Lowe(‘s) Blow… By Whitney Farmer – Un Pop Culture

December 15, 2011 Whitney Farmer 2 Comments

Whitney runs a rock music venue on the beach in L.A.. She has an M.B.A, and sometimes wears scarves only because she wants to.

Last week, Lowe’s Home Improvement elected to pull advertising from TLC’s reality show “All-American Muslim”, issuing a statement apologizing for having “managed to make some people very unhappy.”

“Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lightning rod for many of those views,” the statement said. “As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.

In an interview on CNN Tuesday morning, Russell Simmons said that he is calling for a war against Lowe’s and wouldn’t stop until he, “…has the CEO’s head.” He used those words.

Suehaila Amen, star of “All-American Muslim”, told The Detroit News on Sunday that she was “…saddened that any place of business would succumb to bigots and people trying to perpetrate their negative views on an entire community…”. Ms. Amen undoubtedly conducted this interview displaying hijab draping, specified to comply with Islamic modesty requirements of both men and women but enforced, sometimes violently, only against women.

Right back at ‘ya, Ms. Amen.

Lowe’s has intentionally differentiated itself in the home improvement market sector as being female-friendly. Store fixtures of the contractor-orange of Home Depot that give male homeowners a sense of builder cred as they shop for supplies for weekend projects are not present at Lowe’s. Orange is present only as part of color spots in the garden department or as unavoidable features of power tool inventory. The overhead muzak resonates with women of childbearing age who therefore are likely to be in a nesting mood. Hits from the 80s and 90s wash over Lowe’s shoppers as they shop for washers and washing machines. The front of the store is packed with inventory that is meant to incite impulse purchases in women. The outer façade of the stores are often painted with trompe l’oeil features that women notice more often than men, creating the impression of entering a villa-in-the-making, a perfect message for women consumers in charge of making home improvement buying decisions.

Based on the longstanding market niche strategy exhibited by Lowe’s, the conflict should come not over why they pulled advertising dollars from “All-American Muslim”, but why they dedicated money to this media content in the first place.

Every culture has aspects worthy of poster-child of civilization moments. And every culture has shame-worthy events.  Communities and countries benefit when aspects of all persuasions are equally eligible for scrutiny, leading to either adoption or rejection. This includes Islam. There. I said it. And being in America, my country won’t prosecute me or execute me for speaking.

Aspects of any cultural traditions which endorse enmity against women are eligible for censure, whether through crafting of public policy or through yes/no consumer decisions in the private sector. The Hall of Infamy Against Women continues to include in various communities female infanticide, gender-based abortions, female genital mutilation, child brides, suttee disguised as kitchen fires, rape victims avoiding imprisonment by being forced to marry their rapists (in the news last week…), polygamy, travel restrictions without male consent/escort, hijab requirements which target women rather than both sexes…plus, unequal access to education, earnings, healthcare, and judicial advocacy. These last are American traditional shames that are still being fought against with only occasional sustained progress. Doesn’t mean the battle should end.

Muslim women are often the most vociferous proponents of cultural traditions which limit their freedoms. This self-defeating effort is not unique to them within their culture. Women in power in all societies can be co-perpetrators. They are the ones who keep their daughters from school…take them to be ‘circumsized’ when they hit puberty…The Salem Witch Trials caused many innocents to be executed based on false testimony provided from other women within the community…German mothers gave their daughters to the SS to be breeders for the Master Race…Atrocities require the cooperation of a community to be sustained. Otherwise, it’s just a lonely little aberration.

Muslim women who embrace hijib tradition and say that they wear it by choice and even enjoy it would be more credible if there wasn’t an “or else” attached. They risk at least social ostracism and can even risk their lives by exercising free will that is contrary to their circle of theocratic patriarchy. Battered Wife Syndrome is as real as Stockholm Syndrome, and sometimes the best way to survive is to form an alliance with our tormentors.

There is beauty and extraordinary accomplishment within the Muslim culture. Embracing these does not necessitate accepting those traditions which are abhorrent. EVERY culture which has landed on American soil has come under scrutiny and been refined in this crucible, purged of human rights violations. Problems still exist. These do not demonstrate a failure, but an incomplete work of representative government.

The decision of Lowe’s was all business and not a violation of law.  The cultural aspects displayed on “A-AM” are contrary to Lowe’s consumer focus. Daily, corporations make advertising decisions based on how they want to penetrate a market and maximize profitability. Toy car commercials on TV Saturday morning, real car commercials on Saturday night. The decision to pull ad space on a reality show that portrays aspects of a culture that are antithetical to the quality of life of women was prudent for Lowe’s. Their money, their rules, their right.

Considering recent events, Russell Simmons’ call for economic jihad and using language which could provoke an escalation into the actual is unconscionable.

As for me, I intend to TiVO the reality show of Simmons’ ex-wife Kimora and buy her products, not his. I’m glad he didn’t have her head when she left their marriage, a fate which could have befallen her in too many Islamic communities. I’m going to shop at Lowe’s, regardless of whether Home Depot has a better taco van outside and regardless of whether Lowe’s gets bombed by a jihadist.

And I would prefer not to be violently attacked for writing this article. Yelling at me is okay.

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Quote of the Blog by Scheherazade in “Arabian Nights”: “He said the world was an inferno full of darkness and evil, and that there were only two ways of dealing with it. The first was easy and wrong: To accept it and become a part of it. The second way was harder and right: You fight it, and recognize those who aren’t evil, and help them endure.”