Last week, when writing about Starbucks and the Black Lives Matter movement, I wrote:
Since the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25, public opinion on race, criminal justice and the Black Lives Matter movement has leaped leftward.
This prompted one MNB reader to write:
It sure was a lucky break for Black Lives Matter that the victim of this egregious filmed exhibit of police-brutality was Black when you realize that nearly twice as many Whites than Blacks are killed by cops. They seized ownership of the entire issue and are running crazy with it, just like Jews have declared a monopoly on genocide.
This email strikes me as the height of cynicism on so many levels.
You really think that this was a "lucky break" for Black Lives Matter and the people it represents?
You really think Jews have declared a monopoly on genocide, and that they are "running crazy" with it?
I considered not running this email. But then I decided, better not to pretend that these kinds of attitudes don't exist. (That's a double-negative, but it somehow seems appropriate for such a cynical email.)
One MNB reader wrote in about last week's piece about Patagonia:
Your quote from Fast Company is an accurate quote, but theirs is inaccurate. There is a huge difference between free trade and fair trade. Patagonia has a Fair Trade program.
Free trade is “open to all.” Fair Trade establishes standards which protect farmers/workers for conditions and payscale. Fair Trade certification means there’s a system that ensures those standards are being met. As someone who was misquoted on this many times, I’d guess that Patagonia will ask them to make a correction.
Responding to last week's Anthony Bourdain-Goes-To-Waffle House video, one MNB reader wrote:
Thank you for sharing this. This reminds me of why I am still a fan of Anthony Bourdain.
