 |
 |
 |
|
Re: Monday, May 19, 2003
On the Wal-Mart tip, while the ownership may have "folksy" values at heart, the truth is they drive local business into bankrupcy, which is hardly justified by the $7/hr greeter jobs they offer in return. They are the largest employer in 21 states and their cultural concerns definitely figure into every supplier's decision-making. Given that they've clearly got an agenda, that "we're a small town company" attitude can take on an ominous edge. Small towns -- or rather, isolated communities -- are not only where everybody knows your name. They're also where you get the shit kicked out of you for being from the outside, for being the wrong color having the wrong hair or taste in sexual partners. It cuts both ways. If there were a similar mega-chain with "big city" tastes, I'd feel better about the whole ying-yang of it all. As it is, the unifying effect that mega-chains have on our culture (along with the homogeneity that seeps outward from evey strip mall and starbucks) is one of the more distressing things about contemporary America. There's something about uniformity and blandness that just seems un-american to me. Too much Keasy in my bones, no doubt. There are responses to this message:
|
