It might take an hour to cut-and-paste the draft letter included and post it to all the retailers (linked below) . . . more if you feel you need to remove portions. Time well-spent I think.
It is only when they receive several hundred (or ideally thousands) of complaints and perceive a risk of lost revenue that they will reconsider.
Revised letterWalmart
https://corporate.walmart.com/contact-u ... e-feedback
Amazon.com Inc.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact- ... ?skip=true
Sears Holdings.
http://www.searsholdings.com/about/loc.htm
EBay
http://www.ebayinc.com/contact_us
Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/help/contact
Target
https://help.target.com/help/ContactUs
Spencer Gifts
http://www.spencersonline.com/content.j ... me=Contact
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you in reference to a news article posted at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStor ... g-31976447
entitled "Retailers That Have Banned Sales of the Confederate Flag."
According to this article you are among a list of retailers who have announced that you will no longer sell the flag(s) of the Confederate States of America, nor items which bear imagery of such flags (hereinafter referred to as CSA Flag(s)).
First let me say that, I despise the Confederate States of America (CSA).
I regard the CSA as one of the most evil nations to have existed in the last 1000 years. Evil regimes like Nazi Germany brought fire and destruction to the world and provoked a World War that killed 70 to 80 million. The CSA was not nearly so successful, but the goals of that regime were not much different. Nazi Germany movement sought to eliminate all Jews and various other minority and subject peoples for various ideological and rapacious motivations; the end result was to have been a continent ruled by Nazis, populated by Nazis and devoid of anyone else in perpetuity. The CSA in contrast, had a vision of extending the odd racial "labor camp" model of the American south to as much of the Western hemisphere as they could manage. In this hate-based Empire, an entire category of people would have not simply been eradicated from the landscape, but kept in perpetual servitude and denied basic human rights and legal freedoms and protections. Had the CSA not been soundly defeated by the Union, its leaders may well have succeeded in their horrific vision. The CSA was an evil regime and everyone one of us alive today should be thankful that it was defeated and eliminated.
It is perhaps a matter of debate whether a devout Nazi was more or less exorable than was a devout Confederate. Suffice to say, I believe it is reasonable to postulate they are on comparable levels of depravity, inhumanity, cruelty and criminality. However, from my standpoint as an American citizen and resident of the U.S. I must say that my personal loathing for the CSA exceeds that of Nazi Germany. Every day of my life and every day of all or our lives in the U.S. we still deal with the legacy of racism and hatred represented in the white supremacist dehumanization of African phenotypes which the Confederacy fought to preserve.
In sum: I am no racist, and I am certainly no supporter of the CSA nor apologist for the CSA.
However, I find that your decision to, "ban" as some have said, products which bear imagery resembling the CSA flag is nearly as upsetting and worrisome as the original ideology that you apparently fear is promoted by such imagery. In truth, I suspect that your decision to take these actions represents little more than a calculated effort to jump on a bandwagon of political correct hysteria that is sweeping the nation, in the wake of the racial tensions, race-baiting and promotion of racial-hatred that has largely been fanned by race-baiting, extremist voices in in American society.
In the first place, the idea that your banning of these items is actually a meaningful act is absurd. In the second place, by taking this action you have set a precedent and opened a door to potentially far more injurious breaches of free speech, education and openness.
If all representations of the CSA flag are to be considered "too offensive" to risk your carrying products that bear such imagery, then what about products which may bear such imagery even though they contain no substantive support for and perhaps even criticism of the CSA and its ideals?
There are many products which might fit into this category, including books, computer game, and even clothing, flags or memorabilia. Does an image of the Confederate flag necessarily constitute "support" for the CSA or its ideals? In banning all such representations from your product line, you have in effect stated such a policy. The implications of such mindless self-censorship are chilling to consider.
“Huckleberry Finn” is arguably one of the most anti-racist books in American history. Nonetheless during the early 20th century it was banned from many libraries simply because it included the derogatory form of the word “negro;” simpleminded reactionaries who could not be bothered to actually read and understand the book took the inclusion of that single word in the book as sufficient sign that the book supported or promoted racism.
“Django Unchained," is a recent hit movie set in the pre-Civil War south which is unquestionably anti-racist and anti-CSA. If any of the advertising or packaging of this movie include a CSA flag, that would, according to the logic of your blanket self-censorship, constitute an unacceptable risk of promoting racism and hatred. Were you to ban a work like “Django Unchained” simply because it included a CSA flag, you would in fact be guilty of undermining a product with a strongly anti-racist and anti-CSA message. The absurdity of your actions is that, by banning all products that bear the CSA flag, you are at risk of undermining education, as well as judicious commentary, much less worthwhile critiques of the racism and hatred of the CSA itself. You are of course, not obliged to sell products which you deem to be offensive. But by declaring that any product that bears a CSA flag IS offensive you have committed the very sort of bigotry and intolerance that you are presumably intending not to promote through your self-censorship.
I support your concern about not contributing to racism or hatred. But I strongly denounce you blanket self-censorship for failing to actually do anything meaningful to act on that concern and for setting a precedent that is likely to promote racism and hatred. By removing all products that bear the CSA flag, you may feel you have acted conscientiously, or at least fashionable in terms of the bandwagon of self-censorship that is sweeping the nation in the wake of the Charleston Massacre. But in fact, with a blanket self-censorship of any product bearing the CSA flag you acted irresponsibly and irrationally. I would ask that you and your legal staff, step back, think hard and reassess your decision to ban all products bearing the CSA flag.
In spite of my loathing of the CSA, as long as you maintain your current policy, which I deem to be censorship, I will make a point of avoiding doing business with you. Moreover, I will communicate my thoughts on the matter widely and encourage others to act as they see fit.