UPDATED: A Tale Of Two Corporations

 

Well, as the year winds down, I find myself with the same thoughts as I'm sure many others have: the ongoing devolution of the United States into outright fascism. A recap of all the examples attesting to this fact seems hardly necessary unless you live off the grid in some remote realm, so I'll skip them to focus on one aspect: corporate appeasement of Trump.

Myriad examples exist: the corporate rush to abandon diversity initiatives and the settling of meritless lawsuits: YouTube/Alphabet, Paramount/CBS, and ABC/Disney. These are but the most egregious instances of craven corporate submission. There are many others, but the following offers a study in contrasts between both submission and resistance, serving as a striking illustration that resistance is not futile.

First, the servile grovelling, via Home Depot:

Ken Langone, co-founder of The Home Depot, says he has “never been more excited about the future of America” than he is under President Donald J. Trump. In an interview on CNBC, Langone praised President Trump’s economic policies, leadership, and return of the American spirit.

Here’s what you missed:

• On optimism: “If I told you how bullish I was, you wouldn’t believe it. I have never been more excited about the future of America than I am right now, right this minute, for a lot of reasons. Number one, like it or not, this guy is getting things done … He’s acting presidential. I’m impressed with the people he’s got around him.”
• On his past reluctance: “I am sold on Trump … I think he’s got a good shot at going down in history as one of our best presidents ever … What I’m seeing happening is absolutely nothing short of a great thing. People are walking with more bounce in their [step] — it’s all around … When you made a mistake, admit it.”
• On tariffs: “Initially, my concern was I don’t like tariffs; I like free trade. However, I think — damn it, give Trump credit. His instincts are good. Some of these things need to be fixed.”
• On the One Big Beautiful Bill: “I was worried about inflation and I was worried about the deficit. I think there’s a lot of merit to the notion that it’s going to trigger such significant economic growth that we might see tax revenues going up through the profitability bracket.”
• On foreign policy: “The world is a mess, but I think it’s coming more in our direction than it was. I think that strike in Iran had significant symbolic meaning for the world that America is here and when our interests are at risk, we’re going to do something about it.”

 

Next is Costco's approach, as reported by Eric Blais:

 The U.S.-based retailer — which, in an irony not to be overlooked, has become one of the most trusted institutions in this country — filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade challenging the legality of Trump’s emergency tariffs.

And it didn’t do it with grandstanding or theatrics. Its complaint is calm, methodical, and devastatingly clear: Trump’s tariffs are unlawful, economically reckless, and imposed under emergency powers that courts have already said don’t apply.

Costco is a store I have patronized for a long time; many years ago, my son worked there while a university student, and I was impressed by the way the company treated him and all of its employees.

 Earlier this year, Léger released its annual reputation survey ranking the most admired companies in the country. Costco was the No. 1 most admired retailer in Canada across more than 300 companies in 30 sectors.

Noteworthy as well is the fact that Costco refused to abandon its diversity initiative, remaining steadfast in the face of a Trump administration hostile to anything that doesn't especially and exclusively favour white people.

And rather than simply label some products with a T (to indicated a tariffed item) as many stores did, Costco's approach has been refreshingly defiant.

Costco is ... challenging the government responsible for the tariffs in court. Not as activism, but as brand behaviour. Costco’s identity has always been rooted in stability and fairness. It cannot function in a landscape shaped by improvisational trade policy and “emergency” powers deployed like marketing slogans.

Blais suggests that such behaviour needs to be rewarded.

Corporate behaviour responds to incentives. When a retailer pushes back against political overreach, especially from a president known for punishing dissent, consumers should be willing to say: this matters. We notice when a company defends transparency and predictability. Values that ultimately protect Canadian consumers too.

 In a perfect world, we wouldn’t rely on retailers to steady the geopolitical turbulence swirling around us. But in this moment, Costco has done something rare: it stood up. Calmly. Respectfully. Persuasively.

And Canadians should notice.

Because the marketplace could use more courage.

And Costco, astonishingly, but not surprisingly, just showed us what that looks like.

And to that, I have nothing to add.

On a personal note, I will be taking a break for a few days this holiday season, so I'll use this opportunity to wish all my readers the best of the season, and extend a thank-you for reading my blog. 

UPDATE: For the latest in corporate cowardice, click here to read about the most recent fiasco at CBS, this one a tawdry tale of overt political censorship exercised against 60 Minutes.

 

 

 

UPDATED: Corporations And DEI

If one ever wanted further proof of the near-absence of ethics and morality in the corporate world, one need look no further than their rapid dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. Since the policy has been denounced by Trump and his MAGA cult, corporations seem to be in a race to prove their discriminatory bona fides to the Orangutan-in-Chief so as not to lose government contracts or, in the case of publicly-funded entities, operating grants.

Amongst the notable sellouts are Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Disney, Citygroup, Morgan Stanley, PBS, Amazon and Google. One of the notable holdouts, and I applaud them for their integrity, is Costco, which recently has been threatened with legal action for their refusal to bow to tyranny.

I am sorry to report, however, that the noxious reach of American authoritarianism and exclusion now extends into Canada. Irene Galea writes:

Nearly 400 technology leaders have signed an open letter that condemns Shopify Inc.  for cutting diversity programs and urges Canada’s tech ecosystem to protect equity, inclusion and diversity efforts amid a rollback of support for marginalized groups by influential companies and leaders.

The letter, published Monday morning, warns against the growing influence of unelected and unaccountable business leaders who “prioritize profit over people,” and calls on Canadians to uphold the values of inclusion that are being challenged in the United States.

Now comes word that the Pride Festival in Toronto  is being compromised, again as a result of corporate cowardice.

Pride Toronto says three large corporate sponsors have pulled their funding from the festival this year in a move it says is connected to a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the U.S.

Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, said on Wednesday that the non-profit organization was given a range of reasons by the three companies for their decisions to end sponsorship. It was told in the last couple of weeks that the companies have either experienced a "shift in mandate" or they do not have the financial resources to continue to support the annual event.

"Every time we lose a sponsor, there is less money that is directed to the festival. And so, it will definitely have an impact on us being able to deliver on the festival," Modeste said.

Who the corporate cowards are is not being revealed, 

because Pride Toronto hopes to do business with them in the future, but said two can be described as "gold" sponsors, meaning they provide $150,000 in cash or in goods, and one as "silver," meaning it provides $100,000.

Now, one might say, "Since I never attend the Pride events, why should I care?" One obvious answer is the economic implications of any downsizing or  ultimate ending of the event, given what it contributes to the local economy. A 2023 report offers the following numbers:

• 4,700+ direct jobs created
• $500 million contribution to the GDP
• $230 million combined tax revenues generated

Beyond that, however, is the attempt to mute, even eliminate, diverse voices in society. The Benighted States, whence this repression emanates, has a long history of intolerance. Racism and bigotry are as American as Mom, apple pie, and baseball. One need only look at those whose voices are being muted by the war on DEI: women and minorities be they ethnic, racial, or sexual.

Canada can do nothing about the ease with which Americans so easily regress to deeply-ingrained, primitive patterns. However Canadians, despite our own often shameful past, now strive as a country for something better, meaning that inclusion and 'wokeness' are virtues, not sins against society. 

Corporate cowards supinely submitting to fiats from Don Trump and his disciples are without question unacceptable and truly, profoundly un-Canadian; they should be repugnant to us all.

UPDATE: According to a report in The Globe and Mail, one of the three withdrawing sponsors of Toronto Pride has been identified as Nissan Canada, which

confirmed Friday it is withdrawing, but the other two sponsors have not been identified.

 Nissan Canada spokesperson Didier Marsaud said in an e-mail the decision was based on changes to the company’s marketing priorities and budget evaluation for its new fiscal year, which starts April 1.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to sponsor this year’s event in Toronto, a local decision solely due to a re-evaluation of all our marketing and media activations in a variety of activities to ensure we will efficiently support our new product launches and marketing campaigns coming in 2025,” he said.

Of the 14 companies listed as gold and silver sponsors on the Pride Toronto website, several have already confirmed to media that they will continue to fund the event. These include the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., Tim Hortons Inc., Air Canada, Rogers Communications Inc. and Smirnoff.

 The Globe contacted other companies that had not yet confirmed whether they will be sponsors this year. Law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP said it is still participating.

However, Manulife Financial Corp., Bud Light (owned by Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA), The Abnormal Beauty Co., Kenvue Inc., Bubbly sparkling water, Adidas AG and Trojan condoms did not respond to The Globe’s requests for comment.

Canadian observers fear the U.S. backlash against DEI initiatives that followed President Donald Trump’s orders to axe such programming in federal agencies could be seeping across the border. 

 

"Part Of It's Just Human Decency"

That's Emily Cohn explaining the 'revolutionary' philosophy driving Costco's profits:

H/t Tyna MCNair

The Deteriorating Conditions at Walmart

Perhaps the land of low prices and deteriorating conditions could learn something from Costco, which believes in paying its employees a living wage.

Heresy Alert!

Hmm, it seems someone from the Office Of Corporate Orthodoxy needs to have a chat with this fellow:

H/t Daniel Tseghay