Woke Capitalism

Woolworth’s announcement that it won’t be selling any Australia Day merchandise at its Woolworths or Big W stores this year, has drawn a huge backlash from Australians.

According to the company, the decision is linked to the “broader discussion about 26 January and what it means to different parts of the community”.

The decision sparked widespread public outrage along with calls for a nationwide boycott of Woolworths and Big W, including from Australia’s Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton.

Dutton told 2GB last Thursday that: “I think people should boycott Woolworths … I would advise very strongly to take your business elsewhere”.

Indigenous leader, Warren Mundine, went even further, accusing Woolworths executives of ‘living in a fantasy world.’

‘These corporates are totally out of touch with the real Australia and yet they keep on coming out and trying to push this nonsense on us to make us ashamed of who we are and what our country is.’ ‘We should be celebrating who we are,’ Mundine said.

I couldn’t agree more.

Companies should stick to selling products, instead of misusing their positions to impose radical agendas on Australians, outside the democratic processes of government.

I also find it interesting that while wealthy CEOs are fond of preaching about certain topics like climate change, diversity and trans issues, they show zero interest in addressing the worsening cost of living crisis, chronic housing shortage or spiralling wealth gap.

They’re not going around saying they want to increase workers’ wages, for example.

The bottom line is that corporations have two primary social responsibilities – one is that they pay their fair share of taxes and the other is that they provide ‘decent and meaningful’ employment to people.

Neither of which is happening. Quite the reverse in fact.

As US Carl Rhodes pointed out in his book, ‘Woke Capitalism”, the kind of politics these multinationals like to jump on the bandwagon about, are things that either support, or don’t interfere, with corporate interests.

“That’s not democracy, it’s closer to feudalism” Rhodes states.

Australians have the power to put an end to all this, by voting with their wallets and taking their business elsewhere and that includes the Hotels/ Pubs owned by this group.

Or, as the popular conservative saying goes:

Stop giving money to people who hate you!