LAT: Wal-Mart Sells 'Brokeback' Amid Conservative Protest

[DeepModem Mom]

Wal-Mart Sells 'Brokeback' Amid Conservative Protest
Christian group accuses the retailer of 'pushing an agenda' by featuring the gay-themed film.
By Claire Hoffman, Times Staff Writer
April 4, 2006

....Today, the largest retailer in the U.S. starts selling DVDs of the film about a gay love affair between two ranchers, despite protests from a national Christian organization.

The 3-million-member American Family Assn. initiated a campaign last week encouraging Wal-Mart customers to ask the company to refuse to stock the Universal film, whose director won an Academy Award last month, in its 3,900 stores.

The Tupelo, Miss.-based group began its campaign last week, after Wal-Mart placed ads with images of the film's stars, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, at the front of stores to promote the DVD release.

"It wasn't even a blockbuster movie, so if Wal-Mart isn't trying to push an agenda, why would they put it at the front door?" said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the association, which calls itself an organization for "people who are tired of cursing the darkness and who are ready to light a bonfire."...

***

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the company didn't advocate specific "lifestyles" and stocked films based on consumer demand. "Brokeback Mountain" has grossed $83 million in domestic ticket sales....Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has a history of bowing to pressure from the American Family Assn. and other organizations on issues of decency....

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-walmart4apr04,0,5333763.story?coll=la-home-business

[eleny]

1. The shitheads don't get it. It's only about profits

[Dulcinea]

19. Money talks. Bullshite walks.

As the old saying goes.

[Midnight Rambler]

2. They're ready to light a bonfire alright

What a revealing quote. They're practically announcing they wanna burn books, or in this case, DVDs.

[Mz Pip]

3. Nobody

is holding a gun to anyone's head forcing them to buy the film or even watch it.

I don't see why these crackpots are so paranoid. If their values are so strong then the mer sight of a DVD should cause anyone to turn gay. :eyes:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[skipos]

6. Didn't you know... the only thing keeping us heterosexuals from going gay

is a 2 hour movie.
:eyes:

[donco6]

13. That's what did it for me.

After a viewing of Rocky Horror, I went gay and never looked back.

[Az_lefty]

27. Simple...

if they don't use wedge issues to draw attention to themselves they lose donations. You see, it's all about money and profits, just like Walmart.

[villager]

4. Villager to AFA: Boycott Wal-Mart! Absolutely!

n/t

[UpInArms]

5. Squal-Mart to the AFA: Who Cares What You Think?

Squal-Mart to the rest of the World: Who Cares What You Think?

The world flocks to Squal-Mart, not caring about their lives :eyes:

It really is all about profits. When did Squal-Mart give a rat's ass about anything else?

[Warpy]

7. Randy, because they know you were just too plain bashful

to go to the theater to see it and they want to make sure you know you can go to one of their all night stores and pick the movie up for multiple viewings at home, with one of your special friends if you can get rid of the little woman for a couple of hours.

[Maat]

29. I think that you hit the nail on the head! (n/t)

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Dilemma! Do I break my vow never to give a dime to Wal-Mart in order

to piss off the AFA?

[rocktivity]

9. Republicans up for re-election

aren't the only ones who have to distance themselves from Bush empire doctrine in order to survive. What do you think all the touchy-feely commercials they've been doing are about?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Raine]

10. Money and profits

that's the only agenda that Walmart and most corporations have, DUH.

[boobooday]

11. Do you know what this means?

It's the end of marriage, and maybe even the missionary position too.

:nuke:

[HuffleClaw]

12. "3-million-member American Family Assn."

what crap is that? more like 3 thousand.

[LostinVA]

22. I didn't even catch that -- you're right!

That's a HUGE membership for an organization like that... I'd like to see what they're basing that number on....

[crankybubba]

30. probably

the amount of mailings they send out no matter if people want it or not.

[RedG1]

14. The American Family Association (AFA)

is the theofascist highly visible phalanx of the Evil Empire called “the evangelical Christian Right.”

They hide behind “non-profit” and other legalities to avoid disclosing who contributes to and funds their political campaigns of hate and discrimination.

Do a Google search about 'American Family Association' and see it wants girls to be weak, stupid and timid, the 'selective' censorship they try, the ties to Jack Abramoff ...
the list is almost endless.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

15. If you do a Google for images WacoBoy David Koresh pops up

David Koresh - "It is beyond reason how I could have possibily thought I would be able to fill the shoes of the true Messiah - Jesus Christ.”

[wicket]

16. Says the AFA: "It wasn't even a blockbuster movie"

It wasn't a blockbuster eh?

Hmmmm.... let's see.

The movie cost $14 million to make:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=brokebackmountain.htm

According to that site it has grossed nearly $83 million in the US, and another $83 million worldwide.

That's a whopping $166 million total!

If that's not a blockbuster, what is?????

:eyes:

[DaveColorado]

17. The AFA is simply a hate organization

Read their website and sign up for their newsletter if you want to see for yourself.

[wicket]

18. They are slime

And a hate organization.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

24. Well, technically, he is right

In Hollywood lingo, a true "blockbuster" is anything that grosses (net has nothing to do with it) over $100 million domestically. ("The Graduate" was the first true blockbuster)

Brokeback was a little shy of that.

[ima_sinnic]

20. the "family" group doesn't care about fair wages, health bennies,

child labor sweatshops, unfair treatment of vendors, ruining of loocal businesses --

dumbasses, it's a retail store, not a church. but do boycott it, whatever your reason, just make sure that it's a permanent boycott, not one of your usual ineffectual "pretend" boycotts.

[stanwyck]

21. Obviously, these folks really do like gay sex

You vote Republican and then wonder why your country has been taken over by greedy corporations who each year claim larger and larger profits while keeping wages and benefits low.
Put down the placards, people, and read.
You're having done to you what you decry so vehemently about "Brokeback".
So. You must like it.
(do these people still not get it? The "Christian values" stuff is pure snake oil. The Bushies laugh at you behind closed doors.)

[gauguin57]

23. Buy your copy of BB Mountain at Costco

much better choice.

[HughBeaumont]

25. 2 MAYEN KISSIN! OH MAH GAWD IN HEV'N!!

Jesus Christ. Whatever happened to "ew" and just walk away if something offends you? No, our state is actually considering a bill to make homosexuality illegal. The rest of the earth has to be protected from what a bunch of rug-wearing whackjobs with crosses find "offensive" (even though it's CLEARLY a case of "me thinks thou dost protest too much"; I mean, let's face it - pornographers don't talk about gay sex in as much detail as fundies do).

If our leaders placed as much energy into helping the poor, working and middle classes as they do on "the homosexual agenda" (whatever the hell that means), we wouldn't be in the economic morass we're in currently. But hey, who cares if you don't have a job? The REAL problem is Adam and Steve want to be husband and husband. That's going to lead to man/dog/cat sex. Dumbshits.

[crankybubba]

26. the afa is right up there

with fred phelps and the westboro baptist church. <yuk>

[baby_mouse]

28. Well, you know what?

I don't give a toss.

Bye bye fundies. May your gonads shrivel and wither.