Wal-Mart Wars: Moral Populism in the Twenty-First Century

Index

>> 215 abortion, 180 abstraction, 62, 148, 177 advertising, 13, 26, 98, 163, 173, 190, 199n20 advocacy groups: “paper” advocacy groups, 27, 190; selected for study, 189–91. See also Wal-Mart Watch (WMW); Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFWM) affirmative action, 34–35, 119 Alexander, Jeffrey, 65 American Dream, 35, 39, 49, 53–54, 149, 179, 180, 184, 188 Americans with Disabilities Act, 141 anecdotes. See personal narratives “asymmetric society,” 63, 69 audience: citizens as, 111, 162; community identity and, 70; consumers or “working families” as, 52–53, 59, 83, 87, 111, 168, 178, 183; core categories and, 14, 16, 47–48, 70, 83, 111; divided, 59, 61; for economic news, 155; as imagined communities, 47–49; media and access to, 160; personcentered rhetoric and appeal to, 49, 70, 149; rhetorical framing and construction of, 45–47; thrift/benevolence and, 37; us-against-them rhetoric and appeal to, 72–73 auto industry, federal intervention in, 115–17, 120, 146–49, 180 “average working family”: as audience for discourse, 52–53, 70, 83, 168, 178; as category , 14–16, 36, 74, 167; and discussion of economic issues in a moral framework, 177, 179; as identity in personal narrative, 88–89, 123; as imagined community, 49–50, 52–55; in Tea Party ideology, 72 bailouts, xvi, 7, 79, 115–17, 146–48, 180 Barbaro, Michael, 170–71 Barber, Benjamin, 36, 186–87 Bayh, Evan, 23 Beck, Glenn, 77–78 benevolence, 37–38, 76, 180–81; in progressive rhetoric, 111–13, 154; vs. thrift in discourse (see thrift/benevolence moral dialectic); as voluntary, 38, 97–98, 109; in Wal-Mart’s discourse, 79–80, 127–28; Wal-Mart’s philanthropic efforts as, 38, 127 benevolent citizen concept, 14, 83, 154, 179 Ben Franklin variety stores, 27, 39–40 Biden, Joe, 23, 46 Brooks, David, 146–48 business model, Wal-Mart’s, 39; impact of low profit margin on suppliers, 32; profit margin in, 187; religion and, 82–83 “Buy American” programs, 13, 26, 185 capitalism: American preference for, 115, 118–19; family as defense against, 82–83; inequality as inherent in, 22–23, 137–38, 156, 174, 186; media bias and, 150, 156–57; as moral issue, 4–5, 9, 22–23, 34–35, 117, 154–56; Protestant ethic and, 37, 78; trends in 21st century, 28; Wal-Mart as anti-capitalist, 96–98; Wal-Mart as exemplar of global, 3, 15, 34, 41–42, 107–8, 171, 179. See also market freedom Index 216 > 217 183; critiques of consumption search, 36; freedom linked to consumption, 150; individualism and, 36; shopping as moral activity, 80–81, 87, 153 consumers: as audience, 52–53, 59, 83, 87, 111, 168, 178, 183; as category in Wal-Mart discourse, 174; as community, 48; as identity category, 174; as wage-earners, 29–30, 150, 167–68, 174, 185; Wal-Mart and empowerment of, 122–23; women as, 87, 182; worker/consumer moral dialectic, 83, 106, 166–68 Corcoran, Terry, 146 Costco, 107 “culture wars,” 8, 72, 74, 177 customers. See consumers Dach, Leslie, 13, 164–65, 170 “death panels,” 112–13 Deaver, Michael K., 164–65 disabled workers, 82, 125, 141, 201n12 discrimination, workplace, 24, 127–28, 133, 135, 141, 149, 165, 179, 201n12 divisive rhetoric, xvi Dukes, Betty, 24, 201n12 Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 12–13, 24, 108, 141, 182, 201n12 economic disruption, 90–92, 109, 183–84; as context for Wal-Mart debate, xv–xvi; systemic financial crisis, 4–5, 10, 16, 20, 115–16, 118, 161 economic inequality, 188; capitalism and, 22–23, 137–38, 156, 174, 186; globalization , 29; market freedom and, 137; wage inequality as threat to free-market, 149–50 economic symbols, 3–6, 148 Edelman (Wal-Mart’s PR firm), 27, 50, 87, 165 education: school choice, 73 Edwards, John, 23, 54–55 elites: identity politics and the other, xvi; populism and perception of, xvi, 22, 54–55, 176–78; role in public discourse, 8–9, 160, 172, 189; unions framed as elitist “other,” 71–72 emotion: person-centered rhetoric and emotional appeal, 49, 62–63, 148 employee benefits: family and medical leave, 148, 188; unions and collective bargaining for, 139; Wal-Mart and health benefits, 57–58, 108 employees: as “associates” or “team members ,” 33. See also workers empowerment: employment opportunity as, 123; individual freedom and personal, 121; as theme in personal narratives, 122–23; as theme in Wal-Mart discourse, 122–23, 127–28, 129–30, 133–35, 145, 171; Wal-Mart and empowerment of consumers...