Shopping Your Conscience

We don’t get TV here on Goose Creek (going on four years now, by choice) so I only know about Bill O’Reilly by reputation that spills over onto the web. And that’s where I read that some think he’s gone too far. Some people are shifting their support towards Big Box stores who have dumped his show on FOX (Lowes) and away from one that continues to think his stand is just fine (specifically, Home Depot.)

I’m going to follow this story. We have both these stores in Christiansburg, and even though I’ve been a regular at Home Depot, I’d certainly shift my spending towards Lowes–sending a letter or email to both stores telling them why I made this kind of decision.

Here are a couple of links from Americablog and Daily Kos describing current events on this topic.

Actually, Ann and I tend avoid supporting chain hardware stores (and grocery stores) in general if possible, and buy what we need as much as we can at Farmers Hardware in Floyd. You may pay a few more cents on some things, but if you figure in 48 cents a mile travel cost from home to C’burg and back, paying an extra dollar is more than offset by the $12 of operating expenses to make a special trip to “save” at either of these mega-stores–where most of the dollars you spend will leave the valley.

But if you can’t buy local and have to make a choice between one of the two superstores and the political statements of Mr. O’Reilly don’t mesh with your sense of charity, civility and rational judgment, you might consider shopping your conscience.

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fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

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  1. Unlike you Fred, I haven’t totally given up on TV…just cable many, many years ago. My normal TV fare falls mainly on PBS though, with the News Hour probably getting the majority of my watching hours (usually, while surfing the internet).

    O’Reilly’s excesses therefore only impinge on my world when they are pointed out online. It’s only with his recent excesses that the liberal side is starting to use his own words against him…All I can say is it’s about time.

    My local big box hardware/lumber yard is Home Depot, but I will find it easy to switch to Lowe’s even with the extra drive. Thanks for the heads up on who’s who…