The Whole Foods Boycott

by tristero

As one of the first bloggers (if not the first) both to object to Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey’s insane op-ed opposing healthcare reform and to suggest a boycott of Whole Foods, let me be among the first to agree with Michael Pollan that the chain should not be boycotted. I, for one, plan on immediately shopping again at Whole Foods, assuming, of course, that they’ve cut all corporate ties with John Mackey.

Until then, Whole Foods is more than welcome to make their money catering to all the hordes of Mackey’s fellow conservatives who just love to shop there. People, for example, like this brilliant mind. She makes such a tremendously convincing case that elitist liberal scum (like Michael Pollan) want her to pay more for her food thereby depriving her of the scratch to purchase common salt-of-the earth American goods like Ikea; or that wholesome, inexpensive treat sold at all NASCAR rallies: Haagen Daz ice cream; or that third set of overpriced designer sneakers.

And oh! How she’ll love the prices at Whole Foods!

[Update: I hope it is clear that the gaping hole in Pollan’s argument is not that Mackey is a rightwing lunatic. Of course, he has every right to be a rightwing lunatic. No, the problem Pollan deliberately elides is that Mackey very publicly advocated far right nonsense and heaped contempt on the values of his customers. In short, Mackey has publicly bitten the hands that feed him.

I don’t care whether Whole Foods takes a stand in favor of healthcare reform, although it certainly would make self-interested corporate sense if they did. As far as I’m concerned, they simply need to stay neutral from this debate. But as long as their CEO feels it necessary to publicly advocate against the wishes of its customers, I see no reason why I can’t pick up my food at farmer’s markets and other sources. Of course, some of the suppliers are as politically nuts as Mackey, but they don’t go around rubbing their customers’ noses in that fact.

If Mackey wants to use Whole Foods as a bully pulpit to sell rightwing garbage, that’s totally cool with me, it’s a free country. And Ill be happy to shop at Whole Foods again once they return to their main business, which is not selling junk ideas but selling decent food.]