Family Values
Family Values
In my town, a minister of a contemporary church spouts family values. He preaches against the evil and sin in the world and asks us to pray with him (and give money to his church). Recently, he has been arrested for indecent exposure. A year before, he was arrested for drunk driving. How hypocritical is that!
I know that each of us are flawed because we are human and I don't expect a minister to be a saint. But I would expect a minister who preaches family values to be upholding them. There are many many people in this world who have not been arrested for drunk driving or exposure. These offenses are not minor, like a parking ticket or an honest mistake like a car accident. These are sinful choices that he deliberately made.
Recently, I received a written scolding after suggesting to a published author that she not recommend Walmart as a retail store to buy her books. I have a problem with a corporation that puts profits over the well-being of their employees. It is a documented fact that the wages Walmart pays are below poverty level and that fewer than 20 percent of employees have medical, retirement, or other benefits.
What made the scolding even more ~interesting~ is this author writes Christian inspirational books. She sees Walmart not an an "evil entity", but as a store with strong family values.
WalMart is a store that promotes family values by refusing to carry music CDs with lyrics containing explicit sexual and violent language. WalMart is a store that wields enormous power over romance publishers because it won't sell books with racy covers. WalMart is the single largest retailer of mass-market and bestselling romance novels, so many publishers (including Harlequin) design their bookcovers with WalMart standards in mind. I'm glad about all of that.
WalMart is very much aware that a huge percentage of their customers are conservative Christians. That's why they sell all kinds of Christian books, videos, and music CDs. That's why they're bucking the national trend and wishing customers a "Merry Christmas" when other stores have watered that down to "Happy Holidays." For a secular store, WalMart is EXTREMELY friendly to conservative Christians.
She also noted that Walmart is a good employer.
I don't believe that WalMart treats its employees badly and rapes local economies. My mother-in-law worked at WalMart for years and loved it. She made a fair wage and worked her way up to department manager. She retired about four years ago, but is still a WalMart shareholder. The WalMart she worked for has provided many needed jobs in her small Texas town. That WalMart has boosted, not hurt, the local economy. It has also made a number of charitable contributions that have directly benefited that town.
That statement may be true for a small Texas town that had no other retail stores, but it's not true for many northern larger towns. The wages received in a small Texas town may be good for a person in a dual income household. But those same wages will not supply a single mother living up north with two children all the money she needs to survive.
I am of the belief that a person's actions speak louder than their words. Walmart is only promoting "family values" as a facade for marketing. They wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money. If Walmart was truly a family friendly corporation, why won't they treat their own employees with more consideration?
It can be done. Costco is a well known retail corporation that may not have a strong presence in the "fammly values" arena, but their employment policies are extremely family friendly. They pay higher wages then Walmart and provide full benefits. In return they have a higher retention rate among employees with less turnover. Walmart does not care about the well being of their workers, Costco treats them fairly, a true "family value."
Preaching family values and living them are two entirely different phenomenon. Actions speak much louder than words.
In my town, a minister of a contemporary church spouts family values. He preaches against the evil and sin in the world and asks us to pray with him (and give money to his church). Recently, he has been arrested for indecent exposure. A year before, he was arrested for drunk driving. How hypocritical is that!
I know that each of us are flawed because we are human and I don't expect a minister to be a saint. But I would expect a minister who preaches family values to be upholding them. There are many many people in this world who have not been arrested for drunk driving or exposure. These offenses are not minor, like a parking ticket or an honest mistake like a car accident. These are sinful choices that he deliberately made.
Recently, I received a written scolding after suggesting to a published author that she not recommend Walmart as a retail store to buy her books. I have a problem with a corporation that puts profits over the well-being of their employees. It is a documented fact that the wages Walmart pays are below poverty level and that fewer than 20 percent of employees have medical, retirement, or other benefits.
What made the scolding even more ~interesting~ is this author writes Christian inspirational books. She sees Walmart not an an "evil entity", but as a store with strong family values.
WalMart is a store that promotes family values by refusing to carry music CDs with lyrics containing explicit sexual and violent language. WalMart is a store that wields enormous power over romance publishers because it won't sell books with racy covers. WalMart is the single largest retailer of mass-market and bestselling romance novels, so many publishers (including Harlequin) design their bookcovers with WalMart standards in mind. I'm glad about all of that.
WalMart is very much aware that a huge percentage of their customers are conservative Christians. That's why they sell all kinds of Christian books, videos, and music CDs. That's why they're bucking the national trend and wishing customers a "Merry Christmas" when other stores have watered that down to "Happy Holidays." For a secular store, WalMart is EXTREMELY friendly to conservative Christians.
She also noted that Walmart is a good employer.
I don't believe that WalMart treats its employees badly and rapes local economies. My mother-in-law worked at WalMart for years and loved it. She made a fair wage and worked her way up to department manager. She retired about four years ago, but is still a WalMart shareholder. The WalMart she worked for has provided many needed jobs in her small Texas town. That WalMart has boosted, not hurt, the local economy. It has also made a number of charitable contributions that have directly benefited that town.
That statement may be true for a small Texas town that had no other retail stores, but it's not true for many northern larger towns. The wages received in a small Texas town may be good for a person in a dual income household. But those same wages will not supply a single mother living up north with two children all the money she needs to survive.
I am of the belief that a person's actions speak louder than their words. Walmart is only promoting "family values" as a facade for marketing. They wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money. If Walmart was truly a family friendly corporation, why won't they treat their own employees with more consideration?
It can be done. Costco is a well known retail corporation that may not have a strong presence in the "fammly values" arena, but their employment policies are extremely family friendly. They pay higher wages then Walmart and provide full benefits. In return they have a higher retention rate among employees with less turnover. Walmart does not care about the well being of their workers, Costco treats them fairly, a true "family value."
Preaching family values and living them are two entirely different phenomenon. Actions speak much louder than words.
posted by ~~Olivia | 7:47 AM
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