Petition to Lowe's on Change.ort

[Boogalou]

We wanted to get back to you about our last post and the comments that followed.

For several days, our Facebook page has become a forum of debate surrounding a TLC program – and to let us know how you feel. Many of the comments are specifically about Lowe’s advertising decision…many more are about broader political and social issues.

Some of the comments have been sharp and disrespectful in tone, but out of respect for the transparency of social media, we let the debate continue. However, we have seen a large volume of comments become more pointed and hateful. As a result, we have taken the step of removing all previous posts and will more tightly filter future comments on this topic.

You will be able to respond to this post, but in the spirit of social media, please keep your comments on this Facebook page respectful. We appreciate your understanding.

Again, we offer our sincere apology to anyone offended by our advertising business decision or posts on this page.

First of all WTF is "the spirit of social media"? Secondly, perhaps if you didn't base your advertising decisions on what a random has to say then your facebook page wouldn't fill up with their hateful comments. Just a thought. It's already back up to 5000 comments. The ones I read seem to be less hateful than the deleted ones, but we'll see.

[Guest Anonymous]

Since when has it made good business sense for a business to hand-slap customers for being 'disrespectful'. That blurb makes them sound like raving fundies themselves. :roll:

Submit to Lowes, or you shall be denied the opportunity to buy your DIY gear in our stores....

[smores]

So Regretsy takes on Paypal and they submit to demands pretty fast, but Lowes thinks they can win this PR battle?? Oh, this could get gooooooood.

[GeoBQn]

Lowe's, you are a hardware company. If your facebook page is filled with people saying they like you for bigoted reasons and NOT because of hardware, then you've done something horribly wrong.

[FakePigtails]

If they really cared about how disgusting their comments were they wouldn't have let them keep going for days. They were awful from the very beginning.

[MerryHappy]

They can delete the FB account but the ugliness of their bigotry will remain.

[JenniferJuniper]

Lowe's, the Eric Cartmen of DIY stores: "Respect our authortah to be religious bigots, dammit!"

[Sunnichick31]

About damn time! But the amount of time it took for them to do it says more than actually doing it.

[BoomerLynn]

There is a petition on Change.org asking Lowe's not to pull ads from "All-American Muslim" if anyone is interested in checking it out.

https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-l ... can-muslim

[MerryHappy]

Thanks. :)

[She Who Laughs]

I would never sign a petition for something like this since as a business in a FREE country, they have the right to decide where and when they will spend their money on advertising. I also would not sign a petition if it was trying to get them to pull their advertising from any TV show or other media outlet. Their business, their decision where to spend their advertising dollars.

[emmiedahl]

I would never sign a petition for something like this since as a business in a FREE country, they have the right to decide where and when they will spend their money on advertising. I also would not sign a petition if it was trying to get them to pull their advertising from any TV show or other media outlet. Their business, their decision where to spend their advertising dollars.

They pulled advertising BECAUSE of a petition, and perhaps another petition will show them that not all Americans are evil, anti-Islam bigots.

I don't understand how a petition offends your pro-capitalist sensibilities. This IS capitalism, baby.

[She Who Laughs]

Doesn't "offend" it at all. I just don't believe in signing petitions to try to get a business to do what I want them to do. If I believe strongly that a company is doing the right things then I spend my money there. If I believe they are not doing the right thing then I don't spend my money there.

If you want to sign petitions, have at it, I just think it's stupid.

ETA: I also don't quite understand why so many feminists would be supportive of muslims when women are treated so poorly in the muslim faith.

[JesusFightClub]

I would never sign a petition for something like this since as a business in a FREE country, they have the right to decide where and when they will spend their money on advertising. I also would not sign a petition if it was trying to get them to pull their advertising from any TV show or other media outlet. Their business, their decision where to spend their advertising dollars.

Eh? You're not *forcing* them to do anything. Surely a business would want to hear from its customers, that's if they want to keep their business. And if you shop there or pay taxes it's your money too, right?

I won't sign petitions either but your point seems an utterly bizarre reason not to. Surely as you allegedly live in "a FREE country" one of your rights is both to air your grievances and petition for redress. Why would that be different as applied to a business? Are they above criticism?

[She Who Laughs]

As I said, I speak with my money. And if I truly had a big enough beef that I needed to give them something in writing, I would write a letter to the president or CEO. Petitions don't really mean much as you can get people to sign just about anything. Saw a bit on Leno where these two guys were doing a truth or dare thing out on the streets. The one guy accepted a dare to see if he could get people to sign a petition to destroy part of the rain forest so they could make a parking lot because this area in South America really needed some extra parking. And yeah, he was able to get people to sign a petition. If I owned a business, I would be much more interested in how sales were doing and in letters that people took the time to write and send. I wouldn't give much credence to a petition.

[GeoBQn]

I did see a show where they got people to sign a petition to end "women's suffrage," but that's more of a lesson in reading up on an issue before you sign something. And yes, it's important to back up signing a petition with some sort of measurable action, like a boycott. But that doesn't mean that all petitions are stupid. They are accomplishing some pretty big things in Wisconsin . . .

I also don't quite understand why so many feminists would be supportive of muslims when women are treated so poorly in the muslim faith.

Islam is not monolithic. There are Muslim communities where women are treated poorly and communities where they are not--just like in every religion.

[JesusFightClub]

As I said, I speak with my money. And if I truly had a big enough beef that I needed to give them something in writing, I would write a letter to the president or CEO. Petitions don't really mean much as you can get people to sign just about anything. Saw a bit on Leno where these two guys were doing a truth or dare thing out on the streets. The one guy accepted a dare to see if he could get people to sign a petition to destroy part of the rain forest so they could make a parking lot because this area in South America really needed some extra parking. And yeah, he was able to get people to sign a petition. If I owned a business, I would be much more interested in how sales were doing and in letters that people took the time to write and send. I wouldn't give much credence to a petition.

We're more in agreement than not then (sorry!) although methods of disagreement with company/gov't actions may vary ;)

It is why petitions are, generally, bollocks. They are absolutely no guarantee that anyone will listen. Also signing can make people feel like they did something important and then they don't have to do any more..."well I signed the petition" syndrome. I have heard of successful cases and don't say this applies across the board, but...

Having said this, just spending elsewhere isn't an answer unless the powers that be know why. What would your opinion be of a letter writing campaign? I am more of a direct action type but many people might find this to be something they want to do. And, model letters...as shit as petitions?

[treemom]

Doesn't "offend" it at all. I just don't believe in signing petitions to try to get a business to do what I want them to do. If I believe strongly that a company is doing the right things then I spend my money there. If I believe they are not doing the right thing then I don't spend my money there.

If you want to sign petitions, have at it, I just think it's stupid.

ETA: I also don't quite understand why so many feminists would be supportive of muslims when women are treated so poorly in the muslim faith.

That works well when you live in a place that the big box stores haven't drowned out the competition.

I am not anymore supportive of Muslims than I am any other religions (all of whom have or will subjugate women in some form of extremism). However I am against the hypocrisy of not advertising on All American Muslim but signing on for the Duggars, or a christian themed movie on the GMC.

[treemom]

I am not a fan of petitions in general...but I just don't think She Who Laughs makes any damn sense.