Why corporate America doesn't hate the haters
Corporations can't rainbow wash their support of politicians with anti-human rights agendas
Judd Legum reports in his very useful newsletter, Popular Information that he found millions of dollars of political contributions from corporations waving their support for LGBTQ rights (i.e. the ones that everyone should have — human, civil, etc.) to politicians who are actively working to spread hate and limit rights to a whole shitload of Americans.
Of course it speaks of the kind of hypocrisy that marketing experts are, well, expert at doing.
The fact the pro-hate forces have targeted and threatened boycotts of these companies is making those "experts" earn their keep.
They want it both ways: show they are down with human rights while spending money (much more quietly since not everyone is Judd Legum) to do what they do—try to prevent their businesses from the costs that come with environmental, worker, and consumer safeguards, and to advantage their product line in government contracts and the private markets in cities and states across the country.
The marketing gurus come up with statements like this, from a Microsoft spokesperson, that almost sound reasonable. Just almost. Actually, not at all.
“We recognize that to make progress on the issues that matter to our customers and to our business, we must engage with officials who hold a range of views.”
I feel kind of bad for them. There they are trying to sell their stuff and just get caught in the crossfire of the "culture wars." What's a corporation to do? (Remember, corporations are people so I wonder how they sleep at night.)
A pause for a clarification. The "culture wars" aren't wars between two opposing "armies." It's a one sided assault by people who want to take away rights from others. Period.
I don't blame them. Really, I don't. Why? Because they are companies that exist to do one thing: sell their product at the lowest cost for the highest price and profit, including capturing the greatest market share (so they can charge more and make more). That's they way capitalism works.
Honestly, even if these were nationalized companies in a socialist utopia, we'd probably have the same problem. The hate squad would still be there and the publicly owned companies would still need to sell stuff.
Actually, maybe this is the way capitalism works also, and is actually the way it's supposed to work in a democratic society. Companies are always targeting who they want to sell to. Usually it's people with the money to buy their stuff—as many as possible.
So, I guess they either have to adjust their targeting or they should just be honest with statements like this: “We support the haters and we support the hated.” Sounds like a "good people on both sides" sort of statement, doesn't it?
Well, I have to admit it. I lied. I do blame them. If they support hate, then they support hate and are responsible for the hate that they support. Period.
P.S. Here’s a list of companies supporting Pride this year. (but not their political contributions.)