Simba will make it hurt less. Hakuna Ma-up yours. |
For those that haven't figured it out, I'm a pretty hard liberal. Not psycho left wing, but a far distance from moderate. Swing by my house sometime and check out my bumper sticker collection on the window in the office. Now my local LCS (5 locations with the main just 10 minutes from my house), the owner is pretty conservative. Dyed in the wool right wing. If you go to his shop, there are two TVs on. If Brian is not there, you usually have sports on. But when Brian is in the shop, it's Fox News all the time. Rarely you get a game, but that would only be on pack wars night and the insistence of the folks in the shop.
We all have our views and morals. We all vote for whom we want. That's what's this place is about. I would rag Brian about Trump, but currently he is the Cheeto in Charge (who knows how much longer), but it is what it is. Brian had no issues with my left views and I accepted his right. At times we would discuss some things where we had opposing views. I can honestly say it's always refreshing to hear new angles on subjects. It's important we listen, even if we don't agree and we do not change our position.
Anyway, a couple weeks back I stopped in the store after a doctor's appointment. It was National hockey card day for one thing. And since I am not buying 2017 flagship, I hoped someone has ripped boxes and cases, leaving the cards behind for the shop to resell. I was not let down.
I spent time digging through this commons box, pulling out White Sox and other binder cards. People were coming in and out (the store does good business) and Brian is always very personable. He knows all his regulars and semi regulars well and greets them warmly with more than card talk. One couple came in and made a comment they hadn't seen Brian in a while at the usual place they would run into him - Walmart. Brian's response:
"I don't shop there anymore. They started carrying that Black Lives Matters crap so I take my money elsewhere."
I was well in earshot to hear this, and while we have differences, that statement cut me to the core. I took his statement two ways. First, I see that as him not really understanding what BLM is all about and the reason it has formed. But as I thought more, and factored in his noticeable love of all things Drumpf, I felt a tinge that his statement was mildly racist.
To this moment, and beyond, I don't think of him as a racist person. I probably never will. But there was too much in what he said and how he said it that shook my own morality. "He has a good point", I thought. "If you don't like the world direction a shop, company or corporation has, you have the right to take your business elsewhere". He has that right. You have that right. And I have that right. So I collected up what I had, paid and haven't gone back.
Brian not shopping at Walmart is a blip on their radar, just as I not shopping at his card store will do nothing to hurt his business. If you average it out, I maybe spend $50-75 a month at his shop. My wallet will not be missed when the quarterly totals are figured. But I cannot in my right mind fail to speak with my pocket in the same way he does, or the rest of us should do.
The one thing: I can afford this luxury. Sure, Brian has 5 shops in the area, and the two nearest to my house are his. But I am fortunate in this blog community to have so many shops to visit. Off the top of my head I can count 6 shops within an hour from me, plus darn near weekly card shows I can attend. Many of you barely have one of either shop or show. So this financial protest doesn't hurt me, but if I was to stop shopping at Jewel, I need my groceries from somewhere, and there's always Tony's, Mariano's, Aldi, Caputo's, Ultra Foods.....you get the idea.
If anyone is in town and wants to go, I will go. But I am making a conscious effort to give my business to another establishment. And if they all support Drumpf, there's always the internet.
Ok - enough of that. What was my last purchase? For starters, I pulled the complete series 1 White Sox set. I need an extra Eaton for the player collection if anyone has a dupe. Also in the commons box I found these:
Buybacks for the frankenset. Gem mint - I should get them graded.
Double play cards. I like finding that Pedroia for this image because it shows that even the '87 Topps design is better than this year's, mainly because the image it's cut off by the horrible layout. Who is Peterson doubling off? I know it's a Cub from the weeds in the background, but I would have to squint to see the name. Or to even know that Jace was soaring over someone. Dustim? Oh yeah - there is another player in the frame for sure.
Three throwbacks? Is that all in the base set? I really should stop complaining and be thankful I don't have to add too many to the binder.
Someone asked for the '65 vintage box, and I was able to hit it before they put it back. Every vintage was a dollar or less. Wood goes to a soon to start PC. I picked up a few more White Sox for the 1965 set than just these two.
Last, I showed the Stengel already, but no one will complain for another view. And yup, TTM autograph for a dollar on some loved vintage. I almost passed, but I can think of a Cardinal fan who is quite happy about one of the Final Four teams that would not refuse this card.
I apologize if I got too political and thank you if you read this far. I'll do my best to only talk about cute, fun things in the future.
Like bunnies and music.