Protesting on Target

Our battle for justice has turned into a battle for impressions, for viewers, for likes, for validation. We will not win the war if we lose these battles for decency, for civility, for kindness.

Aug 06, 2025

a man standing next to a woman on top of a scale — Photo by Prakriti Khajuria on Unsplash

Monday I went to the Hanover Target. Canned goods, paper products, they are all too expensive at the grocery store where I shop for fresh foods, fish, non-canned items.

I went, fully aware of the wave of boycotts against Target for discontinuation of their DEI program. I went, fully aware of the ungrounded accusations about Target’s financial support of MAGA candidates.

On the latter point, I checked for myself. Open Secrets shows that Target and its affiliates split donations. If they gave $30,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, they gave $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Individuals associated with Target donated $218,731 to Kamala Harris’ campaign, and only $26,652 to Donald Trump. In 2020, individuals associated with Target donated $297,134 to Joe Biden’s campaign, $223,313 to Bernie Sanders, and $95,911 to Donald Trump. Target’s own Web site details its political donations.

Target seems to be far more interested in lobbying efforts — allowing grocery stores to sell alcoholic beverages in Colorado is a clear favorite among their causes, as is lowering sales tax. Yes, in 2024 they donated $1MM to the inauguration committee for Donald Trump in 2024. And also in 2024, Target donated over $2MM to “woke” causes like Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, LGBT Caucus Leadership Fund, Women in Power PAC, and National Foundation for Women Legislators.

That was in the back of my mind as I stood in line with those cans of original Rotel, jars of olives, dishwasher detergent, B12 supplements, and what-was-supposed-to-be-shampoo-but-was-conditioner. I saw Mikey the cashier interact with the customer two ahead of me in line, laughter filtering back as I waited. Patiently.

I told the mom and preteen daughter standing in front of me, “If you don’t know Mikey already, you’ll love him soon enough. Just talk directly to his face, because he is hard of hearing.” As they moved forward, I watched as their faces lit up, and his. They were soon wrapped up in the embrace of a conversation with a stranger who cared.

A pierced and tattooed manager walked by, asking cashiers up and down the line if anyone needed water. As she moved away to fetch water for all of her charges, Mikey said, “You better get back to work!” She laughed and made a face at him.

By the time she returned, Mikey was checking me out. Mikey is slow. He takes time to ensure bags aren’t too heavy, that cold items go together, that glass jars aren’t overloaded. And he talks. And no one complains.

When the manager handed Mikey his bottled water, I said, “Hope you know you have a keeper here. Mikey is so good!” (He blushed.) Manager: “You better believe I know it! I keep him happy. And when I come in on my off days to shop, I always stand in Mikey’s line, even if it’s long. He means that much to me.” (Mikey blushed again.)

By now, another woman with a teenage daughter in tow was behind me. She listened to our conversation, smiling. I said to her, “If you’ve never had Mikey as your cashier, you’re in for a treat.” Her face lit up. “Oh, I know! Why do you think I am in this line?”

As Mikey scanned my full basket of items, we chitchatted. We’d originally connected over my purchase of Nutella a few years ago. He allowed as to how he was born in Germany to an American father and German mother. He had lived in Germany as a child, long enough to appreciate German food and customs, not long enough to internalize them. But Nutella, he remembered Nutella. Still ate it. On bread.

I told him I was always relieved to see him working. He said he had retired a few months earlier (that explained his absence), but he got too bored sitting at home. So he’s back at Target, working part-time, because he missed his coworkers and customers. He grinned, “I would do this job even if they didn’t pay me, because I enjoy it so much.”

As I wheeled my cart out of the store, I reflected on what I had just witnessed. People not giving a damn that Mikey checks us out slow, happy to have his presence, willing to wait in a long line if necessary merely to get a dose of Mikey.

We often gripe about single-issue MAGA voters when that single issue is abortion. Why can’t they see the big picture, we grouse. Abortion rights are not the only thing we have to worry about these days.

And that is true. Looking at the big picture with grievous violations of due process, civil liberties, constitutional rights, voting for Trump (or Republicans before him) simply because of one issue, the abortion issue, seems silly.

Target’s selection of LGBTQ+ cards, May 2023. Photo © 2023 Denise Elaine Heap.

But “we” are guilty of the same thing. “We” boycott Target for “backtracking on DEI.” And yet it seems like just yesterday that Trump’s people were boycotting Target for selling LGBTQ+ items. I don’t know about your Target, but the Hanover Target continued selling LGBTQ+ cards, clothing, and gifts despite that MAGA boycott. And Hanover is a red-red town.

I look around the Hanover Target and see Mikey — over 65, hard of hearing. I see the floor manager, tattooed and pierced. I see workers of all ethnicities. I see diversity, equity, and inclusion at every turn. I don’t know about you, but I would rather support a store that practices DEI than one that mouths the words and does not.

If a store — Target, Wal-Mart, or Costco — discriminates against anyone based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, religion, hell yes we should protest that store in defense of the person discriminated against. And we should protest until the cows come home. But the flip side is: If a store practices DEI, no matter what they call it, we should support that store.

In other words, we need to better know about the specific places we spend our money.

Example to bring this home. In 2024, a Costco in Bridgewater, New Jersey was found guilty of wrongful termination of a 77-year-old pharmacist in an age discrimination lawsuit. It is well-known that, in contrast to Target, Costco did not discontinue its DEI program. Which store better represents DEI goals, the Hanover Target or the Bridgewater Costco?

It is not DEI only where “we” progressives have the same single-issue tunnel vision, although the single issues vary from person to person. We get hot and bothered over policy differences regarding climate change, university education, gun control, trans rights (we seem to be in agreement over LGBQ), mental health and homelessness, and Israel-Gaza.

Even here on Substack where debate tends to be rational and fairly logical, I see fellow progressives totally reject another progressive who disagrees with them on one of these hot button issues. To the point of using hate-filled MAGA-type language against their fellow progressives.

For some people, climate change is no longer a matter of the science. It’s become a hard and fast belief in one and only one interpretation of scientific data. Which goes against everything scientists believe in. Saying there is no climate change is a fool’s errand. But asking questions about data? That is 100% allowed. Except for single-issue voters.
The value of a university education has come under so much fire that in some progressive camps, it’s unfashionable to admit that ‘questioning and debate’ have meaning.
Gun control – I feel for my progressive friends who enjoy deer or turkey hunting. Come November 1, 2025 in Texas, many of them will be subject to harassment by progressives who are 100% anti-weapons. The inflammatory nature of these pile-ons only helps the NRA types who want no gun control.
Trans rights — Some of the same people who will march in Pride parades every June will deny trans individuals the same rights (despite the T in LGBTQ+). And use “science” to justify their position.
Mental health and homelessness. The impossible duo that drives a wedge in progressive communities. Instead of seeking answers, NIMBY progressives join with MAGA to clear out encampments and move people to dangerous shelters where they are — more often than not — victimized in the name of God. Other countries have proved that there are answers. But those answers cost money. And money means taxes.
Israel-Gaza. OMG. These days, you dare not call yourself progressive and support Israel. There’s a blurring of the lines between Gazans and Hamas, between Netanyahu and Israel, between history and Now. It’s as if it is illegal in progressive circles to admit out loud that we here in the United States of America do not know enough about this conflict to have legitimately effective solutions.

I could write a post about each of the above hot button topics. But I will spend two minutes, and two minutes only, on the last.

Here on Substack, following the Senate vote on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ resolution to block sale of weapons to Israel, countless progressives attacked the nineteen Democratic senators who voted against S.J. Res 41. Anger seems to be primarily directed at Charles Schumer, Corey Booker, John Fetterman, Maria Cantwell, Adam Schiff, Alex Padilla, Elissa Slotkin (not voting), and Ron Wyden. They are sell-outs. Or, they are all conservatives now. More frequently, we need to primary all nineteen of these senators.

Never mind that John Fetterman co-sponsored S 2321, a price gouging bill introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren; co-sponsored S 2377, an abortion rights bill introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth; and, co-sponsored S 2178, an amendment to the tax code granting LGBTQ+ couples the same rights as same-sex couples, sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden. But because he voted against Bernie’s nonbinding resolution, he is now to be primaried?

And Elissa Slotkin, whose voice on Colbert last week was strong and unequivocal. She seeks peace in Israel and Gaza through an interfaith effort between Jewish, Muslim, and Christians in Michigan. I daresay Slotkin knows more about Middle Eastern affairs than 99% of the people calling for her to be primaried. She’s lived it. And she knows how to get aid from her interfaith Michiganders to Gaza. Safely. The ones criticizing her without facts as basis for their criticism are armchair quarterbacks.

Issues in the Middle East are so complex as to break the minds of the strongest individuals. No one person has the answer. Peace will not come because our narcissistic president wants a “noble” peace prize. Peace will not even come because honest, good people like Bernie Sanders and Elissa Slotkin speak out about the Gazan crisis with different solutions to the issue.

Peace will only come when hard-nosed diplomats from all sides sit at table and hammer out a deal. A deal that assuredly includes “no Hamas!” in Gaza. A two-state solution, the same two-state solution that was negotiated in Oslo in the early 1990s. A two-state solution that was sabotaged by Netanyahu and Iranian-backed terrorists then. A two-state solution that needs teeth, not platitudes. Right now, this minute in 2025, neither Israelis nor Gazans nor Americans have diplomats worth their salt.

Peace will only come when voices who know are heard. Voices like:

The Palestinian Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (Hamas Wants Gaza to Starve, gift article, no paywall)
The Israeli Haviv Rettig Gur of The Times of Israel (who more often than not agrees with Ahmed)
And, my German-Jewish friend Andrea Livnat and her “sabra” (native Israeli who happens to be Jewish) husband Aviv. Andrea and Aviv work with Israeli and Palestinian children, bringing them together in summer camps and other kids’ activities. Aviv’s name is similar to that of one of the persons murdered on October 7, 2023. I worried until I knew he was all right.

These people, on the ground, with intimate knowledge of the complexities of the situation, are the ones who are capable of finding viable solutions. It will not be radicals like Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, or Hamas-Hezbollah-Houthi leadership propped up by Iran. It will not be armchair quarterbacks in the USA or the UK who have never set foot in the Middle East. It will not be Trump or Netanyahu’s toadies who are not interested in peace.

It is going to be Terry Swartzberg, working his butt off in Munich, bringing the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish communities together over food and conversation. It is going to be Rabbis for Human Rights, rebuilding Palestinian homes destroyed by Netanyahu’s minions. It is going to be kibbutzim like Beit Sera and Kfar Blum, towns like Metullah and Qiryat Shemona, places and people that desperately cling to activism on behalf of peace, despite being targeted by Hamas in October 2023. Hamas did not go after Kahanists, the far-right wing (and small) political movement that Ben-Gvir belongs to. No, Hamas attacked those who wanted peace.

It is going to be Jewish Israelis and Muslim Israelis and Palestinians and Saudis and Egyptians and Lebanese and Jordanians and Americans and Germans and Brits who believe in peace enough to sacrifice for it.

And that will mean disagreement, debate, discord. It does not, it should not mean being so one-issue that nothing else matters.

I will likely lose followers and subscribers over this post. But it’s important. We can only survive Trumpism if we pull together. Ilhan Omar and Eugene Vindman. Bernie Sanders, Elissa Slotkin, and John Fetterman. Josh Shapiro and Zohran Mamdani.

Ours is not a single-issue fight. It is not even a single-party fight. Argue all you will. Debate, debate, debate. Go to Israel. Go to Gaza. Join a Democratic Texan in November when they go deer hunting (and beg them for the venison they bring home). Read dry, informative texts from NOAA or the EPA on data they have collected and the evolution of what they believe that data means. Volunteer with a soup kitchen or an organization that takes blankets and coats to the homeless in winter. Read Erwin Chemerinsky’s powerful articles on the rights of the homeless (he was not popular in Long Beach when he was dean of Cal State-Irvine’s law school). Check out clinics for mentally ill persons living in poverty, unable to afford medication. Listen to the concerns of NIMBY Democrats and ask yourself if you’d want a homeless encampment in the empty field behind your house. Join a mission with Rabbis for Human Rights (you don’t have to be Jewish), no matter which side you support.

In other words, listen. Open your mind, open your heart, open your senses. These one-issue hot button topics are NOT easily solved. There’s no blue or red pill. There’s no mystic potion. The magic wands of everyone involved have long been decommissioned.

Before you write someone off who is on “our” side, be sure you understand the full scope of their work. The person whose view on Israel-Gaza you hate-hate-hate may be working hard on abortion rights, or may be quietly funding Black-owned businesses, or may be going out of their way to hire the unhireable. The body you dismiss as not progressive enough on trans issues may be entrenched in the war on homelessness. The individual you despise because their ideas on gun control don’t match up exactly to yours may be spending all summer toiling in a communal garden, feeding the invisible.

We’ve got to put down our weapons of words and stop the senseless slaughter. Our circular firing squad is the most potent missile MAGA owns. And we are the ones aiming it at one another. They don’t need to take us out. We’re doing a good job all on our own.

Frankly, I am exhausted. The exhaustion comes principally from the incessant flood of lies from Donald J. Trump, Karoline Leavitt, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, and their ilk.

But it also comes from the incessant rage machine on our side. The memes that scream Watch Bernie Sanders annihilate… or Pritzker blasts… — inflammatory language describing strong words, but strong words that by no means annihilate or blast. But “we” turn everything into an out-and-out war. We participate in the uncivil discourse.

And that wears me out as well.

Our battle for justice has turned into a battle for impressions, for viewers, for likes, for validation. We will not win the war if we lose these battles for decency, for civility, for kindness.

I am on the side that stands in line an extra fifteen minutes so I can talk to Mikey. In a store that hires people who are diverse, who treats them equitably, where inclusion is clear. Even if they don’t have a “DEI plan.”

Postscript: I am not suggesting that we cave, that we don’t push back. Absolutely we push back. Absolutely we strategize, we engage topnotch tacticians, we find every legal loophole to ensure that votes count, that lives matter, that fairness and justice rule the day.

But if we become them, we have lost everything. And then our nation is gone for good.

We must be the light on a shining hill. The lamp beside the golden door. A beacon in the utter darkness of our era, in our place.

Now more than ever

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