Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

It’s a commonly used phrase.  “Put your money where your mouth is.” In my family the challenge was made when one party was claiming something that another party disbelieved or disagreed with and so a wager ensued.  I know we did this fairly often but the only one I remember clearly is a fifteen cent wager made with my brother about fifty years ago.  In the strictest sense I did win the bet but our dad (the ultimate authority on these things) called it a draw.  A variation I learned many years later is “Money talks and bullshit walks.”  The Urban Dictionary has this to say about that phrase: Means that cheap talk will get you nowhere, while money will persuade people to do as you like.

That is where I find myself now.  Not so much in the fashion of buying influence but in using my dollars wisely and in accordance to my political, ethical and social beliefs.  I love a good bargain as much as the next person but I’m willing to pay a few dollars more at a local retailer instead of a big chain because these are the kinds of businesses I want to support.  And the flip side is true as well.  

I choose not to shop at Hobby Lobby because I don’t agree with their views on healthcare for their employees.  I don’t eat at Chick-Fil-A because of the owners’ anti-LGBT stance.  (Although I do say blessings to the Orlando Chick-Fil-A location who went in on a Sunday, made food and then took it to the folks involved after a lunatic shot up the Pulse Night killing/injuring over 100 people.)  When I found out that the paper towels and toilet paper (Sparkle and Angel Soft respectively) were part of the Georgia Pacific conglomerate owned by the Koch Brothers, I switched to Bounty and Charmin because at this point, Proctor and Gamble have a decent track record.

I’ll admit that I am a huge fan of New Balance Shoes and have been wearing them for years.  They make a style that corrects for a deformity in the way I walk.  The shoes are very rugged and will take a beating.  They’re comfortable, they fit me well and they’re actually made in America.  What’s not to love, right?  What’s not so lovable is that an officer of the company made a Pro-Trump statement to the Wall Street Journal shortly after the presidential election last year.  They’ve attempted to walk it back (pun intended) by saying that they were referring to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal but the timing of their comment leaves much room for doubt.

This morning I sent an email to New Balance to let them know I’d no longer be buying their shoes and why I had come to that decision.  I said that even though they had an excellent product that was manufactured in the U.S.A., I could not support a company that felt the election of Donald Trump was a good thing.  They can publish all the retractions and explanations they want to.  They can shout from the roof tops how they do not “tolerate bigotry or hate in any form.”  If they really want me and others like me to reconsider, they’ll make a tangible show of support for anti-hate groups.  Because as the saying goes, money talks and bullshit walks.

New Balance, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.