Major brands such as Target, Bud Light and Disney are reeling from failed experiments in blending social activism with marketing. The consumer backlash against commerce with political undertones would make Adam Smith proud, says Lee Cohen in the Telegraph. Here’s an excerpt:
Recent consumer backlashes against retailers injecting social activism into their product marketing has given credence to the notion of ‘go woke, go broke’. The phrase provides hope that we are reaching an inflection point where ordinary Americans have had enough of corporate virtue signalling. In times when businesses feel compelled to reflect political messaging in their commercial campaigns, corporate social justice has become the rage.
Most of us simply want to make purchases without being lectured about issues having nothing to do with the transaction at hand. Fortunately, just as silent majorities make known their will at the ballot box, consumers still have power to buy elsewhere.
Recently-released reports reveal that the second quarter of this year marked a significant downturn for U.S. retail titan Target, as the company experienced a 5% drop in sales, its first decline in six years. …
The company’s response was to remove certain products from its extensive Pride collection, supposedly due to concerns about staff safety through confrontations between customers and employees and damage to displays. Brian Cornell, Target’s CEO, acknowledged a clear connection between the controversy and the sales decline, conceding that, “…we’re applying what we’ve learned to ensure we’re staying close to our guests and their expectations of Target”.
The incident is hardly isolated. Bud Light, one of America’s leading beer brands, faced a similar decline in sales after an eye-roll-worthy social media campaign. Its collaboration with transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney first sparked the backlash, contributing to a substantial drop in revenues for parent company Anheuser-Busch.
Entertainment giant Disney is also experiencing scathing criticism for injecting a socio-political agenda into its products, polarising fans and would-be patrons of its parks. Disney has made deliberate choices to recast its traditional characters through live-action remakes, with the latest example being the reboot of the classic movie Snow White. The princess had been refashioned as a Latina, while the beloved dwarves were portrayed as a hodgepodge of genders, races and sizes, purportedly to avoid any stereotypes.
Such moves earned a lashing in a Wall Street Journal editorial, which noted Disney has “elevated progressive pieties over originality and tradition, which may be alienating its customer base”. Indeed, in its latest quarter, Disney has lost $659 million across its streaming platforms.
Collectively, these incidents highlight a broader sentiment within American society: a growing revulsion towards the intertwining of politics and commerce leading to consumer boycotts.
Worth reading in full.
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The elite (and, by extension, senior police leaders) seem to think that the rank and file are always thinking in racial terms and that this governs each interaction with the public
The heart of anti-whitism is that – according to the wokusts – “thinking in racial terms” is only a bad thing if white people do it. If a Person of Sacred Skin Colour thinks in racial terms, it is a good thing. It is even better if a Person of Sacred Skin Colour can use their racial thinking against wicked whitie. For that reason pointing out the bad effects of such thinking must be prevented. It’s all part of the ideology of anti-whitism.
I am blessed with a number of immigrant friends, from Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, the Philippines… One of the reasons they came to the UK is because they wanted to live in a country where the rule of law was upheld impartially. They would be really saddened by this article, and their sympathues would be entirely with Rick Prior, as are mine.
Wasn’t this the essence of why grooming gangs were allowed to flourish. There have been a few ex-police officers who have said exactly this in regard to various issues where ideology has prevented the administration of justice and the protection of the people. Corruption as well leading to collusion and even participation. The while shebang is rotten from the top to the bottom. Deep capture they call it.
Equality before the Law, was what I was rightly taught.
But wait, I don’t think that I can now say rightly now.
Lol.
Ahhh …. but, according to the anti-whitists, equality before the law is itself a racialist concept because (a) it was developed by white people, and (b) because it fails to take into account the inbuilt and inherited differences between racial groups. This is the reason 2TK and our anti-white government are very kind towards Muslims who break the nose of police officers, but very harsh towards wicked whities who protest about the murder of children by the Establishment’s imported people.
‘The job’s f**ked’ was a common expression when I was in as well, and now, by extension we can extend this expression to the whole country…
I recall the day back in mid summer 1997 when I got in at work one day to be told we were no longer a ‘force’ but now a ‘service’ – Went downhill from that point onwards..
I had a friend who was very interested in the subject of UFO’s. So “Unidentified Flying Objects”—-But “Unidentified” to whom? —-I was once driving home in the middle of the night, and I saw a large bright elliptical shaped object in a field. I slowed down and then pulled into the side of the road to have a closer look. I even got out of the car wondering what on earth this was, and even if it was actually of this earth. It feels daft now, but I was very nervous for the next minute until I got nearer trying to “identify” this object and realised that what I was actually seeing was the reflection of the moon on a very large puddle. —–I had “identified” it wrongly. I realised that how things appear or seem to appear is not necessarily how they are.——–I also realise that “truth” is a similar thing. ———“The Truth”, but the truth according to who?—-One man’s perception is not everyone’s. It is an individual thing. Insisting there must be some universal truth in some matters can often be an idle pursuit.
Thanks for this article
Police officers, who aren’t senior ranks, are effectively being silenced from saying it how it is and prevented from doing their job properly. Over 50 were assaulted at Notting Hill ‘carnival’ and had to pick up the pieces after the murders that occurred at this festival. These things are never mentioned by msm or the mayors office. It’ll take the murder of a police officer at nhc to begin discussions to cancel this event.
Unfortunately Senior ‘leaders’ are focussed on being offended by things rank and file say or do and seem to have a competitive outrage amongst themselves as to who can be the most offended. In this case an unelected person has suspended a police officer for telling the truth. TJF.
TJF?
The job’s f@@ked.
Oh yes. I normally spot this sort of thing instantly but I have COVID
I’ve seen police running away from BLM protestors. Obviously they aren’t doing this out of cowardice, at least not physical cowardice it is more like they are petrified by being seen in a certain way. Moral courage is of course much more rare than physical courage. And now the transformation since 2020 has been dramatic and catastrophic in terms of the type of people who are entering the country now and the desolation that this has wrought. Backward countries joke about how they don’t have to worry about their criminal classes anymore because they will just send them to Britain where they will lapped up and perhaps even indulged such are the tempations of cheap labour and higher rent for the ruling class.
The whole country is fecked.
“You cannot take any people, of any colour, and exempt them from the requirements of civilization — including work, behavioural standards, personal responsibility and all the other basic things that the clever intelligentsia disdain — without ruinous consequences to them and to society at large”
Thomas Sowell
“Mukund Krishna” we give these people jobs and they immediately apply their own racist behaviours and weird ideologies against us.
You know at one point I could see why some diversity was necessary and yes there are some examples of worthy minorities in public office but I’m now leaning more towards a “hard no” on any minority or any DEI hire being allowed anywhere near any kind of public service role.
Sorry but there it is.
I am in complete agreement with “hard no.”
I’m afraid my respect for the police went out of the window during the scamdemic especially when they started “taking the knee” and were very aggressive during the protest marches.
Nigel Farage is the only figure the woke establishment fear. RatNest, anyone?. He needs to get this guys name out there. People will listen to him.
Two family member were in the police. Both made it to Sargent level. One had previously been in the navy. They both resigned mostly due to unreasonable demands from above and lack of support. Happy in their new jobs!
The Police Force has become so politicized it cannot function as an independent trustworthy and balance enforcer of laws. There should be no arbitrary decisions about when and if a law should be enforced. Civil society requires this to function. In many countries the Police report to Departments of Justice, not politicians. Perhaps it is time to rethink the role of the police and who should be controlling them.
The problem is if the rank and file aren’t allowed to do their jobs without fear or favour, there will be a rise in vigilantism as more people seek other means of justice, when their local bobbies hands are tied.