As this is a Presidential election year, I shouldn't have been surprised that the "culture wars" have heated up again.
What has surprised me is how virulent it's been.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been consumed by tasks related to my work over at the MOMocrats -- much of it having to do with Susan G. Komen's phenomenally badly received decision to defund breast cancer screenings by Planned Parenthood. And then came last week's brouhaha over contraception.
So I was already weary when I heard that an organization calling itself the "One Million Moms" was organizing a boycott of JC Penney for contracting Ellen DeGeneres as their new spokesperson.
I remember this "Million Moms" group for their previous boycott of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, because they created a flavor called "Schweddy Balls" -- after the old SNL sketch with Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon as NPR food hosts and Alec Baldwin as an artisan baker. It's a silly sketch with an obvious joke -- and it never fails to make me laugh...
...unlike the "Million Moms," who apparently have no sense of humor whatsoever (which in my book, is even worse than trying to bully the rest of the country into receding back to some 1930's Hays Code existence).
The "Million Moms" are "fed up with the filth [of] many segments of our society," specifically with our entertainment media. They don't think Ellen DeGeneres is a good role model for their children because she happens to be a lesbian. It doesn't matter that she's kind, and personable, and smart and funny.
That's their opinion and they've got a right to it, and they even have a right to organize their silly boycott. Thank goodness that most of the country appears to have made the transition into the 21st Century.
JC Penney refused to bow to the pressure. For one thing, the "Million Moms" only seems to consist of a few thousand. But the bottom line is, Ellen DeGeneres is a beloved entertainer, and who the hell cares how she lives her personal life? She was hired to sell JCP as a shopping destination. I don't see how her presence in their advertising does anything to contribute to the nation's moral decay (unless you are of the ilk that gays and lesbians should not visibly contribute to society -- in which case, you probably feel the same way about Jews and Hispanics and anyone else who isn't exactly like you).
Anyway: most people I know are appalled by this, and blogger Tracey Gaughan-Perez (a.k.a. Sweetney) came up with an easy way to take action and show JCP our support for their choice: a shop-in.
I was one of thousands of people around the country (many who had never stepped foot in a Penney store) who took part in this yesterday -- and I even got my friend GiGi to join in, as you can see in my little vlog below:
By the way: The "Million Moms" are also angry at Macy's for running a commercial that features two grooms on a wedding cake. I may have to use them as an excuse to do a little shopping there, too.