May 14, 2014 8:50 AM

Intolerance and bigotry is bad for business...and it should be

It’s a pretty simple concept that most businesspeople don’t think twice about, but BIGOTRY IS BAD FOR BUSINESS. It’s difficult to build a successful business when you offend potential customers by airing views and opinions they find objectionable.

As someone who counsels businesspeople on creating and maintaining a presence on social media, one of the first things I tell them is to never, EVER use social media to broadcast their personal views on ANY subject. If you’re trying to build a business, nothing good can come of saying or doing something that might possibly associate you or your business with controversy. Nothing in social media happens in a vacuum, and something you believe to be perfectly innocent may come back to haunt you, possibly even threatening the future of your business. Stick to what you do, tell people why they should do business with you, and remember: no one should care about what you believe. About anything. You’re trying to attract customers, not converts.

By now, most of the country knows about Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the bakery in Gresham, OR, which refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The owners claimed that doing so violated their religious beliefs. Here in Oregon, that sort of discrimination is against the law. Even worse, Sweet Cakes was pummeled on Yelp! and closed its storefront due to controversy caused by the deluge of bad publicity.

Shortly after that, the owner of a soon-to-open boutique grocery store in Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood found herself embroiled in controversy when Facebook posts in which she discussed her opposition to same-sex marriage became public.

Then there’s Garrett Shirey, the owner of a successful ice cream company in Alabama…and a committed bigot and homophobe. Shirey’s within his rights to hold whatever views he chooses, but what he failed to recognize were the consequences to his business when those views became widely known. What he and so many others antagonistic to the LGBT community don’t comprehend is that broadcasting those views can destroy a business. People who value tolerance and acceptance aren’t going to patronize businesses they associate with bigotry and prejudice. Like so many before him, Shirey is learning that once you broadcast your views on social media, they never goes away.

Garrett Shirey posted a series of comments on his personal Twitter account, which he has since made private, calling the Boy Scouts “sissified effeminates” for ending their ban on gay scouts.

“So homosexuals are raging over Cake Baker & Barber denials?” Shirey tweeted to conservative pundit Dana Loesch. “How asinine as a culture can we get. That’s hilarious, not debatable!”

In another response to Loesch, he says LGBT people demand public approval from others because “they have chosen to worship the creature rather than the Creator.”

“One issue with #homosexuals receiving a cultural tail-wind is the fact that they’re all on board the USS Drama #BakeMeACake,” Shirey posted. In the end, it’s good that bigots and homophobes like Garrett Shirey are held up to public scrutiny. If he’s going to traffic in hate and discrimination, he deserves the consequences that follow. People deserve to know who and what their money is supporting. It’s not about political correctness; it’s about the truth that bigotry has no place in our world.

Shirey may produce the finest, tastiest ice cream know to mankind…but it’s going to be tough to sell that ice cream if he’s seen as a bigot and homophobe. Even in Alabama.

Because bigotry really IS bad for business.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on May 14, 2014 8:50 AM.

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