1 .		Summary #1 In Jo-Ann Johnston's "Who's Really the Villain?" she brings to light a controversy of which many Americans may not even be aware. She highlights some very important points regarding the store Wal-Mart. Johnston brings up not only the concerns of small town residents, but also the good that can come from having a Wal-Mart in one's town. Summary #2 The author claims that Wal-Mart could have been a positive experience for Greenfield, Massachusetts, a town that recently stopped a Wal-Mart opening. She believes the communities need to accept that Wal-Mart may become a neighbor. Opponents of Wal-Mart blame chain stores for the loss of small-town life rather than the small town stores that need to change with the times. Summary #3 In "Who's Really the Villain?" Jo-Ann Johnston points to the real villains in the ongoing Wal-Mart controversy: the retailers who would rather blame Wal-Mart than "adapt, evolve, and create" a niche to survive inevitable change. The main argument against Wal-Mart is it diminishes the remaining vestiges of small town life, but evidence shows that saying "no" to Wal-Mart (or any other large, discount retailer) can erode the quality of small town life because of the "retail leakage" that occurs when consumers shop elsewhere to save money, have a better selection, and have better customer service. Johnston states that change has happened before with local retailers with the "takeover frenzy of the 1980s." Local retailers argue that Wal-Mart can offer many competitive advantages, making them very difficult with which to compete. However, Johnston points out that this goes both ways. Local merchants who "adapt, evolve, and create" a niche can compete with Wal-Mart by providing services, goods, and personal service that customers want and need. The customers want the retailers to change; they see it as a fact of life. One fear of anti-Wal-Marters is if Wal-Mart does pick up and leave after so many years, the remaining merchants won't be able to cope, but merchants who have learned to cater to the customer become much stronger, more lucrative than those who didn't. Johnston ends her discussion with a mention of other forces affecting small town merchants such as online shopping, mail order catalogues, and specialty retailers rather than just Wal-Mart, the epitome of unwanted change.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.