Cinemark's got "Milk" despite its CEO's $9,999 donation against Prop 8

Grassroots call for boycott elicits statement from Cinemark:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/25/MN9V144SKH.DTL&type=gaylesbian

 

So any businessman who makes any kind of legal donation to a candidate or ballot initiative can now plan on being boycotted by the people who were on the other side?

 

Hey, it's only business. He placed a value on keeping gays from marrying. We'll see if he's getting bang for his buck.

 

If the side opposing my view boycotts a product, I'm more likely to buy the product. And I suspect I'm not alone.

 

The irony being you would go see a movie about gay rights!

 

The title should probably be that he donated in favor of Prop 8, not against, since a yes vote meant no to marriage.

 

I don't really see a problem with this. If they don't want to support a business, that's their right.

 

Well, no. Most referenda don't matter much.
But if you financially support an assault on the human rights of a group of people, and then turn around and seek to profit from a movie important to those same people, then, yeah, I suspect some of those folks will vote with their dollars.
Tough.

 

Cinemark issued a statement last week denying any companywide stance on Prop. 8: "Any individual act or contribution is just that, individual acts of personal expression, and do not reflect company positions or policy."

This raises a good question. If Cinemark CEO Alan Stock did not use the company to push any kind of agenda about Prop. 8 - I assume the chain did not run trailers in its theaters advocating a Yes vote - then why boycott the chain?

It seems to me Cinemark was doomed one way or another here once Stock laid down his money. It is showing the movie and is accused of profiting from this film (imagine that, a company in the entertainment business trying to make a profit). But if it had decided not to show the movie, whether that decision would or would not have been based on Stock's donation, it would likely stand accused of intolerance.

All of this will have to be dealt with in short order, I suppose, by the shareholders and board of directors of Cinemark, if they don't want their investments threatened and reputations tainted by the actions of their CEO.

 

What I find fascinating is that I'm sure the anti-8 folks would be calling for the CEOs head if he didn't allow "Milk" in his theaters.
Smart thing to do is go see it at a Cinemark theater if you want (on the first weekend when the theater's "cut" is negligible and smuggle in your own food and drinks and feel free to spill a lot of crap on the floor).

 

I wouldn't put the Cinemark CEO's behavior on the same pantheon of assholery with Utah Jazz owner (and SLC theater mogul) Larry Miller.
Putting on his moral hat, mitre, whatever to ban "Zack & Miri Make a Porno" from his theaters while continuing to show "Saw 5"...now that's assholery.

 

Yeah, it's a lose-lose for Cinemark, even though I hate those bastards.