All Or Nothing

Really Want to Boycott Jamaica? Stop Watching Logo or Solving Vanna White’s Puzzles

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The homophobic violence that Jamaica tolerates no longer just draws the ire of human rights organizations — it’s now the center of an organized boycott. Out with the Red Stripe and Myers Rum, insists Boycott Jamaica, since those products generate profits (and tax dollars) for an island nation that does little to stem serial attacks on gays. But if Jamaican products are worthy of a boycott, what about other organizations that support Jamaica?

Like Wheel Of Fortune. The game show, in its 26th season, awards cash and prizes to contestants. Among the offerings Wheel is offering, at least to its email subscribers? A trip to the Jamaican Sandals resort. Which means Wheel is on board to market a resort destination in the land of gay hate. Does that mean we need to boycott Pat Sajak and Vanna White? What about their advertisers? Sony offers a cross-branded credit card with Wheel. Should we stop buying Vaio computers and plasma TVs from them?

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Drawing the boycott line, which Boycott Jamaica organizers did earlier this month, becomes quite a wide open swath of grey pastures.

Expedia.com offers Jamaican travel packages; should we refuse to book any travel through that site? Apparel company Kappa and airline Virgin Atlantic sponsor the Jamaica Football Federation; should they lose our dollars? Conde Nast’s Brides.com teamed with Beaches Resorts in Jamaica for a contest giveaway; should we cancel our subscriptions to The New Yorker and Vanity Fair? A new Adidas ad campaign spotlights Jamaican reggae; must we stop buying their running shoes? MTV Networks Nickelodeon partnered with Royal Caribbean to offer a family cruise that stops in Jamaica; should we ban VH1’s reality shows, boycott SpongeBob SquarePants, and refuse to watch, uh, MTV’s gay network Logo?

You can see how quickly this gets out of hand. But BoycottJamaica.org says that until Jamaica commits to ending assaults on gays and the prime minister condemns such anti-gay violence, “this nation should be avoided at all costs.” It’s unclear just how far organizers Jim Burroway, Wayne Besen, and Michael Petrelis want us to go. But if they really want Jamaica to suffer, all of the above, and plenty of other perks in life, must be stripped from your life.

Who’s willing?

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