Right-Wing Boycott? Yeah, I'll Be Buying That

In the wake of the spree killing of eight people in Atlanta, online retailer Zulily announced it would donate $200,000 to #StopAsianHate.

And the uproar was almost instantaneous.

The number of people, especially suburban white women, who immediately said they would never buy from Zulily again was deafening.

Don't think about the fact that a day ago, or even a post ago, they were complaining about cancel culture. To hear them tell it, it was horrible that the Dr. Seuss' estate decided not to continue print six of his low-selling books which contained racist imagery. And they don't even want to talk about what happened with Pepe LePew.

But a retailer took a stance against hatred and suddenly cancel culture, otherwise known as an economic boycott, is perfectly fine. In fact, it's imperative.

Sigh.

The frustrating part is that the women doing this look a lot like me. They are predominantly white, middle class, and live in the suburbs.

And the truth of the matter is that I'm very much in favor of companies making their political stances known. Just like I'm never going to spend a dime with the My Pillow guy, I'm more likely to spend money with companies I support.

One of the big ones last year was Penzeys Spices.

Penzeys were big supporters of the impeachment of former President Donald Trump. I'd heard that they were amazing spices and well worth the money from a ton of friends, but I couldn't justify paying double the cost for things like Spanish Smoked Paprika just because it was a little better.

But when they offered a promotion to have a percentage of the money I spent on their spies to promote the impeachment, the first one, I couldn't resist.

Turns out, their spices are actually worth the extra money.

Then, they showed their true colors with the Black Lives Matter movement. After someone challenged them saying they wouldn't have been so supportive if one of their stores had been looted, they "looted" their own store and donated all the inventory to food pantries and hunger-fighting organizations in primarily Black neighborhoods.

So, I spent some more money with them. I got spices for me, hot cocoa sets as gifts, and a bunch of grill spices for my favorite pit master.

I continue to support them because their product is excellent AND because I believe in the causes they support. Virtually all my friends have a Choose Love magnet on their refrigerators because Penzeys also actively supports charities that help members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

When I heard that Zulily was becoming one of the next right-wing boycott targets, I was actually pretty stoked. I don't need any more clothes. In fact, I've been trying to convince myself to get rid of some of my old favorites that are showing the signs of being well-loved, but I'm not so good at saying goodbye.

But Zulily pops up on my social media feeds pretty often with something cute that I usually talk myself out of because do I really need another snarky sweatshirt?

After today, the answer is yes. I do need another snarky sweatshirt, maybe two. And I definitely need those purple rain boots I'd been considering. I mean they're purple rain boots. And here in Philly, it rains. Often.

Then there was this coat-length charcoal gray hooded cardigan. When I'm not wearing a snarky hoodie or a snarky t-shirt, and sometimes with a snarky t-shirt, I'm currently loving cardigans. So, that was a no brainer as well.

Ultimately, influencers and social media don't usually convince me to buy things. Most of the time, their tastes and mine aren't the same, but when I find that people who look sort of like me are trying to boycott a company for supporting good liberal causes, I'm all in.

If you see me, you'll know just by looking who I am. I'll be the one in the purple rain boots and long gray cardigan and the shirt that says "A woman's place is in the resistance." I just couldn't resist.