Does Woke Mean Broke? and DeSantis Proposes Murdering Migrants
Women Are Drinking Themselves to Death, Nuns Rebel Against Bishop, Women Star in Majority of TV Shows, Bola Sete Plays Jazz Guitar
Sometimes I have to laugh at myself. There are a few rare times when I finish a newsletter and sit back with a satisfied sigh and think, “That should solve the problem.” After all, I spent four days reading, researching, and writing flawless logical arguments. I argued, I counter-argued, I used incisive metaphors. Certainly, the world will now join hands in celebratory agreement and whatever evil I just exposed will immediately cease to exist. Paradise regained. You’re welcome, World.
Then, I slap myself out of my sleep-deprived delirium and start the next newsletter.
I realize that my purpose isn’t to solve problems. That’s way too grandiose. Problems of some sort will always plague humanity. I just want to lend a hand in pushing the giant rock up the hill while also giving comfort to others who are struggling with the weight. The more we work together, the lighter the load for everyone. That’s my real purpose: to lighten the load. That’s what I hope this newsletter does.
Does Woke Equal Broke or Will Conservatives Choke on Anti-Woke Smoke (Whew!)
When the movie Barbie was released, conservative gadfly Ben Shapiro mocked, smirked, and ranted for 43 minutes (including setting fire to a Barbie doll), concluding that the power of his outrage and that of other Barbiephobe conservatives would bury the movie financially: “My prediction: [Barbie] is just absolutely going to fall off a cliff after [week one]. The repeat business on this movie is going to be nonexistent.”
But conservative kung fu was not strong: Barbie has made more than $1.2 billion worldwide and is on track to become the highest-grossing film of 2023. It’s Warner Bros.’ fastest billion-dollar earner in history and has set a record for the highest opening for a woman director.
Hey, we’re all wrong sometimes, especially when trying to predict the successes and failures of pop culture. But what’s noteworthy here is how out of step with reality Shapiro’s prediction is. There is a vast group of people out there who don’t care what conservatives say about pop culture. To them, it’s nothing more than the drone of gramps complaining about “that damn rap music.” One of the largest groups that don’t care about Shapiro-style mansplaining is women.
That doesn’t mean that conservative pot-shots at businesses have not been occasionally effective. The boycott of Bud Light after they aligned with a transgender social influencer to promote their beer has resulted in Anheuser-Busch cutting hundreds of jobs. (Great accomplishment: they put hundreds of people out of work.) The boycott against Target for its annual Pride Month merchandise has also resulted in substantial losses in U.S. sales.
Sadly, both companies immediately retreated when bullied. Anheuser-Busch issued a vague non-statement about how they want to bring people together over a beer, not divide them. Then, they suspended the executives responsible for the campaign. Target’s chief growth officer, Christina Hennington said, "The reaction is a signal for us to pause, adapt and learn so that our future approach to these moments balances celebration, inclusivity and broad-based appeal.”
Conservatives have used this corporate jibber-jabber as proof that they backed down two giant companies from their “woke” stance. They’re right. Both Anheuser-Busch and Target look like they have been cowered by the worst of humanity. I don’t think either company would have backed down if conservatives demanded they stop carrying products that support Juneteenth or African-American pride. But LQBTQ+ people are so much easier to ignore and marginalize—and that’s what makes those companies’ retreat so shameful.
Ironically, Kid Rock was recently photographed drinking Bud Light, just months after he posted a video of himself shooting cans of Bud Light while screaming, “Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch.” Oh, yeah, he also serves the beer in his Nashville bar. A waitress at his bar is reported as saying that the bar stopped selling the beer for a week after his video was posted, then started up again.
“Go woke, go broke” is an urban myth as quaint and laughable as Big Foot, Trump’s “irrefutable” evidence, and Giuliani’s “scientific evidence.” One of the reasons some people get away with making the claim is that they deliberately don’t define woke. It means one thing when they describe one company, but another for a different company. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, gun manufacturer Ruger supports diversity and inclusion policies, as do Bass Pro Shops, Cracker Barrel, Ford, Fox, GM, Home Depot, Molson Coors, Walmart, and many more. They’re all “woke,” and they aren’t going broke. Conservatives don’t even mention them. Facts don’t really matter to this crowd. Remember, 19% of Americans (about 63 million people!) believe (or aren’t sure) that the Earth is flat.
The phrase “Go woke, go broke” reveals the moral hollowness of those who love to say it. A person of strong moral character would support what they consider right, even if it costs them financially—conscience over commerce. Remember every group that’s been persecuted in this country’s history: Blacks, Jews, Irish, Italians, Asians, Catholics, women, etc. Would you defend these people, even if you knew it would cost you customers? If not, you aren’t really a fan of the U.S. Constitution, democracy, or the America most of us strive to create. You’re just a cheap tourist complaining about the food.