I've never been much for diversity training. Maybe they help companies cover their assets in lawsuits, but these re-education camps often do more harm than good when it comes to the races, sexes or whatever getting along. A simple recitation of the Golden Rule might do more than the forced exercises that characterize these sessions. It often seems the only authentic exercise at these affairs is furtive eye rolling.
But I'm having a change of heart because of mounting evidence that bigotry, prejudice and discrimination are spreading across our land. No, not racism, classism, ageism, heterosexism or the other "isms" of our day. The new, seemingly socially approved bigotry is Wal-Martism—the hostility to any and all things Wal-Mart that thrives in more elite income and opinion precincts.
Wal-Martism—it's becoming our new American Dilemma as the retail giant moves out of its big boxes along superhighways and into our oh-so-civilized communities. Wal-Martism—you can almost hear the "There goes the neighborhood" cries of yesteryear.
Consider the opposition to the planned store at U.S. 26 and Cedar Hills Boulevard in Beaverton—on a property that is zoned for a use such as Wal-Mart, in an area that features a strip mall and stand-alone retailers. Steven Kaufman is the leader of an opposition group that calls itself "Save Cedar Mill." He's a Forest Heights resident and senior vice president of a Beaverton software company. As he said in explaining why Wal-Mart wouldn't serve the middle- and upper-class residents of Cedar Mill and other areas: "It's a magnet for people outside the neighborhood. I don't know a lot of people in Forest Heights who are going to shop at Wal-Mart."
Yes, of course, they're not our kind of people.
Kaufman is, no doubt, a sharp businessman. He's an executive in a software company and lives in high-end Forest Heights, after all. But it seems rank prejudice or NIMBYISM—root causes of Wal-Martism—have addled his business sense. (Racists and sexists have this problem, too.) You see, it's hard to imagine that a company as successful as Wal-Mart is in the habit of putting stores where there are no nearby customers. It likely knows its business about as well as Kaufman knows his.
In fact, Wal-Mart has stores in tony places such as Scottsdale, Ariz., and Park City, Utah. A store is even under construction in Palm Springs, Calif. The guess here is that some middle- and upper-income folks might even shop at these stores and may even drop down from Forest Heights to save a few bucks. Shopping for good values is often how they became middle and upper class in the first place.
But even if higher-income folks refuse to patronize the Cedar Mill Wal-Mart—even if people from outside the neighborhood do—what's the problem here? Yes, a Wal-Mart—or some other big retailer, for that matter—sparks legitimate concerns when it moves into a commercially zoned area. How will it affect traffic? Will the building fit the area? Well, Wal-Mart is ready to address traffic problems that may result from the store, and the proposed store is a smart-looking, area-appropriate facility. It's not one of those old gray-blue boxes.
But that's where the legitimate concerns end and the soft bigotry of snobby protestations begins. Why deny low-income folks a chance to shop and save? Saving $500 a year in grocery costs alone may not seem like a lot to some, but it's vital to many others. That's what one study estimates consumers save when a Wal-Mart goes in—even those who don't shop there benefit by the increased price competition.
And are we really so fat and happy here that we're ready to turn away the jobs a Wal-Mart brings to an area? These jobs average $10.09 an hour and include a wide range of benefits, including 401(k) plans and medical coverage. The stores also spin off millions to local suppliers and vendors, and serve as magnets for smaller stores.
It's easy to see why unions campaign against the non-unionized Wal-Mart, but that's not a legitimate reason for communities to reject stores. Neither is the desire to confine U.S. consumers to small specialty shops--sorry, shoppes—clustered around the village green, accessible by foot, bike or hybrid vehicle. The latter is a prejudice—a hoity-toity and an increasingly acceptable prejudice—but a prejudice nonetheless.
Isn't it time to stop the hate and end Wal-Martism? Really, celebrate diversity, baby.
David Reinhard
