The Mississippi Based anti-gay hate group “American Family Association” was founded (under a different name) by the well known anti-Semite Reverend Donald Wildmon to battle pornographic television shows such as “Three’s Company” and “Dallas.” About two years ago, the AFA initiated a boycott against Ford Motor Company to attempt to force Ford to change certain practices. The following Crimes Against the Family were cited by the Christian based conservative Republican wingnut AFA:1. Diversity training of managers.2. Providing benefits to same sex partners.3. Advertising in gay media.4. Producing ads (mainly overseas) for some products (mainly Volvo and Jaguar) that invluded erotic symbols tied to homosexual activities5. Supporting gay organizations or activities with financial donations.An example of advertising in gay media includes a Volvo ad on th back of an issue of Advocate (a gay magazine) which included an article on “Gay Polygamy … how gay men handle multiple sexual partners.”I have not been able to find documentation of support Ford has given other than possibly indirectly through advertising to “gay organizations.”Earlier this year, Ford is said to have “caved” to the AFA’s absurd and anti-American and embarassingly moronic demands. However, this is not true. Ford appears to have agreed to a small number of changes in policy that seem either not related closely to AFA’s main ‘concerns,’ or have otherwise ignored AFA’s demands. The following is the list of changes that AFA claims ford will make (remember, this is from AFA, which as a Christian organization cannot be assumed to be honest in their public rhetoric, owing to the peculiar Christian ethic that it is OK to sin … lie, cheat, steal, etc. …. if you decide such activities would promote the Christian religion):1. Ford would not renew current promotions or create future incentives that give cash donations to homosexual organizations based on the purchase of a vehicle.2. Ford would not make corporate donations to homosexual organizations that, as part of their activities, engage in political or social campaigns to promote civil unions or same-sex marriage.3. Ford would stop giving cash and vehicle donations or endorsements to homosexual social activities such as Gay Pride parades.4. Ford would cease all advertising on homosexual Web sites and through homosexual media outlets (magazines, television, radio) in the U.S. with the exception of $100,000 to be used by Volvo. The Volvo ads would be the same ads used in the general media and not aimed at the homosexual community specifically.Please note the following:1. I cannot comment on the cash promotions and donations to homosexual organizations provision as I have not seen documentation of this activity and it is not clear what it means. I strongly suspect that this was something that either never happened or that occurred indirectly through the Foundation of Ford Inc, which is how most donations are passed on. By this measure, almost every single large company in the US is anti-gay because they give money to, say, The United Way, which in turn gives money to the Boy Scouts. And so on.2. One of the main sets of complaints the increasingly impotent AFA made was in regards to homo erotic ads (such as a Volvo ad showing an emergency break as a stand in for a gay male erection indicating great excitement over an upcoming homosexually oriented carnival like event in Australia). Well, according to this agreement, Volvo gets to keep doing what it wants with its ads.3. This set of statements i preceded by this sentence: “The original agreement contained four items” and is followed with this sentence: “A few minor issues remain, and we will continue to bring these to the attention of Ford. But basically Ford has met the terms of the agreement. We are therefore suspending the boycott.”Clearly, the AFA saw enough light to claim a victory even though there clearly would never be a victory. Some of Ford’s activities are required by law or best practices in HR, others are probably part of the standard corporate methodology of giving money way, and in this area, a group like the AFA will never be satisfied. Still other activities, such as advertising, are required to keep the business going and to satisfy stockholders. The only thing that seems to have actually changed is that Ford tried out some edgy over the top advertising that they knew might cause cause problems. It did . So they sheepishly back away from that an later on will surely try again.If FORD is Found On Road Dead, then what does AFA stand for?SourcesAFAMore AFAAmericablogWikipedia on AFADispatchesCMI
Have you read the breakthrough novel of the year? When you are done with that, try:
or Paperback
*Please note:
Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
Ok, a couple things…First, I won’t buy a Ford ever because:A)They cave and pander to bigots and hate mongers (assuming there is some kernel of truth here – and yes, that’s assuming a lot.)B.) The recent incident where the Mojave car dealership was mongering hate against non-Christians.C.) Their cars suck.(FWIW, we own two Hyundais and love them dearly. Never had a problem from either of them.)Second, AFA:Ass Fuckers Anonymous (the bigger the homophobe, the deeper the closet)
AFA=American fetishists association?
Maybe the anti-atheist adverts out in Mojave convinced the AFA (American Fecalphages Anonymous) that Ford has come over to the narrow-minded side.
I had to read one bit multiple times. The AFA think “Three’s Company” is pornographic? WTF?!?!? Based on innuendo, maybe, but the whole point was that nothing ever happened. The only possibility for porno has to exist purely in the viewer’s mind. Which tells us what the folks at AFA spend their time thinking about and envisaging.
Not only does the AFA think “Three’s Company” is pornographic, but recently network television seems less tolerant of what TiTtilation the show did offer. A couple of years back Some show whose name and purpose I no longer recall was showing clips of “TC” and the one thing that haunts me to this day was the fact that in each clip SUZANNE SOMMERS’ BRALESS JIGGLIES WERE BLURRED OUT!!! HELL! OMGWTFBBQ!!?! Someone needs to be brought up on charges of Crimes Against Humanity, I tells ya!2)”well known anti-Semite Reverend Donald Wildmon” -???I’ve heard of Wildmon and the AFA for years, but not that particular charge. A brief (admittedly, very – like four minutes) web search turned up nothing. Documentation, please.
I’m surprised you did not find anything. Wildmon is very well known as an antisemite. He has hollywood and the TV industry as the ultimate enemy, and he has the Jewish Conspiracy running those industries.Normally I do not respond well to requests to do other people’s homework, but OK, I’ll help you out this one time….
http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/8906/wildmon.htmlthat was from a very quick google search on “Wildmon jewish” but in the references I give above in the original post or links therefrom you will find more . Just look him up in wikipedia. 24 seconds on a bad internet connection!!!!
I am just curious how exactly a group is automatically deemed hateful and evil because they happen to be a different religion than you. In their practice of their religion they deem that homosexuality is a sin and therefore wrong. Have they physically assaulted you or are they just stating their opinion. Because in my book they are two extremely different things. Muslim people deem that westerners, and more exactly Jewish and Christian, are the infidels who must therefore die. When I say this I am not saying all feel this way but a good majority of the terrorist community feels this way. You have no problem with going after the terrorists who may threaten your civil liberties yet you don not feel the need to allow Christian’s their freedom to say whatever they feel like saying. You talk about how you don’t appreciate Christians because they are liars, hypocrites, and cheats. Yet not all of the Christian community is this way, and you have no problem with discriminating against all Christian based off the actions of a few. To me that would seem to be discrimination, which you are opposed to. So does this make you hypocrites also.
Pete, I don’t think you have any idea what discrimination is. It isn’t the same thing as dislike. Nor is having the freedom to say something the same thing as being exempt from all consequences of your statements.Nice conflation of Muslims with the “majority of the terrorist community,” by the way. Wasn’t your point that not all Christians should be judged by the AFA?
they deem that homosexuality is a sin and therefore wronBy my standards of humanism, it is not their right to make that judgment. By the standards of their own religion, in fact, it is not their right, but they are ignorant.Muslim people deem that westerners, and more exactly Jewish and Christian, are the infidels who must therefore die.I have a lot of Muslim friends and colleagues, and not one of them thinks this. What really happens is that a log of rwf Christians judge Muslims as terrorists. That is not correct, but they (these Christians) are ignorant.You have no problem with going after the terrorists who may threaten your civil liberties yet you don not feel the need to allow Christian’s their freedom to say whatever they feel like sayingActually, that is not really true. I have a more informed and nuanced opinion of this. I see no special reason to call Palestinian militants terrorists but gun toting zionists in the territories not. I know a number of people who were labeled as terrorists in South Africa. They are now part of the government. The world is not as simple as you seem to be describing it.Yet not all of the Christian community is this way, and you have no problem with discriminating against all Christian based off the actions of a few.You are correct. I am saying the the Christians what many say to the Muslims: Clean up your act. Police yourselves. Cast aside the fundamentalists (who are all liars and often terrorists). Take those people who are speaking in tongues and get them psychiatric help. Investigate the sects and cults to root out groups like “The Family” and the “Peoples Temple” and so on.There is absolutely no move on the part of any significant number of Christians as far as I can see to attend to their on flock.
Greg, I think you underestimate how large a change this is. In particular, the change in policy for advertising could be quite a lot of money. Now granted they are only changing the policy in the United States. We really would need to know how much money Ford normally spent on advertisements in the United States aimed at gays and how.