What price green?
Say what you will about Wal-Mart -- and I don't shop there myself -- it has two great big things going for it, in terms of contributions to our culture:
1. Many lower-middle-class people save lots and lots of money there.
2. It has enough market power that, if it's serious about going "green," it could have a huge impact on the environment.
So while I was fascinated by the reportage in this week's New Yorker story on Wal-Mart, I was surprised at its nasty tone. Jeffrey Goldberg does not allow Wal-Mart executives to claim they like the company's low prices, efficient distribution, or environmental potential. He dismisses them as not only greedy, but hypocritical.
Not that I'm defending Wal-Mart. Goldberg effectively documents the many abuses and injustices heaped upon its labor force. Others have documented the effect of Wal-Mart and its big-box cronies on small-town main streets. You can make a powerful argument that big-box stores are inherently unsustainable.
But if the behemoth is going to do something right -- and then hire Democrats to publicize it -- it strikes me as an opportunity to weigh and discuss, not to mock.
Is my funny-meter just not working today (I did love Goldberg's mockery of Rich Little)? Comment below or via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
1. Many lower-middle-class people save lots and lots of money there.
2. It has enough market power that, if it's serious about going "green," it could have a huge impact on the environment.
So while I was fascinated by the reportage in this week's New Yorker story on Wal-Mart, I was surprised at its nasty tone. Jeffrey Goldberg does not allow Wal-Mart executives to claim they like the company's low prices, efficient distribution, or environmental potential. He dismisses them as not only greedy, but hypocritical.
Not that I'm defending Wal-Mart. Goldberg effectively documents the many abuses and injustices heaped upon its labor force. Others have documented the effect of Wal-Mart and its big-box cronies on small-town main streets. You can make a powerful argument that big-box stores are inherently unsustainable.
But if the behemoth is going to do something right -- and then hire Democrats to publicize it -- it strikes me as an opportunity to weigh and discuss, not to mock.
Is my funny-meter just not working today (I did love Goldberg's mockery of Rich Little)? Comment below or via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
