|
I buy stuff all the time with little thought given to the opinions of the producer: books, fruit, underwear, computers, coffee, etc. What I look for are interesting or informative books, inexpensive delicious fruit, comfortable underwear, powerful yet affordable computers, good coffee in a pleasant ambiance, etc. I frankly don't care what the inventors, manufacturers, servers, etc. believe; I care about the product and whether it is a good value to me.
If I find someone (or their opinions) to be obnoxious, offensive, disagreeable, boring, or whatever, I might take action to avoid having to listen to them express it. In a freedom-of-speech culture, they get to express it, but I don't have to listen to it.
If I don't like a particular farmer and I can get the same produce from another farmer without paying too much extra, I might do that. If I don't like a particular author and I can get just as interesting reading from another author, I might do that. However if I don't like an author, but I find her books to be compelling and fascinating, I have no problem buying and enjoying the books. (My opinion of the author might color my reading of her books enough to make them unenjoyable, but in my experience this usually doesn't happen.)
This poll begs the question, "What are we supposed to be voting FOR with our money?" My money votes for entertainment or information rather than world view, when it comes to books. And I believe that, at the end of the day, I'm more likely to "support" people with whom I disagree than with whom I agree, simply because I'm so opinionated and people with whom I entirely agree are few and far between. They're just such good writers...
|