Magnet America
The support our troops mantra is in part a classic diversionary strategy intended to undermine any legitimate opposition regarding the entry into or conduct of a war, fanned further by commercial interests profitting on the sale of support our troops paraphenalia. Magnet America, of North Carolina, started in 2003 by a member of a family that owns a chain of Christian bokstores, seems to be the top commercial enterprise selling the yellow support our troops ribbons seen on so many cars lately. Here is their home page: http://www.magnetamerica.com/Index.html .
Business people often use a good cause as a business generator, saying "a portion" of net proceeds goes to the cause, without ever saying how small the portion is. Looking around the Magnet America site, there is an indicator they have donated $42,000 over three months to help provide phone service for our troops to call home. Typicaly, they give no indication what percent of their profit that represents. Attributing the Christian 10% tithing approach to Magnet America would indicate the profit they kept from the ribbon sales in the same three month period would have been $372,000. At $3.00 per pop for individual ribbons and probably with an inflated shipping and handling charge added, it is likely Magnet America is making loads. An article in a Charlotte newspaper indicated claimed sales of over 1,000,000 ribbons between April and November. Just think how many more troop phone calls home could have been made if people would have sent their $3.00 to the phone service cause rather than to Magnet America.
America being a land of capitalist competition has led to inroads on the Magnet America bonanza, per the newspaper article. Cheap foreign made ribbons (Magnet Americ's are made right there in NC) now available in many retail outlets have contributed to reduced sales for Magnet America, leading to the layoff of 30 of the 55 order takers. But don't worry, because the business founder is quoted in the news article as saying, "We all know that God has blessed the business to allow us to be in it." He added, "Hopefully sticking with quality will allow us to be around".
Business people often use a good cause as a business generator, saying "a portion" of net proceeds goes to the cause, without ever saying how small the portion is. Looking around the Magnet America site, there is an indicator they have donated $42,000 over three months to help provide phone service for our troops to call home. Typicaly, they give no indication what percent of their profit that represents. Attributing the Christian 10% tithing approach to Magnet America would indicate the profit they kept from the ribbon sales in the same three month period would have been $372,000. At $3.00 per pop for individual ribbons and probably with an inflated shipping and handling charge added, it is likely Magnet America is making loads. An article in a Charlotte newspaper indicated claimed sales of over 1,000,000 ribbons between April and November. Just think how many more troop phone calls home could have been made if people would have sent their $3.00 to the phone service cause rather than to Magnet America.
America being a land of capitalist competition has led to inroads on the Magnet America bonanza, per the newspaper article. Cheap foreign made ribbons (Magnet Americ's are made right there in NC) now available in many retail outlets have contributed to reduced sales for Magnet America, leading to the layoff of 30 of the 55 order takers. But don't worry, because the business founder is quoted in the news article as saying, "We all know that God has blessed the business to allow us to be in it." He added, "Hopefully sticking with quality will allow us to be around".
posted by Tom Blake | 1:12 PM
4 Comments:
I love the understated irony of this report.
John from Phoenix
How about a ribbon tied around the neck of a Rumsfeld caricature, with "Support Our Troops...Fire Rumsfeld" printed on it?
Burlington's weekly what's going on newspaper has an ad in it this week for "Meaningful Alternatives to the Ubiquitous Yellow Ribbons." The ad has a drawing of a big peace sign, encircled by the "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" command. (THAT'S another beef: why a command? why not a personal declaration: I support our troops, or better yet, a suggestion or invitation: Let's support our troops!) The ad copy also states "Support Peace." www.yellowpeaceribbons.org. As expected, a "percent of proceeds to benefit disabled american veterans and vfw health issues." Now is that "a" percent or "some" percent?
I have to admit being more that a little intrigued now that I know the yellow ribbons on cars are magnets and not stickers. The fiddler in me had to rein in grabby fingers that are just dying to peel back a little edge of the ribbon. I also have to admit that at first I was getting the yellow ribbons confused with the yellow bracelets, in support, I believe, of AIDS research and/or Lance Armstrong. A piece of trivia: I don't think I have ever actually seen a black armband in person. A question: why yellow? Isn't yellow for cowards?
Anna
I'm not sure how the slogan became phrased as a command, but the military is well known for its use of imperatives.
As for the history of the yellow ribbon, most folks mention that it goes back to the US Civil War Cavalry, but here is a site that takes the history back much further and is worth reading to hear about the role women's urine may have played in the founding of this tradition:
http://wcity.net/ServiceStar/YRHistory.html
[I don't see a way to post active URL links as part of a comment, so you will have to use thecut and paste techinque]
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