Boycotting Ike Perlmutter and Marvel? Really?

Okay, maybe someone can explain this to me, because I’m not getting something.

I’m seeing fans react with all manner of outrage because Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter donated a million dollars to Donald Trump. People are decrying him for it and naturally people are shouting that Marvel should be boycotted.

Except Perlmutter didn’t donate money to Trump’s presidential campaign. He donated a million bucks to help veterans. And it was his own money; it wasn’t like he skimmed a mill off the top of the last quarter’s profits and sent that in.

So…isn’t donating money to help vets a GOOD thing? A NOBLE thing? Something to be lauded for?

I mean, yeah, I suppose Trump could misuse the money or something. But that doesn’t seem to be weighing in to the vituperation. Instead people are just saying, “Perlmutter donated to Trump! What a dìçk!”

What am I missing here?

PAD

18 comments on “Boycotting Ike Perlmutter and Marvel? Really?

  1. I haven’t read the clickbait articles on the topic, but the Clickbaitish headlines have all read, more or less, something to the effect of Marvel Gives Trump Tons Of Money. I understand that the actual body of the articles probably offer specifics, but it has been my experience, watching reactions on social media, that people, more often than not, do not read past the clickbait headline.

  2. PAD:
    To just establish my bona fides: I’m a retired army officer, the Democratic Zone leader for West Hempstead, in Nassau and twice (failed) democratic candidate for the state assembly. While my kin fought in the Revolutionary War, my wife is an immigrant from Japan and my oldest daughter’s boyfriend is a Muslim from Bangladesh. Needless to say, I am not a Trump supporter.

    However, I believe that Mr. Perlmutter is entitled to his own opinions and to spend his money. While I would prefer that if he was going to spent it on veterans that he would chose a non-Trump related charity, it is not my call.

    By demonizing Mr. Perlmutter, we act like the Trump ditto heads and lose the essence of liberty. If we only listen to people with whom we agree, and only associate with people with whom we agree, then our country will be Balkanized. We seem to be spending so much time yelling at each other that no one is listening.

    While I am not a Bill O’Reilly fan, I do recall an interview he did with Rosie O’Donnell. To both of their credit, they spoke clearly and respectfully to each other. In the end, both acknowledged respect for the other’s positions and if memory serves me, a willingness to admit movement on their own.

    When we reduce debate to yelling and outrage, we don’t merely fail to challenge our opponents, but fail to challenge ourselves.

  3. People want to feel morally superior and outraged, and they take any opportunity to do it, even if it’s shaming or punishing a person who is innocent. It’s easy to feel morally vindicated that “I’m a GOOD person, and I’m CALLING OUT the bad guy.” No trial. No defense. People can be judge, jury and executioner with a few strokes of a keyboard. “I’m a good person, not like Perlmutter.”

    And some of it is laudable. I think there is this idea of people wanting to do good, but the road to Hëll is paved with amazing intentions. And this public shaming is the cement on that road.

    I didn’t take much from my days in Yeshiva, but this always stuck with me. Someone who shames another person in public, and causes the blood to drain from his face, can be compared to a murderer. (Baba Metzia 58b) Yes, it’s hyperbole but it’s a great lesson for life.

  4. You didn’t miss a thing. Media creates clickbait to anger people deliberately. And fanbots have little better to do than criticize anything, because it’s there to criticize. Ike did a decent thing, and Trump’s followers engaged in a publicity stunt to get exactly this sort of response. It should be ignored, but….too late.

  5. While I am grateful for Ike bailing marvel out a coup;le decades ago, I wish he’d leave, already. Not because of this — it’s his money and he can do with it what he pleases — but because of his general editorial handling of Marvel’s properties in recent years.

    I definitely don’t think boycotting Marvel 1) is the thing to do, or 2) a way to hurt Ike, should people want to.

    But Peter, I think the bigger problem is that the funds “for veterans” donated to Trump haven’t gone to Veterans’ groups — they’ve gone to Trump’s personal foundation.

  6. http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/marvel-studios-ike-perlmutter-kevin-feige

    There was also a Forbes article concerning Mr. Perlmutter but I can’t find the link for it…he was the primary cause for no representative toys for the BlackWidow for either Avenger Movie, which is a shame as well. As he obviously is on his way out, I am on the fence on whether to continue to support Marvel movies or not, but his outing would make my decision much easier.

  7. PAD,

    What you are missing is that in this “brave new world” of the perpetually offended, you could find the cure for cancer and there would instantly be a group opposed to on the grounds that it was discriminatory against cancer cells.

    People are dìçkš, plain and simple.

  8. I wonder how many people buy God-knows-how-many goods and services that are sold by corporations, apparently never considering that the CEOS and other higher-ups of those corporations may, just may, donate a buck or three to causes that those consumers may not agree with. I mean, can the typical person here name all the corporations behind all the goods and services they buy, let alone all the CEOS behind them, let alone their political donation activities?? I also wonder if comics fans only care when the donor recipients are Republicans.

    I mean, you hear this about Perlmutter, and you lose your šhìŧ? How many other CEOS who donate to causes you don’t like may be behind the stuff you like to buy?

    Let’s take Kentucky Republican Andy Barr. He’s pro-life (he has a 100% rating by National Right to Life Committee), he wants to strengthen the U.S.-Mexican border because he thinks it’ll limit illegal immigration (unlikely), he has an 86% positive rating by the NRA (Source: https://votesmart.org/candidate/117290/andy-barr#.VrAAgnsv9FQ) Barr received funds by the Kentuckians United Victory Fund. Wanna know who donated money to that group? Kevin Tsujihara, the CEO of Warner Bros, the parent company of DC Comics. That’s right. DC Comics wants to limit abortion, is anti-Mexican, etc.

    Tim Armstrong, who was President of Google’s Americas operation, contributed to Mitt Romney.

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has supported the leadership PACs of both Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and made donations to the campaign coffers of Republican Senator Dean Heller, who is running for re-election in Nevada, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Washington Congressman Dave Reichert, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe.

    PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has donated to Ted Cruz, and ave $2.6 million to Endorse Liberty, a SuperPAC that supported Ron Paul.

    The list goes on and on, both for Democrat and Republican recipients. If comics fans, or people in general, are really that prone to getting upset to find out that CEOs of companies who make the things they like give money to candidates that they don’t like, then they have two options:

    1. Abstain from all such goods, and go live an ascetic lifestyle in a commune somewhere, weaving their own clothes, farming all of their own food, and building their own things.

    2. Get over it.

  9. I, for one, have NEVER understood why so many people who hate homosexuality to the point of murderous rage, and vilify every person and company who supports the LGBT community, can still have a presence on the internet. If they were to follow through with their threatened boycotts of all who show solidarity with the gay cause, they’d be completely unable to access the web, as just about every tech company on Earth is non-strait friendly. From my perspective, at least, it would make my life – and online experience – so much more pleasant, to say the least, if they would just follow through!

    Guess the point I’m making (in an overly roundabout way) is that truly idiotic cognitive dissonance isn’t limited to either side of the isle. All edges of the political spectrum overreact to all these ultimately inconsequential perceived slights against their righteous and pure interpretation of their own political dogma. Impotent anger and ineffectual retaliation are just par for the course for the social justice warrior class of every extreme community. So really, didn’t miss nuttin’, nothing to see here, move along, same old.

  10. Mainly I just thought it was interesting because information about Perlmutter is hard to come by, and Trump announced his donation on national TV (which I imagine was not Ike’s preference.)

  11. I do think the whole boycott thing is ridiculous and ill-advised – as you say, it’s his money, and Marvel is far more people than just him…

    But come on. There were plenty of ways to support veterans before Trump set up a fund. A public donation like this at a time like this is both a much needed donation to the needy AND a political endorsement of Trump. That doesn’t necessarily make it bad, depending on your opinion of Trump, but it does make it a strong political statement.

  12. It’s simple, we live in the age of social media. Now more than ever we can create purity tests, marshal the forces of fake outrage, and watch as the “outraged” attack everyone they can until turning to devour any of their own who are not lockstep enough with the cause.

    Trump is a taint, so anything connected to his name- good, bad, indifferent -is tainted in the eyes of the true believers and the morally pure. It wouldn’t matter if the money raised went directly into buying an apartment complex for homeless vets to move into, paying the basic bills for a year, and helping to connect them with jobs because, well, Trump. It’s Trump, so for the wannabee SJW, it’s evil no matter what it’s actually about.

  13. Making donation to armed forces vets good thing but trump is a egomaniac and self-serving
    and does not no know how real world works . For starters he’s father gave him million dollars start
    up money in the early 1960’s that was lot of money for the time he has no concept of money . Also when
    he’s Vagas business empire went belly up in the 80’s the shareholders , investors , employees
    lost everything and he made them into he’s fall guys to save himself.

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