At the Green Place, It's All About Blue, White and Red

 

Over at Little Green Footballs, on Mr. Johnson’s open thread for Katrina conversation, the lizardoids are discussing which corporations, the red or the blue, are giving more to the rescue operations in the aftermath of the hurricane. Red? Blue? Is this like halal and haram? Kosher foods?

We lead a sheltered life at Gates. Living in the Middle of Beyond, sans media except for the internet and a few magazines (books don’t count as media. They are stacked everywhere. The Baron, who claims he can do anything that requires brains and no skill, has suggested we call someone with both attributes — i.e., a carpenter — to add more bookcases to our collection). Thus, we were not aware of the depth of the political polarization in our good country. The breadth is obvious, but the depth is disturbing. Corporations, it seems, are either Red or Blue.

At BuyBlue.org, there is an alphabetical listing that lists the colors various companies fly. Some are deep blue, some lighter. Some are blood red, some a bit pink. And still others are white; these evidently are neutral. BuyBlue has a motto: In today’s America there is a more powerful act than voting blue and that’s BUYING BLUE (their emphasis).

This is a fascinating balkanization. Do you remember when Christian groups were ridiculed by liberals for suggesting that Christians should support Christian stores and businesses? Now it seems the Politically Correct thing to do. Imitation remains the sincerest form of flattery, doesn’t it?

Things I noticed: my car insurance is deep blue. Geico is blood red. Google, upon whom these words are written, is deep blue — something one can see in their screening of news stories sometimes. If a rival to Goog rose up, would the Vast Right Wing fly off in their direction? Does it make you uneasy that Google is so very friendly with the Chinese government?

There was no need to check Walmart’s color. Just from the invective flecks of foam spuming from the mouths of the progressives (love that new term) one can surmise that Walmart is too, too red for words. Or at least that appears to be the reason for their irrational reactivity regarding Walmart’s very existence. While I don’t shop at Walmart — it’s depressingly large somehow — I do go there online, especially to compare prices. And they deliver by mail.

What do you think? Is the color of a company’s politics a good reason to buy there or to boycott those who support programs you don’t like? Or should you simply continue to go to those places which provide value and service?

What a strange divide. What a strange website. What a wild and wooly country. To BuyBlue I say, bring it on, Blueseys!

Hmmm…I wonder what color my shoe store is? And how did Amazon turn red? Jeff Bezoz, why did I suppose you'd turn up blue and cyanotic like Google?