 members won't buy your SUV's......I hope it's worth it.

This isn't a 'culture war' we need not wait for 'society to decide' on this issue. This issue is about equality and human dignity. The sides of this 'war' are Oppression v. Equality for any self-respecting company or person to extricate themselves from fighting for or contributing to Equality or worse yet further legalized oppression....well, that's just plain shameful.