Penzeys Spices - Boycott

UPDATE, November 18, 2016: Bill Penzey Calls Trump Voters Racist, Need to "Make Amends."

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Leftists love to organize boycotts. It's what they do. It's one of the favorite methods they employ to attack conservatives.

Why? Probably because it often works.

Sure, sometimes there is a backlash; but more often than not, the conservatives surrender.

So, now we have Leftist Bill Penzey, attacking conservatives once again. Penzey's attacks aren't just remarks he makes as a private citizen. They aren't merely donations he makes to candidates or causes he supports. These attacks come in his business catalogues sent to his customers.

A Penzeys Spices catalogue arrived in the mail recently. I didn't even open it. I tossed it directly into the recyclable bin.

I don't buy Penzeys Spices because Bill Penzey has made it very clear that he doesn't like me.

When I heard on talk radio that Bill Penzey had leveled another attack on conservatives, I wasn't surprised. It's crazy to use that approach in dealing with customers, but it's what I've come to expect from Penzey.

Hey, Bill! It's not smart to insult past, present, or potential customers.

Here's Bill Penzey's most recent screed:

This issue we spotlight Waukesha, Wisconsin and its rebirth as a place of kindness. This catalog is one of our Great Milwaukee issues, a four-times-a-year special issue we usually send only to our customers in Wisconsin. With the tremendous hope we found in the stories of the people of Waukesha, we thought we would share it with all our customers across the country. I really think this is one of our best catalogs yet. I hope you enjoy it.

In the Great Milwaukee catalogs we celebrate the strengths of the greater Milwaukee area that is our home and we also work towards healing its challenges. Our greatest strength is the incredible kindness with roots that go so deep and stretch back so far into our history here. Our greatest challenge is that for all the goodness we share we are still so very divided, by many measures we are the most segregated region in the entire country. It’s a pattern that comes from a time before most of us were born. It is the hand we’ve been dealt, but the cards are most certainly not the ones we want to hold.

In many ways it was our kindness that set this all in motion. Through the 1950s Milwaukee’s government was pretty much the most progressive in the country. At a time when other communities were putting up barriers to diversity, Milwaukee’s leaders thought the right thing to do was to allow it in. And it was the right thing to do and is a huge part of why Milwaukee is being discovered today by so many for the treasure it is. But it was a move ahead of its time. Many embraced the change. Many others were not ready for it and fled west to Waukesha and Milwaukee’s surrounding suburbs.

Almost overnight, Waukesha, a place famous across the country for its abolitionist roots, became overwhelmed and home to a very different way of thinking. For decades, defending this flight has been key to political success in southeastern Wisconsin. Even today the governor’s continued defunding of inner city schools, the congressman’s talk of bell curves and lack of effort on the part of those who live in the city, and the legislature’s talk of secession and its new deeply disturbing law defending the use of Native American mascots are all about getting votes in Waukesha, and places like it. I would like to think that, in their hearts, none of these people feel good about sending the message that America is only for some people, not others. To them I think it is just the price of politics. But all of this is finally changing for the better. With Waukesha returning to its roots, these race-based politics are rapidly becoming more expensive than anyone wanting a political future can afford. I’ve worked in Waukesha for over 20 years now and, yes, when I first arrived it really was what is was. But over those years, especially in this last five or six, a very real, very positive change has happened. As we reached out to our area customers for stories of the new Waukesha we were overwhelmed with the kindness they shared with us. Awesome people, awesome place. So here we go. Great people trying the best they can to make a difference and put things right in ways both big and small. And when you have people who pay attention, people who understand the good things set in motion by creating happiness in those around them, great recipes are always right at the heart of the story. Cooks really do create a better future for us all.

Heal the World
Bill

I can't boycott Penzeys Spices, because I don't buy Penzeys Spices.

But if I did, I would stop.

Bottom line: I think Bill Penzey's PRACTICE OF POLITICIZING HIS BUSINESS is nuts.

Since Penzey has decided to make purchasing spices a political move, I think it's appropriate to respond by NOT supporting Penzey's business.

Maybe you like being called a racist if you're a conservative resident of "Waukesha, and places like it." Maybe you consider Penzey's remarks to be flattering. If you do, buy his products.
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UPDATE, July 15, 2014: Penzey Calls Scott Walker and Supporters Segregationists.
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UPDATE, March 4, 2015: Bill Penzey Slams Scott Walker on Evolution.
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