On Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:40:52 GMT, Robin Nuttall
wrote:

Tara Green wrote:

I'm thinking that was elegy's point.

I used to get conflicted when at the farmer's market here. I wanted to
support the farmers and buy the local (reatively) produce, but I wasn't
thrilled about supporting the Amish (primarily because of their animal
husbandry dealie).

Whoa. Way to tar with a very wide brush. I'd venture to say that
many/most Amish in the U.S. do not own mass dog breeding facilities, and
have excellent animal husbandry skills. I live in Missouri, the puppy
mill capital of the world, yet the Amish in this area do not mass
produce puppies. I've been in a lot of Amish country around here, which
is mostly dairy cattle, woodworking, etc. Their animals are kept in
incredible condition. Amish come to our Farmer's market. One operates an
organic dairy with the best milk I've ever had in my life, another has a
huge produce stand. One brings fresh baked goods. I'm more than happy to
patronize them because me, I don't look at a single person of a certain
ethnicity, lifestyle or faith and condemn them wholesale. I believe the
term for doing so is called racism.

Again, I generally agree with the sentiments expressed above. But I
think your use of the word "racism" is going a bit overboard. Racism
already has an official definition, and it's based on race, not on
faith, lifestyle, etc., so I think we should stick to race when
claiming racism:

rac-ism

1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the
various human races determine cultural or individual achievement,
usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the
right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering
such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

I think it's dangerous to conflate race with faith, lifestyle,
ethnicity, etc. For example, it's no more racist to refuse to buy
Amish produce because some Amish are puppy millers than it is to
refuse to buy dog food at a pet-shop chain that sells puppies in some
stores. In both instances, the reason you're refusing to buy Amish
produce, or dog food, is not because of someone's race, it's because
you're trying to effect change on the part of the Amish who do run
puppy mills, and pet-shop chains that sell puppies from puppy mills,
and there's nothing wrong with doing that. Many people boycott
Abercrombie and Fitch because of their (perceived) risque
advertisements (their perceived "lifestyle"), and that's not racist
either. People should have a right to vote with their wallets, and
without being called racists. Elegy is no racist, so it shouldn't even
be implied that her reluctance to buy Amish produce is somehow racism.
It may not be smart, and it may not be effective, and for the reasons
you stated above. But it's not racism. I think it just cheapens the
word to use it in that manner. Not buying Amish produce won't do her
much good anyway, unless she let's the local Amish know why she isn't
buying their produce, and even then it might not do any good. But it's
her right not to buy it.