As if their
silly story on Wal-Mat being a reform agent in China wasn't enough, TIME magazine has another long love poem preaching the virtues of Wal-Mart. It's called
"Wal-Mart's Urban Romance". It's about how great they are to the Black community:
In the past decade, the world's biggest retailer has been portrayed as a brutal giant, accused of wiping out small businesses, union busting, discrimination against female employees, employing illegal immigrants--not to mention the knock, vehemently disputed by the company, of being a low payer. But recently one of America's most embattled corporations has found an ally in one of America's most embattled demographics. No longer content to let its profits do the talking, Wal-Mart is trying to remake its image, in some measure with the aid of inner-city African Americans. The math is simple: Wal-Mart offers stores and jobs to poor black communities that are hemorrhaging both. Meanwhile, those communities extol the virtues of Wal-Mart, offering a buffer against the company's critics.
TIME's only voice critical of Wal-Mart is Jesse Jackson. He gets a sentence in the story. Then he's immediately followed by this:
Jackson is "entitled to his opinion, but he's never been involved with the West Side. He doesn't even come on the West Side," says Melvin Bailey, a local activist. "You'll hear a saying around here, and that is that a little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing." Denise Carter, 63, who lives in West Chicago and is disabled and retired, sees Wal-Mart as a salvation. "I'm happy Wal-Mart is coming," she says. "We need more bargains, and we need more jobs. I'm hoping I can take my grandson and granddaughter up there."
In the interest of fairness, and because I still feel guilty about voting for Mike Dukakis in 1988 (I was a Paul Simon guy, but he was out of the race by the time of my primary day), I'm going to give Jackson more space here:
"I urge Chicago and communities across the nation to stop the Wal-Mart-ization of our economy. Some may say `these jobs are better than no jobs,' and are attracted to Wal-Mart's promise of `jobs and low prices,' especially in these times of high unemployment and the need for community economic development. But a closer look at Wal-Mart exposes it as a Confederate economic Trojan horse. On the outside, it looks like a show horse. But open it up and what do you see: jobs at welfare level wages; jobs without health care benefits; jobs without the right to organize; a Wal-Mart that forces out local small business and throws their workers into the unemployment lines....
"This month, the communities of Chicago must place their vote in Wal-Mart's path. It will be a signal to communities everywhere that the giant monopoly Wal-Mart, the largest private sector company in the world, with all of its economic power and wealth, can and will be defeated. We must stand up. Let us not forget that Dr. King spent his final days organizing for the right to organize, for livable wages and health care benefits for all. The shadow of his life obligates us to fight Wal-Mart; we will not change our course. Wal-Mart must change its course."
With coverage like this, you should really consider canceling your subscription.
JR