by Note to the Editor: David M. Perry is a journalist, historian and co-author of “The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe.” He is associate director of undergraduate studies in the history department at the University of Minnesota. Subscribe to their newsletter, “Medieval Modern.” The views expressed here are those of the author. View more opinion on CNN.
The hat was solid gray when I got it, but now it’s faded and splotchy, especially at the brim where a line of sweat distinguishes the light from the dark. He smelled of bug spray, fish and gasoline. Still, the Tractor Supply Company (TSC) logo appears in red and white, with the red lettering, “Here for Life,” adorning the corporate logo.
I don’t wear it much in the winter, because it’s not suitable for indoor use, but when the thaw comes and I start putting my old aluminum boats back in the water, when I start cleaning brush, when my work marks physical the turn of the season, this is the hat I wear. Partly, it’s because I need a comfortable hat when I’m doing work outside, but it also symbolizes something to me. Spring is here. Time to clean up. Burn. Plant. Repair. Address. Fish.
The hat has a history. Before that, I used to wear an old green Red Sox hat when I went out to work or play. But one day, I pulled in a huge carp from the bottom of the St. Croix River and I was so covered in fish slime that I made the terrible mistake of trying to wash my hat, and it got messed up. The TSC hat took its place. I was wearing it when I caught the biggest walleye of my life in May.
After reading something on the internet on Thursday, I took off my hat and threw it in the trash.
That’s because the company — in what it says is an effort to distance itself from “non-business activities” — went on a right-wing boycott campaign and announced it would abandon its diversity programs, promote equity and inclusion (in favor, presumably. , of homogeneity, inequality and exclusion?). In a news release on Thursday, TSC said it will stop sponsoring events such as “pride festivals and voting campaigns” (no voting for anyone, just vote) and “withdraw our carbon emission targets and focus on our land and water conservation efforts.” The company also said it would eliminate DEI roles and “discontinue (a) current DEI goals while ensuring a respectful environment.”
Apparently, conservatives are celebrating and liberals are now calling for a boycott.
It’s possible that TSC has calculated that it can’t please everyone, that the majority of its customers are White conservatives or sympathize with that view – so to hell with the rest of us. But I am a loyal customer. When a leak left a pin hole in my pressurized well tank, I went straight to the store in Spooner, Wisconsin. I towed my boat using a 1 7/8 inch ball I also bought there, and bought a jack over high and a trailer tire when I blew out a wheel coming back from a lake. I then bought marine varnish for the transom. All around me this holiday weekend (I’m spending the week in the woods), I see products that I bought from a store that told me — out loud — that I’m not seen as a valued customer. Message received.
Except that the company is wrong in two ways. First, assuming that the bigots who threatened to boycott rural America stand up. The farms may be owned by white conservatives, but it’s people of color — many of them Latino, of course, although in Minnesota you’ll find an increasing number of Somali and Hmong farmers — who do the work (and which is organizing more and more to be found). their own land). John Boyd Jr., founder of the National Black Farmers Association, told the Washington Post that Tractor Supply is “sending the wrong message to America.”
Failed Tennessee politician, Robby Starbuck is not a farmer; he ran (unsuccessfully) to represent a primarily urban congressional district. I should know. I grew up right in that district.
Second, tackling climate change should not be a partisan issue. Although much of the country is dealing with epic levels of heat, this has not been the case in our woods. Although years of drought have made the waters warmer and shallower, which is not good for our northern fish, cool weather, non-stop rain and devastating floods have put us in a dry place this year. Today the fish in St. Croix might be happy, but the river is too dangerous for me to get out. And while fishing is essential for me, it’s only a hobby at least. A period of drought or continuous rain spells disaster for farmers. In the real world instead of right wing social media, it will be a disaster for the corporations that serve them.
My hat is already in the garbage. Once a company has made this kind of decision, it’s hard to imagine going back. I threw a cat litter bag and some frozen fish guts on top and put him out on the curb. It’s gone. But let this be a lesson to the next company facing one of these campaigns (and right-wing influencers are already gearing up for the next one): You don’t have to conform. The Tractor Supply Company could have just declared that it supports everyone who tries to live “life out here”, while making sure that “out here” is still around as we try to withdraw from the age of fire and flood.
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