“Get woke. Go broke.”
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Arindam,
“Get woke. Go broke.”
There may be more truth in that than you realize. Conservatives might stop patronizing “woke” businesses without making a lot of noise about the fact that they are doing so. When I see signs in a storefront articulating support for “Black Lives Matter” and other “woke” causes at the local mall, I just walk right on by without going in. Those signs tell me quite clearly that they don’t want my business, so they won’t get it.
Norm.
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Norm,
In some ways, Disney’s decline over the past year is hard to understand.
The company’s fundamentals --as can be inferred from its filings – are decent enough. The stock’s fair value’ on a cash flow basis is around $245. But today, the stock closed down below $116 on a greater percentage decline than the broad market. Clearly, other factors are involved in the sell down, and the most obvious candidate is the company’s radical, Leftist politics, which Americans with traditional values find offensive, if not abhorrent. They aren’t majority shareholders. But their informal boycott is having an effect on the company’s bottom line.
Though not a website one should look to for investing advice, the Babylon Bee has been slamming DIS for a year now for its Marxist stupidities.
Arindam
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Over the past 6-12 months I had become more aware of Disney’s content, but when their leadership including Chapek started actively objecting against the Parental Rights in Education bill I sold all my shares.
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I see signs in a storefront articulating support for “Black Lives Matter” and other “woke” causes at the local mall,
And this is NO different than having stores with “Stop the Steal” signs which alienate Independent and Democratic voters.
Fortunately, there are still more “liberal” and truth minded individuals than not.
Let’s not forget that the 1st Amendment still guarantees Free Speech and SCOTUS has determined that businesses are people and have the same Free Speech rights as other individuals.
OTFoolish
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Arindam,
the Babylon Bee has been slamming DIS for a year now for its Marxist stupidities.
And if Baylon Bee thinks that the Disney Company, which is exercising its Free Speech Rights as determined by SCOTUS, is Marxist than the Bee must be a Fascist or is being paid by DeSantis.
OTfoolish
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Walt,
Me: I see signs in a storefront articulating support for “Black Lives Matter” and other “woke” causes at the local mall,
You: And this is NO different than having stores with “Stop the Steal” signs which alienate Independent and Democratic voters.
True. I personally have not encountered the latter, but that does not mean that they don’t exist.
Fortunately, there are still more “liberal” and truth minded individuals than not.
Ah, FYI, “truth-minded” is not exactly a description commonly associated with the political left. But this is board not the appropriate forum to delve into that topic, so I’m going to get into examples.
Let’s not forget that the 1st Amendment still guarantees Free Speech and SCOTUS has determined that businesses are people and have the same Free Speech rights as other individuals.
Absolutely. A retail business has every right to put a sign bearing a political message of its choice in its window, and I’ll be the first to defend that right – and even to take up arms again to do so.
And in response to speech that we find repulsive and abhorrent, real Americans say, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
This stands in marked contrast to the “Cancel Culture” and the efforts to silence speakers invited to college campuses of the far left, who thereby show themselves not to be real Americans. Here, actions do speak louder than words.
Having said that, speech does have consequences. If XYZ corporation chooses to engage in political speech, buying XYZ corporation’s products or services directly funds that political speech. The first amendment is a two-say street – it also guarantees my right NOT to fund or to participate in speech with which I disagree. So if I disagree with a company’s political speech, I’ll be shopping elsewhere even while defending that company’s right say what it wants – and you have the right to do likewise, which may mean that you and I will be shopping in different stores. Your right and mine.
Seriously, I think that the most prudent policy for a corporation is that of political neutrality, except with respect to matters that directly affect the company and its business. In the present matter, Disney (NYSE: DIS) should treat LBGTQ employees fairly, but should have stayed out of the political debate over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law because it does not affect the company.
Norm.
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Let’s keep the political swagger at a minimum. Terms like “woke” and other politically defined words do not add to the conversation. They are pejorative and intended to diminish and demean, and therefore have no place in the TMF Community. We can discuss the situation Disney is in without resorting to tribal positions.
Fuskie
Who personally thinks if Citizens United says that corporations have free speech rights to contribute to political campaigns, then that freedom has to extend to actual speech, otherwise, Citizens United should be overturned if politicians truly believe companies should have no voice in governance…
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Fuskie,
Let’s keep the political swagger at a minimum. Terms like “woke” and other politically defined words do not add to the conversation. They are pejorative and intended to diminish and demean, and therefore have no place in the TMF Community. We can discuss the situation Disney is in without resorting to tribal positions.
The term “woke” seems to have originated on the far left as a term for what the groups who adopted the term actually advocated. If it took on a pejorative character, it was in the context of “That’s not very woke!” applied to objections to what they advocated. Thus, your objection seems to be misplaced.
But if you don’t like the use of the term “woke culture” to identify that political and social orientation, can you suggest an alternative?
Norm.
The term “woke” seems to have originated on the far left
Was the “far left” around in 1940’s because according to Merriam-Webster the term originated in 1948?
Wouldn’t the “far left” have been the Communist Party the early years of the 1900’s?
But if you don’t like the use of the term “woke culture” to identify that political and social orientation, can you suggest an alternative?
Yes, Save your post for the Free For All Economic board.
Walt
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Walt,
Was the “far left” around in 1940’s because according to Merriam-Webster the term originated in 1948?
Wouldn’t the “far left” have been the Communist Party the early years of the 1900’s?
This tangent clearly is going off topic for this board, but, since you asked…
The “far left” clearly was around in the 1930’s, because FDR’s “New Deal” and the institution of Social Security are obvious major advances in its agenda, though it’s safe to say that a lot of Americans did not realize what was happening at that time. One can debate whether this was the beginning of its influence in national politics or whether smaller steps occurred earlier.
And yes, the Communist Party certainly is part of the “far left,” but so are other minor parties like the Green Party and the Workers Progress Party.
As to when the term “woke” originated, that year of origin just means that it took a while to emerge into the mainstream.
Me: But if you don’t like the use of the term “woke culture” to identify that political and social orientation, can you suggest an alternative?
You: Yes, Save your post for the Free For All Economic board.
But the discussion was about how the situation affects Disney (NYSE: DIS), making it relevant here.
Norm.