THE NEXT BIG BOYCOTT

As the tragic shootings are followed by executive distraction, we are besieged by absurdity in a way that should be a feast for any comedian. Yet, I am having a hard time finding any of it funny. As the president made his way through El Paso,Texas and Dayton, Ohio this week, he somehow managed to create a campaign trailer at the expense of the survivors, first responders, and the families of the victims. There was a general consensus that he should not have made the visit, and it is said that no press were allowed during the visits, either. I guess that makes it easier to control a commercial shoot, er I mean, an official visit of citizen consolation by an empathetic and compassionate leader. (Ok, I did just throw up a little in my mouth.) This staged photo op is just a long line of the unbelievable craziness that has erupted since the deadly shootings. As the gun control and white supremacy madness unfolds, it seems that one of the president’s billionaire admirers and ardent supporters, Stephen Ross, has caused a firestorm among the liberal leaning, luxury gym enthusiasts that use Equinox and Soul Cycle. He has planned a fundraiser for the president in the Hamptons, with ticket packages as high as $250,000. “I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions. ... I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability, and I have and will continue to support leaders on both sides of the aisle to address these challenges."- Stephen Ross My high school Calculus teacher, Ms. Edwards, when explaining Limits, used to tell us young men especially to not straddle the fence because we can hurt ourselves. So working both sides of any issue seems counterproductive and possibly painful, but I digress. Now Ross states he has “known” Trump for 40 years. (Please note that he did not say ‘friend’ of 40 years.) The divisive and corrosive words of the person with whom he has only “known” for over 40 years, continue to be linked to the root cause of some of the most horrific violence ever committed by some very unbalanced people. As an “outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability”, obviously it must be THOSE issues with which they are totally in simpatico. It really is a hard statement to believe. The secretaries and acting secretaries of those very agencies designed to protect those same issues that he “champions”, are run by corrupt sycophants at the behest of this president and a complicit Senate. Whatever the strong disagreements may be, they are not that crippling or life altering for him or anyone else who could afford to pay $250,000 a ticket to attend this event. Maybe the strong disagreement must be about Dijon vs. French’s Mustard? People are very polarized about that. Now Soul Cycle and Equinox have both pushed back by saying that they do not endorse any of these political shenanigans, and Mr. Ross is a “passive investor”. One must admit that it is not too surprising to see a luxury brand be affiliated with such classy people, like Stephen Ross, but how many billionaires are ever really “passive” about their money and investments? I watch Shark Tank, and even those measly millionaires are hands on with their new ventures. So I find it hard to believe that he’s not active with his high end, celebrity endorsed investments. As the cry for boycott beckons, it is interesting to see how the celebrity community reacts, because now their exclusive brands are somehow “unknowingly” contributing to people whose focus seems to be keeping a very exclusive and elitist agenda. How odd? I wonder if they will be more proactive in figuring out where their money goes from now on, or are they just hoping that these CEO’s of their "exclusive" brands will just keep their big fat mouths shut about politics and keep making their Lavender and Lemon Spice Body Cream? For example, I will never be able to eat Chik-Fil-A since their stance on LGBT issues again, and yes, I miss those chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, but at some point, we must all take a stand like Billy Eichner and Chrissy Tegan. (No tea, no shade, but when did we start really making choices based on what either of these particular people have had to say? Am asking for a very bitchy friend.) It will be interesting to see how many people will proudly attend this event or just send checks to privately protect their political investment. However it plays out, I am in solidarity with those who are boycotting their high end luxury gyms. I have not been in attendance at Planet Fitness for a minute, and I hope they cross the political line too, so I can take back my $20/month and have a legitimate reason to not go, besides laziness.

©Keith Price 2019