RT.com
23 Jun 2022, 23:43 GMT+10
As US corporations paint their logos in rainbow colors for Pride Month, all they think about is profit ? just like every other month
Conservatives love saying "get woke, go broke," but that's not necessarily the case these days. Corporations earn social credit by virtue signaling, and Pride Month, which falls every June, has woke capital putting its most progressive virtues on display.
Designed to mark the 1969 Stonewall riots and LGBTQ rights, Pride Month has become an opportunity for multinational corporations like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Intel and so on to vomit rainbow colors onto their social media profiles like a herd of bulimic unicorns.
Everyone's noticed, of course - it's become something of a running gag and a joke among internet users. Elon Musk splashed a meme on Twitter showing off a mass of rainbow-colored logos in a whirlwind with the caption "Here it comes!"
Others have pointed out the irony in such a move. While corporations remain eager to tell the world how much they support progressive causes, they're less likely to do so in the Middle East, where these very same companies chose to remain on the downlow and resisted putting up any such displays. So much for courage.
It's just business as usual on the Middle East pages of the very same companies that sponsor drag-queen events for children in the United States and Europe. There's an inconspicuous absence of rainbow flags and virtue signaling. Woke capital is absent in places where such displays of virtue would have the most impact. Extrajudicial killings of gays don't matter all that much to corporations if it hurts their bottom line.
How courageous is it, exactly, to celebrate a cause that every establishment in the West supports? With the backing of the mainstream media, Big Tech, and even the US government, it's not exactly transgressive to parrot what everyone else is saying.
The satirical Twitter account Titania McGrath (created by comedian Andrew Doyle) summed it up best when (s)he wrote in 2021, "It takes real courage for major corporations to display the Pride rainbow colours in our homophobic and heteronormative culture. And yet how wonderful to see that the Arab states are so progressive that the corporations don't even have to bother."
Woke capital was never about courage. It's always been about fattening quarterly earnings - and woke-themed marketing and branding helps these corporations maintain their place in a society that rewards wokeness. It's too good an opportunity to let go to waste, and unlike Valentine's Day or Thanksgiving, it lasts a whole month.
But that's only scratching the surface. Woke capital goes much deeper than that.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the author of Woke Inc., suggests in his book that being woke is a function of ESG (environment, social, governance) metrics and enjoys a variety of benefits that would otherwise be unavailable to corporations that don't make wokeness a priority.
Ramaswamy writes:
It's a system of quid pro quo: Woke capital backs whatever agenda their favorite liberal politician supports for some kickbacks in return, be it in the form of government contracts or fewer regulations. It's a tale as old as time; it's crony capitalism dressed up in a pink wig and a rainbow-colored T-shirt.
That's what makes Elon Musk's tweet about Pride Month even more courageous. Musk said the quiet part out loud, mocking the immodest display of virtue that every major corporation peacocks - year in, year out.
Many in his replies have pointed out that as soon as June began, companies ditched their support for Ukraine, like Andy throwing Woody in the garbage. "I don't want to play with you anymore." To woke capital, Ukraine was last season's flavor. They've replaced the Ukraine flag with a rainbow and trans pride flag.
Give it another month and they'll be on a whole other topic.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Iran Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iran Herald.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan, long associated with war and instability, is quietly trying to rebrand itself as a destination for...
SANTA CLARA, California: Executives at Nvidia have quietly been cashing in on the AI frenzy. According to a report by the Financial...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel's success in the war with Iran could open the door to...
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip: Hisham al-Lahham is one of 580 premature babies in Gaza who may die from hunger, according to Gaza's Health...
(250703) -- GAZA, July 3, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian premature baby receives medical care at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir...
Tel Aviv [Israel], July 3 (ANI/TPS): The government of Israel approved the implementation of what it called a broad compensation plan...
Chinese premier to attend 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil, visit Egypt China looks forward to working with all parties to consolidate...
A UN office said that approximately 85 percent of Gaza's territory is either under displacement orders or located within militarized...