July 14, 2005
Declaration of Independents?
Tucked into my most recent purchase at Left Bank Books was a red leaflet, with the following text:
"Congratulations! By purchasing this book you have supported:
*A locally-owned (sic) progressive bookstore & its 15 employees including: 3 artists, 3 poets, 2 writers, 1 dancer, 2 single moms, 4 queer people, 1 labor activist -- we could go on.
*A gay-owned printing company.
*A locally-owned (sic again) environmentally responsible office supply company.
*Several dozen activist & cultural organizations to which this bookstore contributes regularly.
The taxes paid by you or this bookstore support the predominantly black St. Louis school system, our roads, sewers, fire & police protection. If you had made this purchase on Amazon, you would have supported...Jeff Bezos."
Aside from a minor quibble -- there are, in fact, probably a few folks working at/supported by your expenditures at Amazon, until they figure out how to replace them all with bookbots -- it's nice to see some gutsy truth in marketing.
We suspect the rabble-rousing influence of BUILD St. Louis.