The Appalling Hypocrisy of Woke Corporations

T he infuriating thing about “virtue signaling” is not only that it is easy but also that it is profitable. Real virtue, especially courage, demands something of you. Not so with today’s prevailing sanctimony. Pose with a fashionable cause and the reward is instantaneous. Post something woke on Facebook. Kid yourself you’re brave. Reel in the likes. Enjoy the dopamine.

Alternatively, if you are a corporation, woke-washing can help boost your brand. A good example of this is when Nike recruited Colin Kaepernick for its “Dream Crazy” commercial in which the former NFL quarterback said, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” Shortly thereafter, Nike’s stock rose by nearly 5 percent. The company even won an award for “outstanding commercial” at the Creative Arts Emmys. Supported by Kaepernick’s woke intervention and social-justice street cred, Nike managed to rake in $6 billion. Such is its commitment to racial justice that in the week after the George Floyd riots, it released another ad urging people not to “sit back and be silent” but rather to “be part of the change.”

One would assume, then, that this noble corporate giant, so attuned to and invested in civil rights and social justice, would be just as vocal in opposing slavery in the 21st century. Apparently not. Earlier this year, reports from Congress and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) found evidence “strongly suggest[ing] forced labour” of the Uyghur Muslims and other minorities under the Chinese government. According to the ASPI, “Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.”

The vice president of global footwear sourcing and manufacturing at Nike told the British parliament that “Nike does not source any raw cotton. And regarding Xinjiang, Nike has confirmed with its suppliers that there are no spurn yarns or textiles manufactured in the area in our products.” But something doesn’t quite add up. The New York Times highlighted reports of “Uighur workers in a factory in Qingdao that makes Nike shoes.” And along with Coca-Cola, Nike has been busy lobbying Congress to weaken the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which passed the House by a margin of 406–3 in September. Is this their idea of being “part of the change”?

Those who imagine that they would have been part of the anti-slavery movement had they been born in previous centuries ought to be greatly exercised by the reports coming out of China. The ASPI investigation found that at least 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, some coming directly from detention camps. (They note that this number is merely an estimate and likely to be “far higher.”) The report continues:

In factories far away from home, [Uyghurs] typically live in segregated dormitories, undergo organized Mandarin and ideological training outside working hours, are subject to constant surveillance, and are forbidden from participating in religious observances. Numerous sources, including government documents, show that transferred workers are assigned minders and have limited freedom of movement.

Even more horrifying is the separate Associated Press report that detected the existence of family-detention centers where Uyghur women are subject to forced sterilization and abortions, as well as other appalling physical and psychological abuse. Just weeks after the AP’s report, drone footage of Uyghurs being blindfolded, handcuffed, and led onto train cars went viral, too. Indeed, the evidence of China’s grave human-rights abuses and use of forced labor can hardly be ignored. Every time American consumers come across the words “Made in China” on a clothing label, they ought to recoil. Nevertheless, the onus is still on the retailers to stop cooperating with slave masters.

Corporate wokeness is the worst kind because of its hypocrisy and blatant self-interest. The Co-op launched a “gender-neutral” gingerbread person. Starbucks came up with a special mermaid cookie to help raise money for a sinister child sex-change charity. Marks & Spencer had an LGBT sandwich (the “G” being guacamole). As customers, we are all well acquainted now with emails and company messaging about pride month and Black Lives Matter. We have all grown accustomed to this nauseating pretense. And yet, when it comes to a highly profitable form of modern-day slavery — where are the woke corporations? Silent or covering themselves.