Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Boycott Lowe's


One of the things I loved the best about teaching in Queens was getting to know people of different cultures, nationalities and religions.  I learned to experience the world from my own backyard.  Because of this experience, I have learned to see people as they are, flesh and blood, with mothers, fathers, children and with hopes and dreams no different than mine or the ones I was brought up with.

Okay, the reason for this post.  Several weeks ago, The Learning Channel starting airing The All American Muslim.  Out of curiosity, I began watching and found I really liked the show.  I loved listening to the little conversations between the participants and seeing how people, even those who observed differently got along.  I found, what I knew, I was watching people just like the ones I grew up with and are neighbors and friends with now, living their daily lives.

Here is the thing I found disturbing.  It is hard to understand why, in the twenty first century, we need a show to portray one religion as being just as American as every other one.  I don't understand why anyone would think a woman with a hijab is dangerous or not as good a person as a Christian or any other person.  But, listening to people around me, people I thought were open minded, I get it, but I still don't like it.

And now, Lowe's is withdrawing as a sponsor of this great television show because of pressure from an Evangelistic Christian Group.  The group is claiming the show is just propaganda and is forcing religion down the throats of viewers which is baloney.  Anyone who watched would see this is far from the purpose of the show.  And talking about religion and television, it is impossible to turn on the set without seeing a Christmas theme right now.  I wouldn't expect non-Christians to start a petition for sponsors to drop these shows.  Seeing a Christmas tree does not make me want to convert to Christianity and I don't think the writers and actors expect me to.  Religious freedom belongs to all, even Muslims (note the sarcasm here!) 

Lowe's bowed to pressure and pulled their advertisements.  I am joining the group who will now boycott Lowe's.   We cannot allow a bigoted group like this stop a show because they don't like Muslims.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe you should turn off your TV! Half of the crap being shown is propaganda and your obviously too blind to see that!

burntoutteacher said...

Define propaganda, Anonymous. Maybe to you propaganda is anything that doesn't mirror your own narrow views?

Anonymous said...

When I heard that Lowes was withdrawing its ads I had a flashback to the Anita Bryant/gay/orangejuice controversy of 1977.

I, personally, am writing a letter to Lowes management about how I view their actions (and it will not be a letter they will want to use in their ads).

burntoutteacher said...

I started out watching the show and liked the first episode. Some of my favorite students (does that sound like a cliche?) have been the incredibly intelligent and hard-working Muslim girls I had at FDR HS and Lincoln HS. I was so sad that so many of them would not be going to college and one even got married (at 17) while she was my student. But that is the pressure of their culture -- the parents so afraid of losing their kids to the awful parts of American culture. Anyway, I began to dislike All American Muslim because I was shocked as an educator to see how the health of the student footballers was being compromised by their coaches during Ramadan. The arrogance of several of the "stars" of the show started to really bother me and finally, as a dog lover, I could no longer watch this last episode when the convert to Muslim was asked to get rid of his dog of 10+ years. BUT much as I have decided not to watch the show anymore, I hate hate hate hate the sort of censorship that Lowes is practicing and the hatred and intolerance being spread by the Christian organization behind the boycott. They are far more arrogant, unAmerican, and intolerant than anything I have seen on this tv show.

Pissedoffteacher said...

I agree with everything you said. The arrogance did bother me but I don't think their arrogance was worse than anyone else's. As for the dog, I cried too when he got rid of it. The wife claimed it was for her allergies, but she could have gotten shots or meds to deal with problem.

Anonymous said...

I am not a fan of reality TV shows, never really saw the show. What bothers me most about Lowes withdrawing their ads because of beliefs back by an Evangelical Christian group. It is people like this who really scare me with bigoted views against people from a certain culture, religion, ethnicity, etc.

Pam Geller, Jewish conservative writer is another person who has also been dubbed as a "Muslim hater' for no apparent reason. Ms. Geller decided that she must boycott Butterball Halal turkeys because of "Islamic Supremacy".

If you think I am kidding, I kid you not.

http://talesofasweetgirl.blogspot.com/2011/11/boycott-butterball-halal-turkeys.html

burntoutteacher said...

The irony is that halal rules and the rules of kashruth are incredibly similar and I doubt that Geller would make a fuss out of the kosher food industry. Pam Geller must be a real nutjob. Too bad that these people are able to develop followings and sad that some groups are able to influence advertisers.

Anonymous said...

Pam Geller is a nut job, I know of her and I know her family. She is from the same town as me, and some of her family members have unrealistic bigotry towards Muslims just like her...

Ralph E. Vaughan said...

How terrible for Lowes for make a free speech decision without consulting CAIR. However, CAIR has said they will forgo punishing Lowes if Lowes gives them money.

Pissedoffteacher said...

Freedom of speech is what caused them to drop the show. They bowed to radical extremists, not to their own beliefs. Read the news. Listen to what has been said before yo make these stupid comments.