8-3-2010

"Bringing their Christian values into the workplace, they sought to serve others selflessly and cheerfully. Moreover, as many were already familiar with the religious concept of male headship, they had no problem taking orders from a male manager who might be new to the company or many years their junior. (Managers, for most of Wal-Mart’s history, were not just male, they were white males.)"

Winstson, Diane. "To Serve God and Wal-Mart." Religious Dispatches. 21 Jun. 2009. 3 Oct. 2010.

In this passage, Winston argues that Wal-Marts succeeded by incorporating Christian values into their design; relying upon and perpetuating former inequalities to make it seems appealing and similar to the system of a church. Winston deems this unfair, as it makes white males superiors over women and other races--much like the church, she feels.

I see her similarities, but I feel like she's missing a very, very important detail: at the time of Wal-Mart's inception, ALL businesses were operated like that. Men and women operated separate spheres; different races, though technically equals, likewise did different and often voluntarily segregated work. WalMart very well may have perpetuated this phenomena, but it did not start it nor can be blamed for it. Businesses rarely makes fads and patterns--it is difficult to shape an entire market, but it is simple to observe a preexisting market and sell to it. Wal-Mart simply is a reflection of the society surrounding it.