Shapiro: Corporations Are Going Woke - It's Time for the Pushback to Begin
This week, the Walt Disney Company, which has approximately 200,000 employees spanning the globe, decided to reshape its politics in response to a tiny contingent of radical activists.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney CEO Bob Chapek had steadfastly refused to embroil his company in the politics of the various states and countries where Disney does business; he correctly noted that the job of the company is to continue to make magic, not to do the political bidding of any favored coterie.
Then the state of Florida passed a law banning the indoctrination of small children in left-wing perspectives on “gender identity” and sexual orientation. All hell broke loose.
Senior Disney executives began circulating letters stating that the company opposed the Florida legislation, which opponents had falsely labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (The law doesn’t mention the word “gay” once.) Some employees threatened a walkout if Disney did not orient itself toward their favored political position.
So Chapek caved. He sent a letter to staff stating, “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.” He then pledged to undertake a “listening tour,” form a task force to cater to LGBT priorities and oppose a Texas measure that would prosecute the genital mutilation or hormonal sterilization of children.
The company also committed to injecting its radical left-wing values into its products, including “new content for children and family.” According to reports, Disney even went so far as to promise to feature a lesbian kiss in its upcoming children’s film “Lightyear.”
Chapek is caving because this is what left-leaning corporations do: They listen to the most outraged left-wing contingent, and then appease them. Instead of giving an answer proper to an employer besieged by employees threatening a walkout — telling the employees to get back to work or join the unemployment lines — major companies surrender.
Meanwhile, parents who simply want their kids to be entertained without being indoctrinated watch in perplexed horror as radical activists design content for their children.
In order to combat this nonsense, those who oppose the hijacking of major companies by the left must get organized — and they must create alternatives. That’s what we’ve tried to do at The Daily Wire.
In 2021, Harry’s Razors withdrew its advertising on one of our shows, citing a “values misalignment.” What precisely was the problem? Our host had stated that men are men and women are women, and that sex is immutable.
So we fought back. This week we launched Jeremy’s Razors, a razor company dedicated to the proposition that everyone, regardless of politics, deserves a good shave. We are here to provide you with excellent products. And we will never slap our customers in the face in the name of a woke few. Our motto is simple: “Shut up and shave.”
If corporations decide to go woke, there must be competitors to ensure that they will go broke. We hope to fill that gap. We only hope others will follow our lead.
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