A few weeks ago, Utah voters went to the polls to vote on a statewide school voucher plan. After failing in every single voucher referenda in the country over the last quarter-century, proponents thought they’d finally win one. As it turned out, not so much — the conservative state rejected the scheme by a wide margin, losing in every county in the state.
Overstock.com chief executive Patrick Byrne, a conservative activist who bankrolled the voucher campaign in Utah, told reporters that that the referendum was a “statewide IQ test” that Utahns failed. Byrne, describing Utah parents and families, added, “They don’t care enough about their kids.”
Obviously, Byrne is unfamiliar with the notion of losing with dignity, but more importantly, some Overstock.com customers saw the reports and decided to take their business elsewhere.
Yesterday, I heard from one of these customers, who contacted the company, asking to be removed from the Overstock.com database. This person heard back, and forwarded me Overstock.com’s response. (I’ve removed the names of those involved.)
I have unsubscribed you per your request. But I would like to resubscribe you.
I was a Soldier for over 21 years before coming to work at Overstock.com. I believe we all have a right and a duty to express our opinions about matters that affect the public good. People have died for that right. Patrick expressed his opinion that the voters of Utah made a bad choice, and he backed up that opinion with a series of thoughtful arguments. He did not call anyone stupid. The fact that he referred to “an IQ test” in his editorial was a rhetorical tool to get people to think and talk more about this issue and his arguments.
I fear the day when our republic is no longer a place where people engage in thoughtful arguments and counter-arguments. I am sad that Patrick’s thoughtful arguments have been met only with attacks on his character. I have known Patrick for 17 years. He is a good person, and a good citizen. I am proud that I can say the same about many of my friends, even those with whom I disagree at times.
Oh my.
To hear this company rep put it, being offended by Byrne’s ridiculous comments is somehow un-American, and to question his bizarre attack on Utahns is to question his “character.” Please.
The entire email reads like a surprisingly desperate spin. For example, when Byrne said voters had failed his “IQ test,” he wasn’t calling them “stupid.” No, of course not.
And the “IQ test” line was just a “rhetorical tool to get people to think and talk more about this issue.” Of course, Byrne made the remark after the election, which is an odd time to spur discussion about the already-decided issue, but maybe Byrne was thinking of the next statewide voucher vote.
The Overstock representative “fears the day when our republic is no longer a place where people engage in thoughtful arguments and counter-arguments.” That’s fine, of course, but his boss told reporters that people who oppose paying for private school tuition with tax dollars “don’t care enough about their kids.” Where’s the thoughtfulness?
The really shameless part of this was the exploitation of the military. The company rep not only emphasized his military experience, which had no bearing on the controversy, but also signed his email by putting his military rank first, his role with the company second. Shameless.
This need not be complicated — when a company’s CEO offends customers, shoppers go elsewhere. If Overstock.com didn’t want to lose business, its CEO shouldn’t have lashed out wildly at voters who support public schools.