Go Woke, Go Broke – we have the power in our pocket
"What is the latest trendy idea that people think is 'virtuous'?" asked the CEO across the shiny oak boardroom table. "We have done the gays, blacks, and trans. We need something else, something new. Our products will not just sell themselves. We need a new hook."
"I have an idea." replies a junior executive eager to please. "My daughter has just come back from university and is constantly talking about 'white rage' and the need to eradicate it."
The whole room goes quiet. Glances are exchanged across the table. The CEO nods his head in agreement. "I like it," he replies. "I have no idea what it is, but I like it. Get me some figures on projected sales increase if we go down this path."
The above conversation is how I imagine businesses approach the topic of social justice – 'How can we financially exploit the gullibility of the everyday person?' I do not blame them for this approach, it is their raison d'etre to acquire our money by any means necessary. We know this. They know we know. But we all agree to pretend that we don't.
We need to highlight the hypocrisy of companies and organisations that dare to venture into the culture wars. The real problem is not their hypocrisy but the damage it does to the fabric of our society. Wokeness is a post-modern neo-Marxist ideology that emerged out of feminism and will destroy our way of life if we do not stop it. Most woke people are just 'useful idiots' in a game they do not understand – a term coined by Lenin.
The woke attack capitalism, the police, the nuclear family and our individualism. The irony is we are funding this attack through our patronage of certain businesses. The time has come to stop and spend our money elsewhere. Corporate woke is all about profit, let us make it unprofitable and watch them change their priorities.
I understand how difficult it can be to speak up or fight back in this current climate of cancel culture. It is only a few years since I was cancelled from the charity I founded. I was lucky - I was resurrected. I hear from the silent majority daily, they also want to push back against ideas they know are wrong and dangerous. But they lack time, knowledge, courage and commitment. We need to give them an effective way to make a difference and have their voice heard.
I am trying to do something about it. I have recruited a small group of freedom fighters to help run the social media channels of @GoWokeGoBrokeUK - an online voice harnessing the power of the internet to highlight woke companies. We offer customers the information they need to make informed choices about where to spend their hard-earned money. In a capitalist society, companies are competing for your custom, we need to use this to our advantage. Our message will be: 'Serve us, not preach to us!' We are always looking for more volunteers to help online – get in touch is want to be part of the fightback.
I can already hear the accusations of 'free speech hypocrite' fired at me - but companies do not have a right to freedom of speech, only individuals. Owners and employees can promote any view they wish on their personal platforms. Even views I disagree with for this is their right. Presently, there are many companies where employees are not allowed to view their opinion for fear of dismissal. Where are the traded unions?
If a company is adamant that they wish to promote a particular cause, then we have the right to shop elsewhere. Never forget the customer is king and is always right. If in time it turns out that I am wrong, and this is a possibility, then woke companies will flourish and I will be seen as a fool. I can live with that.
Some companies are just semi-woke and pop up at the right time of year to change their social media avatar for it is a risk-free promotion of virtue. This happens every year during Pride Month. Some companies fly the rainbow flag while doing business in countries where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death. Does this make sense to you?
Let us not forget companies who say absolutely nothing about the plight of millions of Uyghur Muslims in China. A religious minority forced to live in re-education camps. Businesses are happy to continue their relationship with the Chinese state while lecturing us on equality, tolerance and equity.
Disney is a good example of what happens when you go full woke. This year they publicly criticised the Florida state governor for protecting children against LGBTQ+ lunacy in schools. The outcome was that they had their special tax status evoked for Florida-based theme parks. In March 2021, Disney's public-approval rating was 77%, by September 2022 it had fallen to 51% among all Americans. Eighteen months ago, Disney shares were at $180, today they are worth $90. I am not claiming this is completely down to going woke, but it is definitely a major contributor.
The movies they are producing are not resonating with the general public. The big release this year was Lightyear, a Toy Story spin-off. It cost $200 million to make, yet only earned $226 million – the film broke even.
Balenciaga is a clothes shop – a fancy one. Recently, they carried on with their woke advertising for it seemed to be a good marketing ploy with no downside. But as we all know, nothing lasts forever. This ended a few weeks ago when their advert featuring kids holding teddy-bears in bondage gear caused a huge outcry. They were accused of promoting paedophilia – which it was. Their shops have now been vandalised and they wiped clean all their social media accounts.
Not all organisations are strictly commercial enterprises, some are membership-based. They may not sell services or products but they do ultimately rely on us to fund them through annual fees. The National Trust relies on volunteers and membership fees to keep the organisation running. Many members have now cancelled their direct debits over the woke agenda within the trust. Others are pushing back vocally and added pressure for the Chair to resign, which he did. The National Trust is about preserving the heritage of our nation – they are caretakers of it. Not the official promoters of Pride Month, BLM or the eco-green lunacy.
Charities are extremely woke - I stopped working with Children In Need because it was too much to bear. But they are not the only ones who have been corrupted. Barnardo's produced a booklet for parents explaining 'white privilege' – anyone receiving help from this charity is by definition 'not privileged' regardless of colour. The British Legion works with veterans and is not exempt from this lunacy. They recruited a Diversity Manager on £50K pa - every penny of this salary will be funded through donations. If we withdraw our money from these woke charities they will change their behaviour or die. Give your money to a small local charity tackling an issue you care about, it usually achieves a lot more.
I have studied the battlefield laid out before us. I have noted the weaknesses present in the 'army of the woke'. It is obvious to me that they can and will be beaten. The question we need to ask is 'Are we going to personally contribute to the fight, or leave it to others?'. It comes down to personal responsibility and I take mine very seriously.
It is a tough fight. The woke have fortified their positions over decades and secured the high ground. Their panzer-like attacks online are formidable as they blitzkrieg across social media. New defences need time to be designed and become the standard response. New tactics do not remain new for long. We are adapting and pushing back with success. We have victories almost daily. We now see the woke can be beaten, now the hard work begins to win the war.
Finally, I need to make clear my aim is not to replace corporate woke lunacy with my own version. I want businesses to keep out of the culture war. Basically, I want them to keep their mouths shut. If they want my custom then lower prices, improve quality, innovate or simply offer me excellent customer service. I do not want to know about their views on climate change, trans rights or racial inequality – I want them to follow the law and pay their tax. Simple.
"We have received nine online complaints asking us to rename 'black pudding' to 'blood pudding' for it may be racist. I am not sure why, but they were quite adamant." stated the junior executive at the board meeting.
"Nine, you said?" asked the CEO deep in thought.
"Yes sir, nine complaints on Twitter." he replied.
"We need to keep our mouths shut and have no opinion." the CEO advised. "We have been here before and it cost us money. No matter how we act it will generate bad PR and cost us sales. Our strategy is to say nothing, keep our heads down, and allow this to blow over."
All heads nod in agreement.
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