https://popular.info/p/major-corporations-sponsor-anti-woke
"Major corporations, including Mastercard, Meta, and Coca-Cola, are quietly
sponsoring a Canadian conference headlined by Christopher Rufo, a far-right
activist and crusader against diversity initiatives. Many of these same
companies, however, champion diversity in their public communications.
Rufo is listed as a featured speaker for the Canada Strong and Free Regional
Networking Conference 2024, which will be held in Alberta, Canada on September
21. The event, which was first highlighted by DeSmog, is billed as an
“enriching exploration of conservatism in Canada.” On X, the organization
promoted the event using a photo of Rufo with the text, “Fighting the left and
wokism.”
Rufo has been credited with creating the hysteria around Critical Race Theory
(CRT) in educational settings. In 2020, Rufo appeared on Tucker Carlson’s
former show on
Fox News and called on Trump to end CRT training. Within days,
the Trump administration released a memo outlining a ban on diversity training
in the government, and Trump issued the executive order shortly after.
When it became clear that CRT is a complex legal theory that is not taught in
K-12 schools, Rufo shifted his attention to lambasting diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Rufo appeared with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
(R) as DeSantis signed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which limits workplace
conversations about diversity and race. (That aspect of the law has been
enjoined by a federal court as unconstitutional.)
Rufo has also been a leader in the crusade to ban discussion of LGBTQ issues in
schools. On X, Rufo insinuated that people were attempting to indoctrinate
pre-kindergarten students with information about “gender transitioning, exotic
pronouns, and simplified Queer Theory.” Rufo has also said that “parents have
good reason” to be concerned about “‘grooming’ in public schools.”
In 2023, Rufo was appointed by DeSantis to the board of trustees at the New
College of Florida as part of a right-wing takeover of the liberal arts
college. In his newsletter, Rufo bragged that New College was “the first public
university in America to begin rolling back the encroachment of gender ideology
and queer theory on its academic offerings.” In an interview with the
New York
Times, Rufo said that New College previously enrolled too many women, which
turned it into “a social justice ghetto.” On X, in response to pictures of
dozens of books at the college being thrown away, Rufo said, “We abolished the
gender studies program. Now we’re throwing out the trash.”
Companies who claim to support diversity are sponsoring the upcoming event
promoting Rufo and his ideological agenda. Mastercard, for example, prides
itself on being one of the leaders for DEI initiatives among major
corporations. Mastercard’s website states that “[d]iversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI) are what set Mastercard apart by making us more adaptable, more
innovative and more creative.” Mastercard says that DEI “makes us better” and
is “part of our core values and underpins everything we do.”"
Via Kevin O'Brien.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
