Look, I’m no PR expert, but it can’t be good for your brand to have folks writing stuff like, “I proudly admit to hating Islam” on your official Facebook page. After pulling ads from TLC’s All-American Muslim, Lowe’s issued a tepid apology on Facebook, which read, in part, “It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective – social, political and otherwise – and we’ve managed to make some people very unhappy. We are sincerely sorry. We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, across our workforce and our customers, and we’re proud of that longstanding commitment.”
The post has over 28,000 comments — and counting. Plenty of people are disappointed in the retailer, claiming that they will not be shopping at the store. But! Many are in support of Lowe’s, with messages like “Don’t back down!” And “It’s a free country!” and, er, “freedom of choice.”
Another gem:
At least with you Muslims here we know you won’t be running down the middle of the street yelling “Allah Akbar” and shooting or blowing anyone up!
And:
I proudly admit to hating Islam and I find myself fortunate that I know enough about Islam to hate it… When moslems [sic] stop murdering, raping, “marrying” little girls, when they leave Israel alone, stop oppressing women, stop killing apostates and gays and assimilate instead of secluding themselves in this and every other western country, then and only then will I re-evaluate my feelings towards islam.
Some more lovely messages on Lowe’s public Facebook page: (click to enlarge)
As Ben Popken at AdFreak puts it, “Seems Lowe’s is attracting another breed of shopper this week.” Sounds like a really fun shopping experience! (And by fun I mean terrifying.)
Lowe’s In Facebook Hell As Racist Comments Pile Up [AdFreak]