IN another swipe at the country which gave him sanctuary and a stellar career, the editor of British Vogue magazine, Edward Enninful, yet again bemoans his lot in a recent interview with the Financial Times. Enninful epitomises the duplicity of the woke, having recently got a security guard sacked over racism, yet makes the anti-Semitic, neo-Marxists of Black Lives Matter (BLM) the focal point in his September issue.
In her feature piece for the magazine, the controversial Oxford-educated writer Afua Hirsch (who once opined that Churchill was obsessed by his hatred of Indians and who famously called for Nelson’s column to be toppled) celebrates several dubious figures in a misjudged tribute to Black Lives Matter (BLM).
One is BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, a trained Marxist whose ideological aim is to destroy the capitalist system, the system which gives Vogue editors their luxurious lifestyles. Another is Tamika D Mallory, an infamous anti-Semite and fan of Louis Farrakhan, the American political agitator known for his hatred of Jews and white people. He is the leader of the Nation of Islam, an organisation which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a black nationalist hate group. Ms Hirsch also selects Angela Davis, a woman who makes no secret of her hatred for Israel and support for terrorists, for her praise. Why would Vogue publish this? Why this effort to make Marxism mainstream? And if they claim this is in the name of ‘anti-racism’, why do they discount anti-Semitism?
If that were not enough, Hirsch honours Munroe Bergdorf, the transgender model and misogynist. Bergdorf has not only irrationally called all white people racist but also tries to silence women who object to the misogyny at the core of transgender dogma.
It’s not just Vogue that have climbed aboard this bandwagon. Other organisations are competing to show their woke credentials. In June, when J K Rowling correctly pointed out that using the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ was yet another attempt to eradicate female identity in the name of transgender rights, she was not only hounded on social media by transgender activists but trolled by Body Shop, demanding that she ‘educates’ herself and accusing her of being offensive to transgender women. That so many corporations are falling for the anti-science of transgender dogma betray a world of magical thinking that belongs in the medieval era, not the 21st century.
J D Sports is another company displaying its woke credentials. In a podcast, ‘In the Duffle Bag Upfront’, white people are cast as villains, accused of being too stupid to understand what racism is.
It epitomises a new hubris that these woke corporations should be so careless of insulting a large part of their client base in the name of ‘social justice’. The silent majority must resist this call for self-flagellation and speak up. They can start by calling them out.
In recent weeks we have seen England’s cricketers and match officials making their obeisance to BLM, as well as Premier League footballers. Supporters are not able to attend matches because of Covid-19 but once they do I hope they will let their teams know exactly what they think of being scolded for thought crimes and unfair accusations of racism.
Not even something as benign as tea is immune to the woke disease. Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips have made their product unpalatable to many because of their support for BLM. Are we no longer allowed have a cup of tea or watch the cricket without being told that we are all awful racists?
In the US, woke corporations are even worse. BLM-supporting Nike has pledged over £30million to ‘social justice organisations’. Ironically it is one of several gargantuan corporations to make use of forced labour by captive Uyghur Muslims in China.
Not only is woke corporate culture hypocritical, it is self-destructive. BLM seeks the dismantling of capitalism and democracy, the systems which have allowed those who run these corporations to flourish and earn millions. Yet still the woke march onwards, paying for their own demise. As Republican Senator Ted Cruz points out here,
BlM are calling for a boycott of all white-owned corporations. Microsoft, headed by Bill Gates, a white man, has given over £1.1million to BLM and five black justice groups. Gates is inexplicably funding those who would destroy his own company and redistribute his vast wealth. Amazon, another company headed by a white man, Jeff Bezos, has donated almost £7million to ‘social justice organisations’ including BLM. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest, supporting a movement which would strip them of their wealth if given the chance. Are they hoping their endorsement will exempt them from the wrath of BLM?
Everyone knows that racism is bad. They do not need J D Sports or Yorkshire Tea to tell them. This constant tirade of unfair criticism against white people is going to serve only as a mechanism to polarise, and that is self-defeating. But apparently BLM wants a race war, and these activist corporations are helping them achieve this.
Without prompting, the woke corporate world is rushing to declare support for the latest social justice trend, no matter how damaging this is, like lemmings heading for a cliff. Their unthinking championship risks annihilating everything they hold dear.
