Ben Shapiro ridiculed for buying plank of wood from Home Depot in protest at ‘boycott’

Planks of wood have long been fuel for many a joke, pun and insult.

So when conservative commentator Ben Shapiro bought himself a single “magnificent piece of poplar” from Home Depot, he really was asking for it.

The US broadcaster and columnist made a trip to the DIY retailer in protest at calls to boycott the company over its stance towards Georgia’s controversial new voting law.

Shapiro released an Instagram story on Thursday encouraging fans to continue to shop at the home improvement outlets.

In it, he proudly announced: “As you can see, I just went shopping at Home Depot. You should do the same. This wood, this board, this magnificent piece of poplar is now mine.”

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Left-wing viewers were quick to seize on the clip, laughing that only he could make an intended act of defiance so laughably self-parodic.

But before we come to their reaction, let’s take a quick look at the context.

Why’s the new Georgia law so controversial?

Democrats argue that the new law will suppress voting in future elections by banning postal votes and restricting voting hours, among other measures.

Meanwhile Republicans, who control the state’s government, insist that the law will broaden access and increase election security.

Some major organisations including Major League Baseball (MLB) and Coca Cola have been vocal in their opposition –to the fury of Donald Trump and his followers.

But Home Depot has failed to join them in condemning the law. Instead, it issued a bland statement saying that it believes “all elections should be accessible, fair and secure and support broad voter participation” and that it will “continue to work to ensure our associates in Georgia and across the country have the information and resources to vote.”

The company’s failure to involve itself in the culture war has attracted strong praise from the likes of Shapiro who believe that corporations shouldn’t get involved in politics. But people on the left aren’t impressed.

So what’s been the response to Shapiro’s homemade promo vid?

The podcast host’s goal was clearly to generate support for the retail giant, but really all anyone could think about was the absurdity of his purchase.

Not only – out of all the items he could have chosen – did he decide to buy a single piece of wood, but he also placed it into a totally redundant plastic bag, which didn’t even reach halfway up the plank.

Here’s just a taste of some of the mockery:

Meanwhile, a number of Twitter users wondered what exactly he would do with his “magnificent” new acquisition:

All we can ask is, what’s thicker than a plank of wood from Home Depot?

You can come up with your own answer to that…