Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro sat down with author and entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David to discuss a wide range of topics, including the infiltration of woke ideology into the business world, on the latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-142-patrick-bet-david" target="_blank" rel="noopener">episode</a> of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sunday Special</a>.”
During the episode, Shapiro asked Bet-David, an Iranian-American and the founder and CEO of Valuetainment, about how much the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG</a> (environmental, social, and governance) movement had ingrained itself into large corporations. Bet-David told Shapiro that the adoption of woke policies by corporations was very widespread, but that he believed corporations would be forced to abandon such policies in the long-term as more people became aware of the situation.
“They&#8217;re not going to win long-term because people are starting to get exposed to it and they&#8217;re learning more about it. And even they&#8217;re saying, &#8216;Hey, let me back off a little bit,'&#8221; he said, later adding that “common sense” would win.
He pointed to recent news that McDonald’s would be removing ESG components from its website, and billionaire Elon Musk’s criticism of ESG, to show that momentum was starting to build against woke corporatism.
Shapiro and Bet-David also discussed why social media personality Andrew Tate had amassed such a large following, especially with young men. Bet-David said that there was valid criticism of Tate’s personal life, but that the message he was presenting was attractive to boys looking for a male role model.
“But a lot of the values and what he&#8217;s presenting, you can&#8217;t argue young men are looking for that, especially nowadays. There&#8217;s a lot of boys that are looking for an older brother or a father figure and his messaging keeps resonating with them,” he said.
Shapiro said that, while he believed that Tate diagnosed many of the problems with modern society, his answers were usually wrong. Shapiro said the way to build society was by getting married and having a family, not through a purely materialistic approach of focusing solely on money and attracting a lot of women.
Bet-David, who spoke with Tate on his YouTube, has interviewed a broad host of public figures on his podcast including Rod Blagojevich, Anthony Weiner, Shaquille O&#8217;Neal, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant.
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Bet-David also discussed his new book, “Choose Your Enemies Wisely: Business Planning for the Audacious Few,” which is coming out in December.
“Everybody has an enemy. You got an enemy. I got an enemy. He has an enemy. Trump has an enemy. Biden has an enemy. The average voter has an enemy. &#8230; Everybody&#8217;s got an enemy, right?” he said, adding that people needed to be strategic in choosing their enemies.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sunday Special | Patrick Bet-David On Andrew Tate, Entrepreneurship &amp; The Yankees" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/en-YykHeNIg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Shapiro /Bet-David

Entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David Predicts Woke Capitalism Will Die Off In Latest ‘Sunday Special’

Ben Shapiro

Sunday Special

Twenty-two state attorneys general, led by Tennessee&#8217;s Jonathan Skrmetti, are warning financial services companies that they may be violating antitrust and consumer protection laws by engaging in a climate activist alliance aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions.
The <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/State-AGs-NZFSPA-Letter-9-13-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to financial services providers that are signatories to the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance (<a href="https://www.netzeroserviceproviders.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZFSPA</a>), which is identified as “a global group of Service Providers committed to supporting the goal of global net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.”
“We are writing to express our concern that your NZFSPA commitments may violate state and federal law, including antitrust laws and consumer protection laws,” the letter states. “Although many NZFSPA signatories are direct competitors with each other, they nevertheless commit to using their market influence to enforce their collective climate agenda in the broader economy.”
The attorneys general also remarked that “many companies may have no choice but to comply with your policy preferences, requiring them to restrict further the variety and output of goods and services that are not &#8216;aligned&#8217; with your activist climate agenda” because of the “extraordinary market power of participants in the agreement.”
The alliance includes numerous powerful companies, including Deloitte, EY, Bloomberg, KPMG, and S&amp;P Global.
The attorneys general highlight potentially problematic aspects of the alliance, such as an agreement among signatories to “coordinate their agenda with numerous other climate-activist pressure groups” and “coordinate their market pressure” to achieve the aims of the NZFSPA.
It goes on to request that the signatories “describe in detail all communications related to your commitments to NZFSPA,” as well as communications concerning membership in GFANZ. Signatories are also asked to describe actions they have taken to fulfill their NZFSPA obligations, as well as ways in which they have “materially deviated from your NZFSPA commitments.” The letter requests that the information be provided by October 13th.
“If financial service providers are colluding to limit consumer choices and manipulate market outcomes in support of international climate activists, that could violate our antitrust and consumer protection laws,” Tennessee Attorney General Johnathan Skrmetti explained in a statement. “Decisions about energy policy should be made by our elected representatives, not by transnational corporate alliances.”
Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumer’s Research, lauded the attorneys general for “their important work defending consumers from yet another net zero conspiracy.”
“Financial services providers must understand that no matter what virtue signaling label they slap on it, collusion between members of an industry to drive up costs for Americans is immoral and illegal,” Hild said, pointing out the “massive potential liabilities” associated with the alliance. “They should cooperate with the investigation, and most importantly, stop conspiring against the public. No financial service provider has a legitimate reason to be part of NZFSPA.&#8221;
The letter comes after several insurance companies <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/allianz-decides-leave-net-zero-insurance-alliance-2023-05-25/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left the alliance</a> following a previous <a href="https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-05-15-NZIA-Letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from 23 attorneys general warning the companies of potential legal ramifications associated with their involvement in the alliance.

Judge Gavel

Attorneys General Warn Financial Institutions Of Antitrust Violations Over Climate Activism

Attorney General

Environmentalism

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a> investor has sued the retail chain, saying that it misled investors over risks related to its LGBT marketing and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
A lawsuit filed on Tuesday by America First Legal (AFL), co-counsel Boyden Gray PLLC, and Lawson Huck Gonzalez PLLC on behalf of investor Brian Craig in Florida <a href="https://aflegal.org/america-first-legal-sues-target-corporation-on-behalf-of-shareholder-for-making-misleading-statements-regarding-managements-reckless-esg-and-dei-mandates-that-cost-shareholders-over-12-billi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> that Target cost shareholders lost billions of dollars because of its LGBT, ESG, and DEI policies.
The lawsuit <a href="https://media.aflegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/08204301/Complaint-filed-stamped-copy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accuses</a> Target and its board of directors of betraying “both Target’s core customer base of working families and its investors by making false and misleading statements concerning Target’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates that led to its disastrous 2023 children-and-family themed LGBT-Pride campaign.”
Craig <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/target-sued-by-investor-over-backlash-to-lgbtq-merchandise.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owns</a> over 200 Target shares and says that the corporation’s board of directors and management misled investors about risk management over social and political messaging. The lawsuit says that Target did not consider potential criticism from more conservative customers when rolling out ESG and DEI mandates.
Target market value has <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/target-hit-with-shareholder-lawsuit-after-pride-backlash-damaged-stock-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined</a> $14 billion in value after backlash mounted to its June “Pride” month displays. During the controversy, Target was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lets-make-a-deal-host-wayne-brady-reveals-he-is-pansexual" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> for offering for sale “tuck-friendly” and “extra crotch coverage” female swimsuits.
In addition to the female swimwear designed to accommodate male genitalia, the Target &#8220;Pride&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-releases-latest-pride-collection-complete-with-kids-books-and-rainbow-items-for-babies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collection included</a> small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, as well as rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers.
Target removed some products and moved &#8220;Pride displays&#8221; to less prominent positions in some stores after scrambling following some conservative commentators urging a boycott of the popular retail store.
The lawsuit says the displays “embroiled Target in the culture war and caused Target to experience the biggest stock decline in the company’s history, costing investors billions.”
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AFL Vice President Gene Hamilton said that Target’s board and management did not follow federal law making publicly-traded companies issue certain statements to investors on risk management.
“As alleged in our complaint, Target failed to execute its duty to its shareholders by making statements that led them to believe that political and social risks were being assessed &#8212; when in reality, the only thing Target’s Board and Management cared about was how effectively they fulfilled the desires of various metrics advanced by leftwing ‘stakeholders,’” Hamilton said.
Back in June, Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk predicted that Target would face a lawsuit over the dramatic loss of value.
“Won’t be long before there are class-action lawsuits by shareholders against the company and board of directors for destruction of shareholder value,&#8221; Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1664618300041469952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted on X</a>.

After Target Lowers Sales Forecast, Shares Plummet

Investor Sues Target Over ‘Disastrous’ 2023 Pride Campaign After Company Loses Billions In Market Value

Investor Sues Target Over 'Disastrous' 2023 Pride Campaign After Company Loses Billions In Market Value

Business

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

LGBT

Pride

Social Issues

Target

Wokeness

It used to be conventional wisdom in the field of economics that corporations should do everything they can to make a profit and maximize shareholder value. That was the whole point of a corporation. It was taught in every high school econ textbook, just like the principle of supply and demand, there was this idea that, if for some reason a corporation decided to spend a ton of money on social causes, instead of growing the business, then they were doing something wrong. They were misusing shareholder funds. They were engaging in a form of social engineering, which is unethical, and maybe even illegal. Pretty much everyone agreed with that.
In the last decade or so, though, this reasoning has fallen completely out of favor. Major corporations now see social engineering as their primary objective, whatever the consequences might be. Blackrock and Vanguard are fixated on E.S.G. scores, which means making sure that companies are promoting values like &#8220;sustainability&#8221; and &#8220;inclusivity&#8221; and so on. They care about E.S.G. more than profitability in some cases.
You often hear this phenomenon being described as &#8220;wokeness.&#8221; But that doesn&#8217;t fully capture what&#8217;s happening. Wokeness implies a kind of pie-in-the-sky naivete. It suggests that corporate executives from the coastal states are being earnest when they, for example, schedule “Pride Nights” at NHL games, or pay Dylan Mulvaney to promote Bud Light. 
What&#8217;s actually happening is more sinister. Corporate wokeness is coordinated. It&#8217;s disingenuous. Its aim is not &#8220;inclusivity,&#8221; whatever that means. Instead, the goal of these corporations is to ensure that conservatives never hold any power in this country ever again. What&#8217;s often called &#8220;wokeness,&#8221; in reality, is best described as a hatred of traditional values. It&#8217;s an effort to stamp out conservatives and to destroy them. With very few exceptions, no matter what the company, no matter what the industry, this is the goal of corporate America. They don&#8217;t see their role as selling products. They understand that their true purpose is to promulgate Left-wing ideology to the point that it&#8217;s dominant and totally unchallenged.
Companies rarely admit this out loud, for obvious reasons. Usually, they bombard you with Left-wing marketing, but they don&#8217;t tell you what their actual objective is. But there is one notable exception that we&#8217;ve just found. We&#8217;ve come across a company that — internally, at least — is willing to say that, yes, they want to wage political warfare on conservatives, and to bring back the glory days of the Obama administration. This is a company that effectively acknowledges that its woke marketing, and indeed its entire product line, is a kind of Trojan horse for something very different.
The company is called &#8220;Harry&#8217;s.&#8221; They make razors. You might know that The Daily Wire has some history with them. Harry&#8217;s surfaced a few years ago as a low-cost alternative to big brands like Gillette. Take a look at this recent advertisement from Harry&#8217;s, to get a sense of their marketing these days:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Harry’s Razors partnered with a “trans man” (female) to promote their razor set
100% of the profits from this set go to the Trevor Project, which promotes gender surgeries for minors <a href="https://t.co/Sb6ZbBT0GA">pic.twitter.com/Sb6ZbBT0GA</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1688015091088707584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As you can see from the text in that video, Harry&#8217;s is promoting this idea that it&#8217;s &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; for women to buy razors and shave. The point of buying a Harry&#8217;s razor, in this case, isn&#8217;t really to fulfill any useful function. It&#8217;s to make women feel like men.
The ad is, among other things, an endorsement of self-mutilation. Harry&#8217;s has selected an actor — apparently a woman who had her breasts cut off — and they&#8217;re celebrating that decision. Pause for a second to consider how remarkable this is. You might remember that it wasn&#8217;t too long ago that the Left claimed to abhor female genital mutilation, in places like Africa. And now here they are, endorsing the practice to sell cheap razors.
The key question is: Why is Harry&#8217;s doing this? Do they really think this is going to help them sell more razors? Are they just hopelessly naive? 
We don&#8217;t have to look far to find the answer to that question. Here&#8217;s the CEO of Harry&#8217;s, suggesting that something else might be going on. This is a clip that was just unearthed by the popular Twitter account &#8220;End Wokeness.&#8221; Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here is the CEO of Harry’s Razors
He calls dads “non-birthing parents” and moms “birthing parents”
He says the company is “socially-minded” <a href="https://t.co/Lrxy3vpciX">pic.twitter.com/Lrxy3vpciX</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1688248780280274944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The CEO of Harry&#8217;s is using terms like &#8220;birthing parents&#8221; to describe women, and &#8220;non-birthing-parents&#8221; to describe men. He sounds more like a Berkeley coed than the leader of a major company. If you ran a poll, you&#8217;d probably find that a very small percentage of the country talks like this. Maybe something like .0001%. So why is he doing it? If he&#8217;s not trying to increase profits or grow his business, what is he doing exactly?
Those are good questions. So, after seeing that clip, we decided to take a closer look at Harry&#8217;s. And now we have the clearest possible answer to that question. We&#8217;ve unearthed Harry&#8217;s internal <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5390c8aee4b0e52ffc20c4d2/t/5bbd184ee79c709a3ed2fe0e/1539119194494/Ricebowl+Strategy_Harrys_Painting+the+World+Orange.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;global strategy&#8221; agenda</a> from 2018. The document is called &#8220;Painting the World Orange: Positioning Our Way Into a More Progressive Future.&#8221; It was put together by an external agency that Harry&#8217;s selected.
Here&#8217;s a direct quote from that document. As you read this, keep in mind that again, this is supposedly a company with the primary purpose of making razors: 
<blockquote>&#8220;We recognised that rigidly binary gendered constructs were part of the toxic scaffolding we needed to slowly dismantle. &#8230; ‘The Future is Orange’ became our internal shorthand to refer to the thinking and ‘orange’, we hoped, would begin to refer to all the behaviours by which we would embody progressive values for men everywhere. We were excited. This was a brave, bold positioning that could, we hoped, shift culture significantly.&#8221;</blockquote>
The document goes on to mourn the fact that Barack Obama is no longer in office. It then explains that, if you voted for Trump, supported Brexit, or recognize that boys are boys, then you&#8217;re “blatantly racist,” “divisive,&#8221; and &#8220;toxic.&#8221; The strategy document states that Harry&#8217;s, as a company, needs to “fight.”
Harry&#8217;s staffed up accordingly. Per this strategy document, Harry’s then took a company-wide turn to become “an army of energized and motivated social change agents” for “progressive masculinity.” 
What&#8217;s amazing about all this is that it contradicts Harry&#8217;s own studies on this topic. Around the same time that this strategy document was released, Harry&#8217;s commissioned something called a <a href="https://www.menandboyscoalition.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Harrys-Masculinity-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;masculinity report.&#8221; </a>The report found that men who valued traditional gender roles were more likely to have a positive mindset than men who didn’t. 
But Harry&#8217;s didn&#8217;t change their approach in light of this research. Instead, they enacted a policy to cut off business relationships with companies that don’t align with their radical views. In other words, you must share Harry&#8217;s “progressive values,” or lose any contract you have with Harry&#8217;s.
One of the companies that Harry&#8217;s dropped, as you might have heard, was The Daily Wire. Harry&#8217;s was upset, allegedly, that Michael Knowles said boys are boys, and girls are girls. You probably know that story. The Daily Wire&#8217;s co-founder, Jeremy Boreing, launched Jeremy&#8217;s Razors in response.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1199-pop-star-falls-to-his-knees-and-apologizes-for-saying-boys-are-boys-and-girls-are-girls-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
But Harry&#8217;s didn&#8217;t simply cut off companies like The Daily Wire. They also started putting a lot of money into groups that sexualize children.
Since 2019, for example, Harry’s has partnered with The Trevor Project, which bills itself primarily as a suicide hotline. Harry&#8217;s has given <a href="https://shortyawards.com/7th-impact/harrys-pride-2022-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seven figures in contributions</a> to the Trevor Project, in fact. As we&#8217;ve mentioned before on this show, the Trevor Project has lately been pushing the lie that castrating and surgically mutilating children will reduce their mental distress. The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/01/mom-discovers-depravity-in-trevor-projects-trans-chat-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Trevor Project also runs a chat room for children in which adults discuss quote, “nullification surgery,&#8221; meaning &#8220;removing all external genitalia.&#8221; People in the chat room also detail their masturbation addictions, autogynephilic tendencies, and BDSM practices — all of which could be viewed by children.
Harry&#8217;s also donated 100% of the profits from its recent &#8220;Pride&#8221; campaign to organizations such as the U.K. organization, &#8220;Mermaids,&#8221; which is unapologetically in favor of sexualizing and supposedly &#8220;transitioning&#8221; minors. The Daily Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09/25/exclusive-trans-charity-mermaids-giving-breast-binders-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that Mermaids offered “advice to users who present themselves as young as 13 that controversial hormone-blocking drugs are safe and ‘totally reversible.'&#8221; Additionally, Mermaids offered chest binders to children as young as 13-years-old, without any parental consent. A Mermaids moderator also <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11260169/Trans-charity-Mermaids-scandal-unfolding-eyes.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> &#8220;congratulated a teenage user for deciding that they were transgender by the age of 13 and deciding that they wanted drugs and ‘all the surgeries.’&#8221;
It&#8217;s clear that, regardless of how they bill themselves, Harry&#8217;s isn&#8217;t really a razor company. It&#8217;s a vehicle for Left-wing ideologues who want to transform this country.
 And Harry&#8217;s isn&#8217;t alone. The only thing that separates Harry&#8217;s from pretty much every other major corporation in the country is that they put all of this in writing. That&#8217;s it. So-called &#8220;woke&#8221; corporations like Harry&#8217;s aren&#8217;t misguided, or overly idealistic, or stupid. They know exactly what they&#8217;re doing. They hate you and they want to destroy you. It is nothing less than an act of self-flagellation to voluntarily give your money to businesses like this. They are spitting in your face, and you are paying them for the service. And if that’s how Harry’s or any other Left-wing company wants to operate, that’s their prerogative. But we are still a country where the vast majority of people don’t refer to mothers as “birthing parents,” and don’t think it’s a good idea for women to have cosmetic double mastectomies, and don’t believe in sterilizing and castrating children.
* * *
<a class="c-link" href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/jeremys-shaving/products/jeremy-s-precision-5-starter-set?selling_plan=2746417365" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/jeremys-shaving/products/jeremy-s-precision-5-starter-set?selling_plan=2746417365" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Jeremy’s Razors</a> was started because you shouldn’t be giving your money to woke corporations that hate you. For woke-free razors and more go to <a class="c-link" href="http://jeremysrazors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://jeremysrazors.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent">jeremysrazors.com</a> today!
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Abstract business background concept with double exposure and network effects

Social Engineering Is Now The Primary Objective Of Woke Corporations

Corporations

Matt Walsh

Readers Pass

Social Justice

Woke Culture

Elon Musk slammed environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) during an interview late last week, saying it was effectively a &#8220;rebranded&#8221; form of communism.
Musk made the remarks during a Friday discussion on an X Space while discussing corporations investing in implementing the woke agenda into their firms.
“We don’t basically do some sort of like bizarre, like communism rebranded thing, which is like a lot of what ESG is and to be inflicted upon corporate America without the knowledge of the actual shareholders, which is what&#8217;s going on!&#8221; Musk said.
&#8220;The big firms that you hear are BlackRock, you know, Vanguard, all them, they’re like, they&#8217;re setting themselves up for the biggest class action lawsuit in the history of class action lawsuits by an order of magnitude!” he added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElonMusk</a> calls the ESG scam &quot;communism rebranded,&quot; predicting rogue asset managers (like <a href="https://twitter.com/BlackRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlackRock</a>) will face the largest class action lawsuits in history over their political activism: <a href="https://t.co/HITs0mZfQl">pic.twitter.com/HITs0mZfQl</a>
&mdash; Will Hild (@WillHild) <a href="https://twitter.com/WillHild/status/1686005507645911040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Musk has repeatedly slammed ESG over the last few years, going as far as to <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1668829554448777216">call</a> it the &#8220;devil.&#8221;
Earlier this year, independent journalist Michael Shellenberger posted a thread about the World Economic Forum’s secretive finances. When he mentioned that the controversial organization utilizes ESG criteria, Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1614786284547112961?s=51&amp;t=eMkba5aAQVs4KquWM6uVNQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> that “the S in ESG stands for Satanic.”
Last year, Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1526958110023245829?s=46&amp;t=nmw6FkSXxXLIo_svsr87Kw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that S&amp;P Global provided oil and gas conglomerate ExxonMobil with a stellar ESG score, while Tesla, which claims a mission of reducing climate change through electric vehicles, did not make the list.
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&#8220;Exxon is rated top ten best in world for environment, social &amp; governance (ESG) by S&amp;P 500, while Tesla didn’t make the list!&#8221; Musk tweeted. &#8220;ESG is a scam. It has been weaponized by phony social justice warriors.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Exxon is rated top ten best in world for environment, social &amp; governance (ESG) by S&amp;P 500, while Tesla didn’t make the list!
ESG is a scam. It has been weaponized by phony social justice warriors.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1526958110023245829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Elon Musk Visits Germany

Elon Musk Slams Woke ESG Initiatives: It’s ‘Communism Rebranded’

Celebrities

Elon Musk

U.S.

Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Commissioner Andrea Lucas responded to the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court&#8217;s</a> ruling that racial discrimination in college admissions is illegal by predicting that companies are going to get hit with lawsuits over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) measures.
Lucas made the remarks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the race-based admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were both illegal.
&#8220;I think this is going to be a wake-up call for employers,&#8221; Lucas told Fox News&#8217; &#8220;America Reports.&#8221; &#8220;Today is a time — the best time for lawyers to really take a look at the lawfulness of their corporate diversity programs. Even though many employers don’t use the word affirmative action, it’s rampant today, from ESG, to focuses on equity, pretty much everywhere, there’s a ton of pressure at the corporate 100 across corporate America to take race-conscious decision-making — race-conscious actions in employment law, and that’s been illegal and it’s still illegal.”
“I have noticed an increasing number of challenges to corporate DEI programs and I would expect that this decision is going to shine even more of a spotlight on how out of alignment some of those programs are,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And to be clear, I’m not criticizing all diversity programs, it really depends on how they’re structured. But to the extent that they’re explicitly or implicitly taking race into decision-making for employment decisions, race-restricted internships, race-restricted mentoring, race-focused promotion decisions, etc. There are a host of employment decisions. If you are using race as any factor in your decision-making, you’re already violating the law, and I expect that you are going to have a rising amount of challenges as this sort of raises that issue back to people’s attention.”
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/andrealucasEEOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@andrealucasEEOC</a> reacts to this morning&#39;s Supreme Court decision on affirmative action with <a href="https://twitter.com/SandraSmithFox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SandraSmithFox</a> and what it may mean for employer hiring decisions and more. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericaReports?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmericaReports</a> <a href="https://t.co/GXeBrT6PJX">pic.twitter.com/GXeBrT6PJX</a>
&mdash; America Reports (@AmericaRpts) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmericaRpts/status/1674505140299239429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Supreme Court

EEOC Commissioner On SCOTUS Ruling: Will Lead To Crackdown On ESG, DEI Programs In Companies

Affirmative Action

Popular fashion brand Gap Inc. and its subsidiaries donated nearly $100k to an organization that promotes child gender transition attempts, a recently released Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report reveals. 
Funds from Gap, Gap Inc, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic went to the <a href="https://gendercool.org/our-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GenderCool Project</a>, an organization that seeks to normalize child transgenderism by generating positive media coverage of &#8220;trans&#8221; children through prominent news outlets. Children who identify as transgender and are affiliated with the organization have been <a href="https://gendercool.org/what-we-do/impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featured in</a> The New York Times, USA Today, ABC News,​​ <a href="https://gendercool.org/todayshow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Today Show,</a> and Teen Vogue. One member of the organization even <a href="https://gendercool.org/whitehouse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke at the White House</a>.
Gap Inc’s 2022 <a href="https://gapinc-prod.azureedge.net/gapmedia/gapcorporatesite/media/images/values/sustainability/documents/2023/gap-inc-esg-report-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG report</a>, released on May 9, states that the two entities “teamed up for a one-year partnership, with its champions helping to replace misinformed opinions with positive experiences of transgender and non-binary youth.”
The report adds, “We also gave a combined donation from Gap Inc, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta of nearly $100,000.” Gap even hosted a “Denim Divas” drag show to fundraise for the pro-transgender organization, the ESG report reveals. 
Gap, Gap Inc, and Banana Republic, a subsidiary of Gap Inc, are listed as “<a href="https://gendercool.org/partners-and-supporters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Titanium Partners</a>” on the GenderCool website. Meanwhile, a <a href="https://bananarepublic.us/2022/06/01/pride-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> from the Banana Republic states, “Banana Republic is also proud to donate $25,000 to the GenderCool project.” The GenderCool Project also previously listed Abbvie Pharmaceuticals, a producer of puberty blockers, <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/18/company-under-investigation-puberty-blockers-sponsors-pro-trans-children-organization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a sponsor</a>. 
In addition to securing high-profile media appearances for transgender-identified minors, the GenderCool Project has also published pro-transgender books for children. 
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One <a href="https://akidsco.com/collections/the-gendercool-project-collection/products/a-kids-book-about-being-transgender?utm_source=gendercool&amp;utm_medium=landingpage&amp;utm_campaign=preorder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book</a>, “A Kid’s Book About Being Transgender,” claims that “Gender is uniquely beautiful, and each person&#8217;s experience is individual to them.” Another <a href="https://akidsco.com/collections/the-gendercool-project-collection/products/a-kids-book-about-being-non-binary?utm_source=gendercool&amp;utm_medium=landingpage&amp;utm_campaign=preorder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book</a> is titled “A Kid’s Book About Being Non-Binary.” Both are listed for children ages five and up. 
Its <a href="https://gendercool.org/what-we-do/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> also boasts, “GenderCool is now a trusted source for top casting directors committed to evolving roles that reflect today’s youth.”
Gap Inc&#8217;s recently released ESG report comes as major corporations like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-loses-10-billion-in-just-ten-days-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-inbev-market-value-has-plunged-staggering-15-7-billion-since-mulvaney-fiasco-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a> have faced boycotts over their support of transgenderism.
Gap Inc. declined to comment.

Gap Sign

Gap Inc. Donated Nearly $100k To Pro-Trans Kids Organization, ESG Report Reveals

Drag Queens

Drag show

Transgender

Fast food restaurant chain <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chick-fil-a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chick-fil-A</a> received backlash on social media as conservatives learned that the firm’s corporate office advances a number of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diversity</a> initiatives, a revelation which came as brands such as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a> and <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a> face criticism for embracing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">woke</a> ideology.
Social media users noted that Chick-fil-A, which has a longstanding reputation as a firm run on the basis of conservative and Christian principles, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erick-mcreynolds-922a8140/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> Erick Reynolds as vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion two years ago. Chick-fil-A prominently features a number of diversity programs meant only for females and members of racial minorities on a DEI segment of its <a href="https://www.chick-fil-a.com/dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, which surfaced in the days after Target and Bud Light witnessed sales and market capitalization hits.
Three years ago, Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy <a href="https://twitter.com/realstewpeters/status/1663541414838272000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for Americans to shine the shoes of their friends and neighbors in response to purported racism. Video of Cathy, who is white, shining the shoes of black Christian rapper Lecrae and exhorting listeners to have “a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment” also went viral on social media in recent days.
Beyond collaborations with “various national diverse professional development organizations” such as the Women’s Foodservice Forum, the National Black MBA Association, and Association of Latino Professionals of America, the restaurant chain offers community groups such as Women in Business, the Black Employee Resource Group, and the Chick-fil-A Green Team. The company also seeks to develop “mentorship, development, and partnership opportunities for minority-owned businesses to strategically engage” with their supply chain.
Chick-fil-A additionally includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and “gender expression” in its employment nondiscrimination statement alongside race, sex, religion, and veteran status.
The Daily Wire had contacted Chick-fil-A about their ESG and DEI efforts earlier this year and sent another request for comment on Tuesday, specifically asking whether the emphases on employee and supplier diversity could prompt the company to overlook talented candidates.
The firm created an evaluation of “top ESG issues that internal and external stakeholders expect to grow in importance in the next five years” for a recent sustainability <a href="https://www.chick-fil-a.ca/-/media/files/chick-fil-a-2021-corporate-social-responsibility-report.ashx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, which included “climate and energy stewardship” and diversity, equity, and inclusion. “While Chick-fil-A has long been committed to supporting our communities and being a responsible steward of all that is entrusted to us, companies like ours are increasingly expected to help address complex social and environmental challenges, especially those that most affect our industry,” the company said in the document.
Another sustainability <a href="https://chick-fil-a-2022-global-impact-report.com/2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published last week likewise cited the firm&#8217;s commitment to diversity, noting that Chick-fil-A established a steering committee to provide insights for DEI initiatives and seeks to make diversity &#8220;an integral part of our culture of care.&#8221;
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Skeptics of the ESG and DEI movements contend that the philosophies center on political and social causes, such as decreasing carbon emissions or diversifying company leadership, in a manner that distracts from profitability and uses corporate power to advance leftist agendas.
One recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-had-a-special-push-to-hire-lgbtq-designers-for-pride-collection-ahead-of-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from The Daily Wire found that Target, which is experiencing a boycott after the retail behemoth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-slammed-after-offering-female-swimsuits-that-have-extra-crotch-coverage-are-tuck-friendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marketed</a> a female swimsuit as “tuck-friendly” and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> an artist who creates Satanic items to make various designs for the company, had published a similar sustainability report which called for supplier diversity among firms creating “Pride Month” apparel, as well as diversity initiatives for women and racial minorities. Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-loses-perfect-lgbtq-equity-score-by-missing-key-moment-to-stand-up-for-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Daily Wire likewise revealed that Anheuser-Busch, the company which owns Bud Light and suffered after the brand partnered with social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, has similar ESG commitments centered on various diversity and climate efforts.
Anheuser-Busch and Target, each of which are publicly traded, have seen their share prices plummet on the stock market as investors react to the boycott movements.
Chick-fil-A, which is privately owned, garnered <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-chick-fil-a-to-stop-donating-to-christian-charities-branded-anti-lgbt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticism</a> four years ago after its charitable foundation halted donations to a number of Christian organizations characterized as “anti-LGBTQ groups,” such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-Fil-A Faces Backlash As Their Diversity Efforts Resurface, Other Woke Brands Take Beating

Chick-Fil-A Takes Criticism As Their Diversity Efforts Resurface, Other Woke Brands Take Beating 

Diversity

David Bahnsen, the founder and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, will prompt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/exxonmobil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ExxonMobil</a> at the company’s annual shareholder meeting to fully embrace the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fossil fuel</a> sector and disregard activists who push for <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decarbonization</a>.
The oil and gas behemoth’s annual meeting on Wednesday will feature a number of shareholder <a href="https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_d1e4ab5f254a314903d16c85853eb81c/exxonmobil/db/2301/22049/proxy_statement/2023-Proxy-Statement.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolutions</a> that urge the company to report carbon emissions, pursue net zero emissions within the next few decades, or otherwise pivot away from primary business interests. Another resolution submitted by Bahnsen would ask the firm to establish a “Board Committee on Decarbonization Risk” to evaluate “responses to calls for ExxonMobil decarbonization on activist-established timelines” and detail possible impacts if such policies are pursued.
“Claims about the need for decarbonization at all, but especially by some activist-generated date certain, are based on a long series of assumptions that are either counterfactual or insufficiently examined,” the supporting statement for the resolution remarks. “If decarbonization is neither required nor technologically feasible, ExxonMobil will lose significant markets and revenues to private equity firms and less clean-producing state actors, thus harming shareholders while also harming the environment.”
Opponents of a managed transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wall-street-journal-blasts-joe-biden-john-kerry-for-pushing-self-destructive-green-energy-policies-while-china-burns-more-coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that increased carbon emissions from China, as well as India and other developing countries, are outpacing emissions declines in the West. “ExxonMobil’s decarbonization will be meaningless if other countries do not follow the same decarbonization schedules, and there is abundant evidence that they will not,” the resolution from Bahnsen added.
Bahnsen said his intention is to remove politics from the company rather than advance separate political goals within the firm. “I do not use my influence as an investor to pull companies into various political or social causes, as is often done with these shareholder resolutions,” he commented. “I come here as a friend, not a critic, and I invite the company to do something which shareholder activists never do: to defend the business that you as a company are in. I believe that oil and gas resources have vastly increased the standard of living for the human race, and that our company has been part of that.”
ExxonMobil is a frequent target of the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement, also known as ESG, proponents of which contend that corporate power should be leveraged to achieve certain social goals. Skeptics of the movement say the philosophy risks distracting from or subverting obligations to maximize profits.
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Even as a considerable number of investors support executives using financial power to achieve certain objectives, a clear majority would prefer political neutrality and the sole emphasis on profits, according to an exclusive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-by-two-to-one-margin-investors-reject-woke-companies-pushing-political-causes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> from The Daily Wire released last year. Bahnsen said the “silent majority” of shareholders would appreciate efforts from ExxonMobil to clarify the risks associated with decarbonization.
Bahnsen filed another shareholder resolution at JPMorgan Chase earlier this month after the company moved to end <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hedge-fund-manager-will-confront-jpmorgan-chase-shareholders-on-moves-to-de-bank-conservative-and-religious-groups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ties</a> with several entities with conservative or religious objectives. The investment bank filed a <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/jpmorgan-chase-loses-sec-challenge-must-allow-shareholders-consider-viewpoint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">motion</a> with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year to exclude the resolution from the shareholder ballot, a move which the agency rejected.

Exxon Mobil

Portfolio Manager Will Encourage Major Oil Company To Ignore Activists, Embrace Fossil Fuel Sector

Portfolio Manager Will Encourage ExxonMobil To Ignore Activists, Embrace Fossil Fuels

Climate Change

ExxonMobil

Oil and Gas

What would the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) do if it learned that a company conspired with its Board of Directors to destroy the market value of the company by $50 billion, by alienating its customers and depressing its stock price? There would be an investigation. Perhaps fines would be levied, perhaps the company would even be delisted from the Stock Exchange. If the SEC learned that a company was making decisions that did not allow them to live up to its fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders, action of some sort would be taken.
The SEC’s Division of <a href="https://www.secatty.com/legal-blog/sec-investigations/#:~:text=The%20SEC's%20Division%20of%20Enforcement,common%20reasons%20for%20SEC%20investigations.">Enforcement</a> oversees the investigation of alleged breaches of securities law — including negligence and market manipulation. Would making a decision that the Board of Directors knows will lead to the destruction of corporate earnings and shareholder value meet the requirements of an investigation? Does purposefully destroying market valuation count as market manipulation?
Dick’s Sporting Goods was one of the first companies to go woke. Shortly after the Parkland School shooting in Florida in February 2018, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/business/dicks-sporting-goods-remove-guns-from-440-stores/index.html">Dick’s</a> announced that it would stop selling semi-automatic weapons. They also stopped selling guns to people under 21, who otherwise could legally purchase a firearm. When asked how much he estimated he’d lose following the decision to stop selling to people under 21, Dick’s <a href="https://www.pghcitypaper.com/news/dicks-sporting-goods-ceo-feels-fine-about-losing-250-million-following-gun-sale-restrictions-16002028">CEO</a> Edward Stack said, “a quarter billion dollars,” or $250 million. This does not include additional lost revenue that came from not participating in the surge in gun sales during the BLM riots in 2020. Was Stack acting on behalf of his beliefs or looking to maximize shareholder value?
Fast forward to 2023. Woke companies flaunt their values and their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores, knowing these positions will destroy the value of the company.  
According to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12120649/Anheuser-Busch-lost-staggering-15-7-BILLION-value-Bud-Light-controversy-began.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a>, Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has seen its market value “plunge $15.7 billion since the disastrous campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.” 
Target has lost $9 billion in market value since “angry social media users called for a boycott of the Minneapolis-based retailer over its rollout of the “PRIDE” collection featuring LGBTQ-friendly clothing for children,” according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/25/target-loses-8b-in-week-since-boycott-calls-over-pride-collection/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>
Not to be outdone, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/disney-has-lost-50-billion-in-value-since-war-with-florida-began" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Examiner</a> reports Disney’s “stock has lost nearly $50 billion in value since the start of March, when it took a political gamble to oppose Florida’s” education law, the so-called “don’t say gay,” bill. 
Shares of North Face’s parent company, VF Corp, dropped sharply on May 24, after “reporting Q4 2023 earnings and revenue that beat analyst estimates, just a day after <a href="https://finbold.com/north-face-shares-bleed-on-drag-queen-come-outad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VF Corp</a> was embroiled in controversy for releasing a ‘come out’ pride ad, featuring activist Pattie Gonia. In the past month, shares of VF Corp plummeted nearly 20%.”
Few people outside of the boardroom and the advertising agencies who pitched these ideas were surprised by the backlash from these corporate decisions. History has taught us this will happen. The <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/515665-new-poll-says-nba-ratings-have-plunged-because-of/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA</a> and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-11634405/NFL-announces-3-DECREASE-ratings-2022-regular-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL</a> saw declines in viewership, and subsequently advertising dollars, when they went “super-woke” during the BLM riots, allowing players to wear social justice messages on uniforms and painting social justice messages on the court and field.
John and Jane Public do not want politics in their sports. They do not want transgender activists selling them beer or outdoor clothing, and they certainly do not want to see “tuck-friendly” bathing suits at their local Target. And if by chance they can save the <a href="https://365atlantatraveler.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-go-to-disney-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$4,000+</a> to visit Disney World, they do not want to be “educated” about Florida’s laws about teaching sexuality and sexual orientation to its students. Joe and Jane Public go on vacation, watch sports, and drink beer to get away from the world, not to have the woke world shoved in their face.
So, when does a woke corporation open itself to class-action lawsuits from its shareholders for destroying value? Hang on sports fans, I think we will soon find out.
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in The Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and The Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

New York City Architecture And Monuments

Corporate Earnings And The High Cost Of Going Woke

Economy

Securities and Exchange Commission

Wall Street

Endorsement of the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGBTQ</a> movement by hiring diverse suppliers is a prominent theme in the most recent <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG</a> report from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a>, a reality which emerges as the brand faces backlash for controversial moves surrounding a recent “Pride Month” apparel collection.
Conservatives have launched a boycott effort against Target after the retail behemoth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-slammed-after-offering-female-swimsuits-that-have-extra-crotch-coverage-are-tuck-friendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marketed</a> a female swimsuit as “tuck-friendly” and with “extra crotch coverage,” as well as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> an artist who creates Satanic items to make various designs for the company. The company’s corporate sustainability <a href="https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/Sustainability-ESG/PDF/2022_Target_ESG_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, which detailed the various efforts Target advances in order to ensure LGBTQ inclusion, boasted last year that the company sourced some 59% of items for “Pride Month” from “LGBTQIA+ creators and brands.” At least 51% of overall suppliers are “owned, controlled and operated by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, veterans, or people with disabilities.”
“We build relationships with such suppliers through multiple national business groups, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council and National LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” Target continued in the report. “We also host onsite and virtual summits to introduce Target merchants and others to potential new, diverse partners.”
Target was also ranked fourth in a list of “Top Companies for LGBTQ Employees” by DiversityInc, a company which promotes workplace diversity with respect to race and sex.
Target indeed hired Erik Carnell, a self-identified transgender artist who runs the company Abprallen, to design three items for the “Pride Month” collection marketed by the retailer: a mini messenger bag with the slogan “We Belong Everywhere,” a tote bag with the phrase “Too Queer For Here,” and a sweatshirt emblazoned with “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People.” The company later received massive backlash after a conservative activist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that the artist sells a number of items featuring the LGBTQ movement alongside imagery of Satan.
Other products featured on the artist’s website, which were not sold by Target, included a shirt with the phrase “Satan Respects Pronouns” and a design of a skeleton draped in rainbow colors that said “Trans Witches For Abortion.”
“Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty,” said the artist’s <a href="https://www.abprallen.co.uk/product/satan-respects-pronouns-tee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, which now appears to be shuttered due to high demand. “He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love. So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”
Target is one of countless prominent firms to endorse the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement, also known as ESG. Skeptics of the movement contend that the business philosophy emphasizes political and social causes, such as decreasing carbon emissions or diversifying company leadership, in a manner that distracts from profitability.
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“I can see the benefits for our shareholders. I know that focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity has fueled much of our growth over the last nine years,” Target chief executive Brian Cornell said in a podcast <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-ceo-days-before-boycott-dei-is-a-great-thing-for-our-brand-creates-benefits-for-our-shareholders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> days before the controversy broke. “It’s adding value, it’s helping us drive sales, it’s building greater engagement with both our teams and our guests, and those are just the right things for our business today.”
Anheuser-Busch, the company which owns Bud Light and has effectively <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-situation-target-makes-emergency-calls-after-backlash-to-tuck-friendly-female-swimwear-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become</a> a cautionary tale for firms which adhere to the ESG movement, likewise seeks to maintain robust corporate sustainability scores. Sales for Bud Light and other brands have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-sales-plummet-for-fifth-straight-week-as-customers-react-against-mulvaney-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plummeted</a> in recent weeks after the company nodded toward self-described transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

LGBTQ Flags

Target Had A Special Push To Hire LGBTQ Designers For ‘Pride’ Collection Ahead Of Backlash

Target Had Special Push To Hire LGBTQ Designers For 'Pride' Collection

LGBTQ

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a> CEO Brian Cornell said in an interview days before his <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">company</a> experienced massive backlash for “Pride Month” efforts that “woke capitalism” was beneficial to his firm.
Conservatives have launched a boycott against Target after the retail behemoth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-slammed-after-offering-female-swimsuits-that-have-extra-crotch-coverage-are-tuck-friendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marketed</a> a female swimsuit as “tuck-friendly” and with “extra crotch coverage,” as well as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> an artist who formerly created Satanic items to make various designs for the company. Cornell was <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/073fLWE9Y9HTofAlIsiqiL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> in a May 16 episode of Fortune’s &#8220;Leadership Next&#8221; podcast about how his firm has responded to “pushback” against “woke capitalism,” prompting the executive to tout various corporate diversity efforts at Target.
“I can see the benefits for our shareholders. I know that focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity has fueled much of our growth over the last nine years,” he commented. “It’s adding value, it’s helping us drive sales, it’s building greater engagement with both our teams and our guests, and those are just the right things for our business today.”
Target shareholders have nevertheless suffered in recent days as a result of backlash over the diversity efforts. Target’s market capitalization, which refers to the total value of a publicly traded company’s outstanding shares, has indeed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/targets-stock-market-value-takes-6-billion-hit-since-backlash-over-pride-collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fallen</a> from $70.4 billion to $63.9 billion over the past week as consumers react strongly to the controversy.
Cornell added that diversity initiatives at Target are “good business decisions,” as well as “the right thing for society” and “a great thing for our brand.” Emphasizing efforts to hire females and members of racial minorities to work in company leadership, he remarked that he is “really proud of the work” his firm has done with respect to diversity and inclusion.
Erik Carnell, the self-identified transgender artist who runs the company Abprallen, designed three items for Target: a mini messenger bag with the slogan “We Belong Everywhere,” a tote bag with the phrase “Too Queer For Here,” and a sweatshirt emblazoned with “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People.” She was later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exposed</a> to have a number of items featuring the LGBTQ movement alongside imagery of Satan. Products featured on the artist’s website, which were not sold by Target, included a shirt with the phrase “Satan Respects Pronouns” and a design of a skeleton draped in rainbow colors that said “Trans Witches For Abortion.”
“Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty,” said the artist&#8217;s <a href="https://www.abprallen.co.uk/product/satan-respects-pronouns-tee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, which now appears to be shuttered due to high demand. “He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love. So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”
Target executives made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-situation-target-makes-emergency-calls-after-backlash-to-tuck-friendly-female-swimwear-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calls</a> to managers and senior directors last week amid the backlash against the company, reportedly telling leadership to make their “Pride Month” displays less prominent in order to avoid provoking another “Bud Light situation,” a reference to the beer brand’s rapidly declining sales which occurred after a partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. Target and Anheuser-Busch, the conglomerate which owns Bud Light, each have extensive corporate sustainability <a href="https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/Sustainability-ESG/PDF/2022_Target_ESG_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efforts</a> which seek to advance inclusion and endorse the LGBTQ movement.

Target Pride

Target CEO Days Before Boycott: DEI Is A ‘Great Thing For Our Brand,’ Creates ‘Benefits For Our Shareholders’

Target CEO: Wokeness Is A 'Great Thing For Our Brand'

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