I thought this HP poll result was pretty flipping cool.
I bet if you asked the general population that same question just 2% would say yes. To understand the evil of Wal-Mart, and shopping at Wal-Mart, is definitely not mainstream. "Low prices! Low prices! It's all good!" Now that's mainstream.
Nice job 49%. Give it a few more years for Americans to see the results of their behavior, and I think that 49% will be looking pretty prescient. Like HP'ers in general.
Is shopping at Wal-Mart immoral and un-patriotic?
Yes 490 (49%)
No 500 (50%)
April 12, 2008
HP Poll result - half of HP'ers think shopping at Wal-Mart is immoral and unpatriotic
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37 comments:
This means one of these halfs are idiots? Which one I wonder...
Off to Sam's Club to replenish my foodstock :-)
How about shopping at Target and Best Buy? Is their merchandise made in the USA or China?
I feel very patriotic buying massive amounts of American-made ammo at Wal-Mart.
I voted no, because the Q should be: is buying "made in China" patriotic?
I buy plenty of "made in Canada/US" stuff at walmart. I just went to Mervyns and saw lots of clothing made in China. this is not just about walmart.
I have significantly reduced my made in China purchases, and it's actually saved me money because I buy less crap I don't need.
this made me want to puke:
"Western governments are concerned that the rules of the game are changing. Most worryingly, as China's brutal suppression of the once independent Tibet shows, this is not a superpower that respects Western standards on human rights.
From Darfur to Myanmar, China is cuddling up to murderous dictators.
At home, it holds mass executions of criminals with bullets in the back of the head while transplant surgeons stand by to harvest their still pulsating organs."
-daily mail
Walmart does the same thing Target, Sears, Best Buy, etc do. They just do it a lot better and make more money doing it. Your beef seems to be with the fact that walmart is profitable and nothing else.
It's so transparent.
I don't get this, why are you saying it's wrong to buy stuff made by Chinese? What have they done that is so much worse than what other countries have done? Fuck, we dropped 2 nukes on a country. Are you saying that we should buy things made in the USA? Why? We just killed a million people in Iraq for no reason. And why should I pay more for something when the fair market price is set by the Chinese? I will buy made in USA when we can make it cheaper here, it's that simple.
Hadda company pot luck...
Assigned...salad
At Albertson's....potato salad = $6
At Walmart...nearly same item, but more of it = $4 ish
Bought the $4; didn't taste good
But who really likes potato salad anyway?
Don't buy your ammo at Wally world...go to places online like -
ammoman.com and ammunitiontogo.com
;-)
Keith can't separate the gov't and the people. tens of millions have worked for a better life. are we supposed to ignore that because of their government policies?
mairca is right. everything is from somewhere else. IF you shop at target or BJ's its all the same.
Having said that Walmart does take it up a notch in order to cut prices. Also, you can go to a Walmart in a rich suburb(one like that near me in NH) and feel your an hour outside Wichita Kansas. I can't figure out where all those poorer folks come from? The Walmart near me is in one of the richest towns in the weatlhier state of NH. I see mullets and adults wearing flannel shirts and sweats!! I pay a tad more at target but it's worth it.
Gabor has a good point. If we had the Olympics I would fully expect and respect protests from all over concerning Iraq. It may take years but we will learn the death and carnage, just like we did in Vietnam.
I have been to Walmart twice in my lifetime. Here in Metro DC, the large majority of people shopping there are illegals, other brown immigrant people, a few black Americans and a peppering of WT's.
The funny thing is, while Andrew Hac rails against the fat pasty white Americanos that shop at Walmart, it is mostly fat illegals, other brown immigrant people and their sow baby making sow wives.
If you shop at Wal-Mart, you're not American. You hate your country.
I find resonance in Gabor's comments. To the anonymous jackass who complains about the Chinese buying oil/trading with the Sudanese...well, please just STFU until we Americans stop buying oil from the murderous, backwards, terrorism exporting Arabs.
- DontBeAHypocrite
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=559133&in_page_id=1811
This is one of the reasons I can't sleep anymore. Was just waiting for someone to say it.
On second thought..it takes some of the pressure off. If China is officially the super-power again, I don't have to feel like I have to be so freaking perfect since I was born in the USA. All the world's a stage, but I've always had stagefight. So let them be 'super people' (because, heh, they have no excuse not to be now), and maybe I won't have to have a heartattack just trying to keep up. Let them start taking the heat for all the world's problems. Let everybody blame them for a while. I'm ready for the 50's again...or the 20's. WTFever. Just don't want to have to learn how to work the telephone again every six months. So sick of new this and new that...can hardly stand it anymore. And yes, I think I'm having some kind of breakdown. I'm a female, so you males out there don't have to feel ashamed of one of your own.
And maybe things will get so bad, that HONEST MEN will stand up and DO SOMETHING.
And maybe things will get so bad that all the con-men who have been running this country for the last 20 years will get what's coming to them (I REALLY held back there...sure wanted to be more graphic.)
Hell, I'm ready to fight, and I'm a woman.
I'm not ready to fight the Chinese, just ready to fight to restore this country back to the integrity of it's founders...even if it's a poor country. Better then what we have now.
I do boycott Walmart for moral and political reasons, but I don't necessarily consider people who do shop there to be "immoral and un-patriotic" so I voted no. If you would have phrased the question differently I believe you would have had more agreement than 49%.
Same idea with the current "Is John McCain..." question. I think McCain is wrong for doing it, and I neither like him nor will I vote for him, but do I think he is spineless? No, but I can think of a lot of other insults that apply.
Fuck, we dropped 2 nukes on a country. Are you saying that we should buy things made in the USA? Why? We just killed a million people in Iraq for no reason
Typical left-wing trash and lies. Most of the people in Iraq were killed by al Qaeda bombings and sectarian fighting and it was nowhere near 1 million. The Japanese started WWII in the Pacific in 1936 and slaughtered over 10 million people all across Asia and refused to surrender. If the two atom bombs saved even one American life, it was worth it.
You should do another poll.
is SELLING goods to china unpatriotic?
Wal-Mart saves me money. I've bought a couple of HDTV's from them, and saved hundreds if not thousands buying them at Wal-Mart rather than buying from Best Buy, Target, or Ultimate Electronics. Bought my PS3 for the Blu-Ray functionality from Wal-Mart because Target was out of them, and, the Blu-Ray titles are $5 cheaper there than anywhere else.
I would never buy clothes or have my vehicles serviced there.
Why bash Wal-Mart when they can provide products people want for less?
99% of consumer electronics are made in China, that's not Wal-Mart's fault... Wal-Mart's not in the manufacturing business... they're in the business of providing products for less than their competitors. Business is cut-throat. If you can't provide quality products for less than your competitors, you'll be out of business. Look to the automotive industry for the last 30 years.
If you want someone to blame, blame our governments for not levying excise taxes on imported goods. Corporations that operate in the US, but outsource their manufacturing and services should be heavily taxed to make up for the lost jobs. It's that simple.
Why do you pick on only Wal-Mart? The problem is not W-M, the problem is our country is beholden to the Chinese because EVERYTHING here is made by them. KMart, Sears, Circuit City, Best Buy, Target, Costco, you name it, all buy the majority of their stuff from China. If I have to buy Chinese crap I may as well go where they don't get as much of my money, and that (in most cases) is Wal-Mart. I'm not a Wal-Mart lover, but I can see reality for what it is.
If every W-M disappeared by tomorrow, the problem would still remain. You just don't get it. Why do you think closing Wal-Mart down would make any difference, Keith? Please Explain, we're waiting.
I own a retail gift store and read several trade magazines. The trend really is towards American made and away from anything made in China.
When the local Walmart started making all their announcements in Spanish and the clerks could not answer my questions because they could not speak English, I stopped shopping.
Why do I pick on Wal-Mart and not Target etc?
Take on the giant folks. The illegal monopoly that our corrupted Congress refuses to address. Start there, then work your way down. But trust me, it's a long way down from Wal-Mart
Top 10 US Retailers
1) Wal-Mart: $348 Billion
2) Home Depot: $91 Billion
3) Kroger $66 Billion
4) Cosco $60 Billion
5) Target $59 Billion
Wal-Mart is a monopoly. Call it what it is. It's an evil, unpatriotic, bad-for-America, Chinese-dumping-ground monopoly. And anyone who shops there values themselves ahead of their nation and ahead of their fellow countrymen and should be ashamed.
Truth hurts doesn't it? Keep trying to justify your behavior Wal-Mart shoppers. But you know deep down you're doing wrong.
Keith, your words have become increasingly filled with hate and hubris. You are too much the pretentious pundit and too little the thoughtful leader.
I get my fill of preaching on Sundays. This is one reader you've lost.
Johnny couldn't handle the truth
Enjoy American Idol Johnny.
And anyone who thinks I do HP or censor my remarks to keep readers hasn't been reading HP
Cheers to those of you who don't agree with me but come here to discuss ideas and add to the conversation.
t's moot to whine about it.
The Chinese now have core technology to manufacture most all staples, the majority this country has abandoned and lost the know how. Thanks to our greedy corporations. The Chinese also have a taste of wealth. That will push them to a quasi capitalism.
Do you think they care about the US or what we think? Their wars took decades to consumate. They have patience.
They could not win the military chase, but they will win the capitalistic war.
And what generation will we resist with? Overly materialistic, unpatriotic, sloven, couch potatoes who were brought up on instant gratification, who have no sympathy or alignment with what America is ( actually was)all about.
The corporations will abandon America and move their HQ's to other contries. The rich will relocate to safe havens. All that will be left will be the decimated middleclass and a majority of unaligned immigrants and diverse nationalists who have no motivation or clue on how to defend the last wall.
At 60 years, I have some 20 years to live, if that much. I should care but I lost interest when I realized every level of America from Senators to the illegals have one interest, what's in it for me. For Pete's sake, even after 911, the constituents of this country should be clamoring for more AlQuida captures, yet no one I see ever has any passion left. The only civilian people that have any interest are those who want to sell a piece of the rubble.
God help the souls who inherit my generations mistakes.
don't start losing your credibility by misstating things doofus...
the correct article title should have been
"Less than half of this blogs readers who actually participated in the poll think shopping at Wal-Mart is immoral and unpatriotic"
You know why I voted no? For some people that is all they can afford. I would argue owning Walmart stock immoral as you support low wages and profit from the inability of the poor to shop anywhere else.
Good As*hole. Now go vote for war Hero John McShitstain...
F*ck YOU Johnny.
"Johnny said...
Keith, your words have become increasingly filled with hate and hubris. You are too much the pretentious pundit and too little the thoughtful leader.
I get my fill of preaching on Sundays. This is one reader you've lost.
April 13, 2008 1:32 AM"
Do you realize what a monopoly is? When people have a choice to go to Walmart or Target, then it is not a monopoly. It's no more of a monopoly than McDonald's or Google
Keith,
There is something unAmerican about trying to criminalize success :-) Walmart, Target, and all the rest all engage in scouring the planet to bring us what we want at the lowest cost. That's a very American endeavor, and should be applauded: that's what competition produces and that's why Americans have higher standards of living and higher income in purchasing power terms despite having lower exchange-rate weighed income. The Walmart advantage is its data management system: supposedly Walmart can keep track off all stock item in each store, and have trucks loaded with the exact mix of replacements for each store, thereby utilizing shelf-space and trucks more efficiently. Shelf-space is everything for a retailer. As far as I know, the only anti-competitive thing Walmart management ever did was supporting minimum wage increase (because many of its competitors, especially the grocers paid their workers less than Walmart did! Walmart wanted minimum wage raised as a way to sock it to its lower-paying competitors; and here we routinely complain about Walmart not paying its workers, figure that one out :) Aside from that, Walmart has been a remarkable level-field player despite its size and potential clout. Success itself, IMHO, should not be ground for punishment, or envy for that matter. Personally, I do most of my own shopping at Costco because there is no Sam's Club near where I live and I prefer buying in bulk so as to save time driving around in slow traffic. I used to do a lot of shopping at a Walmart when I lived in a different town and the Walmart SuperCenter sold food, especially cold cuts, at much much better price than the local grocery store. Nowadays I only drop in Walmart for items that I can't find at Costco and too inexpensive to warrant the shipping cost associated with ordering online. Rubbing shoulders with the "brown people" never bothered me; the nearest Target is no different; the two Nordstroms within 10 miles of here are also full of immigrants . . . I have seen more overeas Tiffany's than Tiffany's in the US, and I only travel overseas once every other year or so. If anything, the unpretencious Walmart bringing the best value to everyone regardless class and social status is quintessential Americana to me. If I wanted to shop with people who would only shop at Nordstrom and Tiffany's, there are plenty self-deluding hookers overseas for that.
"I would argue owning Walmart stock immoral as you support low wages and profit from the inability of the poor to shop anywhere else."
Doesn't Walmart have some of the lowest prices? I pick up Walmart's own "Equate" branded personal items and OTC medicine once in a while, like mouth wash, acetometaphen (generic Tylenol) and Waletin (generic Claritin); the prices are unbeatable. You are not suggesting that Walmart should lose money selling all goods, are you? It's not a charity after all . . . although at times of extraordinary need, like Katrina, Walmart relief trucks were the first to arrive on the scene (only to be stopped and turned around by government bureacrats).
No, I don't own Walmart stocks. Had some shares when we were relatively poor and shopped extensively at Walmart when it came to our state. It was really quite an eye opener experience when we went to our first Walmart SuperCenter. The experience was so positive that I had to buy some shares, just like previous positive experiences with Intel and Ebay (and conversely shorting home builders after visiting one of their open houses back in 2005). We sold WMT shares a few years back in anticipation of consumer pull-back.
Yeah the Chinese are evil, but everything is made there so WTF are people supposed to do? If we had everything every made in America none of us would ever be able to afford the prices.
Walmart keeps inflation down and is about the only thing keeping many families afloat with their low prices.
Walmart has the lowest profit margin of any company. How is that evil? Someone tell me WTF is the difference if I buy something made in China at Target for $9.99 or Walmart for $5.99?
Its still made in China. You want to attack corporations, you should be attacking Target and places like that that sell the shame Chinese shit but rape Americans even more with higher prices.
Blame the politicians, blame NAFTA, but don't blame a company with the lowest margins that keeps life affordable for millions of Americans.
-Rich
"Its still made in China. You want to attack corporations, you should be attacking Target and places like that that sell the shame Chinese shit but rape Americans even more with higher prices.
Blame the politicians, blame NAFTA, but don't blame a company with the lowest margins that keeps life affordable for millions of Americans.
-Rich"
Right on, Rich! Why doesn't someone (apparently) intelligent like Keith get it, then? Nothing unpatriotic about success, and nothing unpatriotic about saving money. Keith is blaming the wrong party here. If anything, we're all collectively to blame for our own greed, not Wal-Mart.
I've never understood Wal-Mart bashers anyway. The only people I know who don't like it are union workers, because Wal-Mart refuses to give in to their blackmail. Everyone else loves it!!!
All I know is, I'm going to continue to shop there all the time and I won't feel bad at all about it, regardless of how Keith or anyone else feels about it.
I still don't fully understand the hate Walmart mentality although I suspect it is similar to the hate Microsoft mentality of the 90's.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I shop at Walmart somewhat frequently (at least 15 times a year) and will continue to do so as I'm not holier then the next guy and am playing in the same dirty sandbox created by dishonesty and duplicity everywhere in the world (not just at Walmart).
Do people hate Walmart because it is getting cheap goods on the backs of cheap overseas labor? What is it?? Show me an ethical corporation anywhere and I'll show you a great marketing plan. People at the top are greedy everywhere and this is a truism you really can't dispute.
As far as China bashing is concerned, this country (and Japan) have got us by the proverbial balls in ways you people may never imagine. They are huge creditor nations...we are a huge debtor nation. If they ever decide to dump U.S. (monopoly) dollars on the world market, we are so screwed, and our economy is done. You better pray they don't lose interest in us anytime soon.
Does anyone truly understand what 11 trillion dollars of debt means to this country? One day we are so f%^%&d no matter what. We are slaves to the creditor nations. Doesn't anyone understand that as slaves they own us and our economic future and it has nothing to do with Walmart? It is much bigger then that.
People, please understand, our government is immensely corrupt (both parties) and the American people can't see past their next McMansion and Escalade to even care. We are all to blame for a mess of epic proportions that will one day reveal itself in economic catastrophe.
The truth kinda sucks, doesn't it...
I'm assuming that Wal Mart is just a visible target. It is impossible to live in the US and not buy the majority of your goods from China. I think you're off base with this unless you are simply trying to point out the obvious. Criticism without a solution is just whining.
By the way, love the anonymous racist comments. You guys are real winners.
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