Comments on: WTF at Whole Foods (doing the cultural math)

By: Connie Amidei

Connie Amidei — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:46:25 +0000

Thanks for the comments and personal attack Jason. I do miss shopping at WF (as thousands of my friends have said as well) The issue at hand is health care reform and supporting the POTUS, period. Without a public option, there is absolutely no incentive for greedy, out of control insurance and pharmaceutical companies to offer fair competitive costs. Period…end of story. We’re all politically savvy and we all realize the motivation in your shock and awe reaction. And thanks to Grant for weighing in, thought he’d be too busy but I see he is an important part of the strategy. Again, you are either for us (those who want true reform) or against us (those who think they know better than the powerful team at the top promoting health care for all, including Obama) There is no middle ground on this one guys. BTW Jason, the “hell hath no fury” comment gave you away, what a dumb ass lol. Additionally, the fact the the teabaggers are doing a reverse boycott and now supporting WF is both telling and laughable. Strange bedfellows, maybe not. The gig is up boys, the visceral misogyny shown has now made you transparent and words will no longer help you. I will step up the boycott.

Peace and Love

By: Michael Strong

Michael Strong — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:34:54 +0000

Michael Powell’s comment is spot on:

“My sense is that Mackey’s libertarian route could actually work.”

John and I believe that the younger generation is mostly idealistic and entrepreneurial; although they don’t usually think of themselves as “libertarian,” and are often still taught to hate the free enterprise system in college, they don’t really believe in government as a solution either. The old socialistic left, now in their 50s, 60s and 70s, control academia and mainstream media, but they are dying. The health care issue was a provocative one, to be sure, but other than that young people are very interested in entrepreneurial solutions to world problems, thus our book, “Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.” Note that Obama supports charter schools, as do most parents of young children, and that he has described himself as a U. of Chicago Democrat, deliberately nodding respectfully towards Milton Friedman, something a Michael Moore or a Ted Kennedy would never have done.

By: Sebastian Franck

Sebastian Franck — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:10:16 +0000

I personally know a lot of libertarian-leaning people who’d buy at WF if we lived in the US. This constituency – and I like to believe it is a growing one – don’t think government coercion is kinder and gentler.

Grant, what I object to in your analysis is that very intermediary “kinder and gentler” that you see as a moniker for a movement towards more state regulation and direction. It is inherently value laden. But so it is with all anthropological analysis, isn’t it? Interpretation is nothing without a pre-set horizon of value and meaning.

I think, maybe “individuality” would work better? Buying at wholefood to many is an expression of their individuality? It is not so much a question of general ethics as it is about personal ethos. And to be able to form your own (culturally mediated) ethos, you want to be as free from coercive rules and repressions as possible. I think this is what WF and John Mackey embodies. Not eco-collectivism.

That this very individuality is so heavily socially infested, is another issue …

By: Virginia Postrel

Virginia Postrel — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:16:39 +0000

Why assume that Mackey didn’t anticipate the reaction? Maybe he was counting on the man-bites-dog story to draw attention to his health-care message (not that anyone who actually knows about Mackey would be surprised to hear he has libertarian views on health care).

By: srp

srp — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:58:07 +0000

BTW, apropos of my previous speculation, the Tea Party movement has announced a "buycott" to support WF: http://newsblaze.com/story/2009082808271100001.bw/topstory.html

By: Joshua H.

Joshua H. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:50:57 +0000

It would be interesting to look at this op-ed piece without thinking of Mackey as the variable. What if he represents a subculture that is skeptical of a government sanctioned foodstuffs, and by extension, even a benevolent government healthcare program. If that is the case, then perhaps Obama is the one outside of the movement participated in by whole foods.

It would be interesting to see how employees of WF feel Mackey has done regarding their healthcare.

By: Michael Powell

Michael Powell — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:33:52 +0000

I have to wonder though if John Mackey isn’t perhaps attuned to culture better than we might think, but a cultural logic that is simply not part of the gentler, kinder Obama vision. Instead, I think the libertarian way is increasingly appealing to young adults coming of age, moving away from liberal ideals, but feeling alienated by the Christian fundamentalism, xenophobia and general “stupidity” (to use Bill Maher’s term) of the Republican party and especially its leadership. WFM doesn’t appeal to everyone and will never need to. They need to appeal to wealthy young and middle age adults who don’t want to be ostentatious about their wealth, are very concerned with their personal bodily discipline — as well as idealistic younger people who work for WFM and are deeply passionate about food ethics. It’s a strange balance that follows no rational logic. It only works as a cultural logic.

Having said all that, perhaps Grant could be right. But only time will tell. My sense is that Mackey’s libertarian route could actually work. Stranger things have happened. After all, Ron Paul won more votes in the San Francisco Bay area in the election than almost anywhere else, and those votes came from a lot of idealistic young people, as well as many curious former Republicans.

By: jkery07

jkery07 — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:56:47 +0000

Frustrated by the lack of interesting beer available in the supermarket? http://www.mybrewerytap.com/

By: Grant McCracken

Grant McCracken — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:10:31 +0000

Jason, thanks for an excellent comment, just to clarify, I didn’t mean actually to take a position in this post, I was, as an anthropologist and a marketer, merely channeling what I thought the “kinder, gentler” position was and how Mackey had managed to antagonize it To the extent that this constituency is a big one for Whole Foods (and this is an empirical question), I think his remarks were ill advised. And again I say this as an anthropologist and a marketer. My real opinions about Mackey and his op-ed are whatever they are. I wasn’t expressing them here. Thanks again for a great comment. Best, Grant

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:02:07 +0000

Forgot to ask,

Connie and friends, since Walmart supports government health care reform that includes employer healthcare mandates, does this mean you now shop at Walmart while on boycott?

Talk about getting twisted in knots.