Campbells or Liptons?

A few blogs back, I wrote about how I got the boxed Lipton chicken soup as a child when I was sick, which I preferred to Campbells. After all, I only got it when I was sick. But recently, the "I have the right to run your life" people tried to pressure Campbell's to pull ads that showed a lesbian couple who were professional chefs. Campbells resisted. This prompted people in the LGBT and Straight Ally community to write a thank you to Campbells. This is what they wrote back. The sentence in bold is my emphasis.


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"Thank you for your support regarding our advertisement in The Advocate. Over the last several months, we have received an outpouring of support. While gratifying, it makes it impractical to write back to each of you personally. Nonetheless, we wanted to acknowledge receipt of your email and thank you. At Campbell, our mission is to build the world’s most extraordinary food company by nourishing peoples’ lives everywhere, every day. People from all walks of life enjoy our products—from Swanson broth and stock, Campbell’s soups and V8 beverages to Pace Salsa, Prego pasta sauce and Pepperidge Farm breads, cookies and crackers. You can be assured that diversity and inclusion will remain important to our company because these principles are important to our business. This fact will continue to be reflected in our global marketing plans across our portfolio. Our position on diversity in advertising is simple: we will continue to advertise our products to a broad array of people in ways that are relevant and meaningful to them. Again, thank you for your support. Sincerely yours, Chris SlagerVice President – MarketingCampbell Soup Company"

Hmmm, hmmm, good.Now, if the good people who make food can figure out to show everyone respect, can't our government? Aren't we "customers" of the government? Don't we "pay" them (it's called taxes) to provide us with security and protection? Maybe we should have more say in whether or not we want to fund certain government expenditures. Put it all on eBay or Craigslist. When you pay your taxes, donate them to what works for you.

I know... crazy. But... I think I made a point in there somewhere. How amazing that capitalism is light years ahead when it comes to the LGBT movement. Many companies provide benefits for domestic partners, have anti-discrimination rules. They know what is good for business. If people who want to make a profit can do this, why can't the people who claim to serve our country, and the people who claim to serve God, do the same?

Note to self: Now I have the excuse I need to buy Pepperidge Farm cookies in those cute little bags.