Go woke, go broke

Go woke, go broke, or alternatively get woke, go broke,[1] is an American political catchphrase used by some right-wing US conservatives to refer to the actual or perceived stock value drops or loss in sales ("going broke") of companies or corporations that publicly support progressive causes, such as the rights of women, LGBT people and people of color (termed as "going woke" by its opponents).

The phrase has seen mixed levels of success and applicability.[2][3] When conservatives boycotted various companies in 2023, such as Bud Light, Target, and The Walt Disney Company, they experienced a loss in sales and stock value drops, while Disney lost subscribers to its streaming platform Disney+. Experts said these losses could not be solely attributed to the boycotts and that they could stem from other causes, such as the companies' responses to the boycotts.[4] Some movies said to be "woke" have been followed by financial success; Greta Gerwig's 2023 movie Barbie was noted for challenging the slogan's validity.[5][6]

Origin
Further information: Woke

The word "woke", originally a slang term to describe increased awareness for racial injustice, has been adopted by various right-wing groups to label opposing ideas and their proponents. While some individuals and groups, particularly in certain factions of the American right, use it to criticize developments in social justice, the term has also been employed to describe a wide range of issues ranging from climate change to initiative to support minorities' rights.[4]

The phrase "get woke, go broke" is believed to have been coined by John Ringo in 2018.[2] It originated in a dispute involving Ringo's invitation to ConCarolinas where objections were raised because Ringo wrote books in which the central character has impulses to rape, The organizers rescinded their invitation because they could not guarantee that he would be free of hostile actions from those who objected to his presence at the convention. The incident was reported in a right-wing website that has since ceased operation, Dangerous.com; it said that according to Ringo, the convention "pushed its conservative members out of its planning committee, attendance dropped over years, and it's now defunct." Ringo characterized the effect on organizations that give in to the demands of social activists as "Get woke, go broke". [7][8] The phrase is then interpreted as a reference to companies that engage in politically correct activities as part of their corporate strategy, but only to see such strategy result in significant financial loss for them.[2][9]

The phrase is also used in political discourse in the United Kingdom.[10][11]

Early usage

The phrase quickly gained popular usage by those on the right after it was coined. One of the early incidents the phrase was invoked concerned the use of Colin Kaepernick in Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign in September 2018, which drew criticism from Donald Trump and calls for its boycott.[12][13] Nike nevertheless continued with its campaign.[14] It also reported increased sales,[15][16] and this has been used as an example where a company that made a commitment and stayed the course can reap the benefits despite alienating some customers.[4]

Another early application of the phrase involved Gillette. In January 2019, Gillette ran an internet campaign "The Best Men Can Be" that criticised toxic masculinity and suggested how men should act. While the campaign received praise from some quarters, it also received widespread criticism from men who were their core customers, and led to calls for boycott.[9][17] In July 2019, some months after the ad was released, the parent company of Gillette, Procter & Gamble announced that while it had record sales for other products, it took an $8 billion write-down on its revenue for Gillette. The company said that the write-down was due to currency fluctuation, greater competition and a shrinking market as men shave less frequently.[18] Critics of the campaign, however, believed that the campaign had hurt the company, and this campaign has often been cited as an example of "get woke, go broke".[9]

Other uses

The Walt Disney Company
Main article: Disney and Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act

After the passage of Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially known as the "Don't Say Gay law" due to its restrictions on "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction"[lower-alpha 1] about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade, The Walt Disney Company initially did not take a public stance on the matter. However, as public pressure mounted and in response to employees' concerns, Disney eventually publicly opposed the bill. This stance led to a dispute with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who had supported the bill's passage and later expansion to all grades K–12 and has repeatedly criticized Disney for being "woke"[20] and accusations of "grooming".[21] As a result, the Florida legislature repealed and renamed the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special taxation ward controlled by Disney and hosting the Walt Disney World resort, to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.[22][23] Disney responded by filing a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis and cancelling their expansion plans in Florida. Early 2023 data showed Disney's streaming service Disney+ losing over two million subscribers.[24]

Rachel Leishman, writing for The Mary Sue, considered that attributing the loss of Disney+ subscribers to "wokeness" was incorrect, and that it was more likely the loss came when they lost their streaming rights to air cricket.[24] Specifically, the streaming service lost the rights to stream the Indian Premier League, which The New York Times noted was a potential barrier for growth on the platform.[25][26] Miles Klee, writing for Rolling Stone, described the company's theme parks as "the easiest part of the business to boycott", noting that park revenues had "surged" in their 2022 Q4 earnings and revenue report.[27]

AB InBev and Bud Light
Main article: 2023 Bud Light boycott

The beer company AB InBev, which owns Bud Light, partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on April 1, 2023, sending her custom Bud Light cans featuring her face to celebrate the anniversary of her "365 Days of Girlhood" series, which documented her gender transition.[28][29] In response, several notable figures on the American right called for a boycott of the company.[30][29] In the month following the advertisement, Bud Light sales dropped.[31] During a conference call with investors on May 4, 2023, AB InBev's CEO Michel Doukeris said the drop in Bud Light sales "would represent around 1% of our overall global volumes for that period."[32][33] The company placed its marketing vice president, who authorized the promotion, Alissa Heinerscheid, on administrative leave.[34]

Bernd Debusmann Jr, writing for BBC News, reported that experts believed the boycott's success depended on the company's response, and they considered Bud Light to have made a mistake when handling the boycott. Public relations professor Tony D'Angelo considered the company's stance to be "waffling", stating "If you waffle, then people are going to rightly question what they really stand for".[4] While research suggests that consumer boycotts tended to be short-lived,[35] the effect of this boycott continued for some months, and Bud Light lost its leading position as America's best-selling beer, with the company's profits in the US dropping by more than 28% in the quarter.[36] Owen Myers of the Guardian described the boycott as one of the biggest in US history.[37]

Target
Main article: 2023 Target Pride Month merchandise backlash

The American retailer Target released its annual LGBT pride merchandise collection in May 2023, which sparked a boycott from American conservatives, after viral posts by Gays Against Groomers and other social media accounts falsely claimed that the company was marketing "tuck-friendly" swimsuits to minors.[38] According to Reuters, these swimsuits, which are designed to "tuck male genitalia", were sold only in the women's section.[39] The company's stock price decreased by over 10% following the release of the products, and the company has been the focus of scrutiny from several GOP politicians.[40][41]

Victoria's Secret

In 2021, Victoria's Secret underwent a significant rebrand, replacing its iconically thin and scantily-clad "Angels" with a more diverse lineup of models. The company ran ads featuring plus-size and transgender models and a campaign with US Women's National Soccer Team player Megan Rapinoe, who in 2021 had called out Victoria's Secret for apparel that viewed sexiness "through a male lens and through what men desired".[42] During a presentation to investors in October 2023, the company reported that favorable reviews from online critics who praised the rebrand "never translated into sales". Victoria's Secret's projected revenue for 2023 is $6.2 billion, 5% lower than 2022, and even lower than 2020, when revenue was $7.5 billion. Of their inclusive initiatives, CEO Martin Waters said that "despite everyone’s best endeavors, it’s not been enough to carry the day.” Brand president Greg Unis announced Victoria's Secret would return to a focus on "sexiness", saying "sexiness can celebrate the diverse experiences of our customers and that’s what we’re focused on".[43]

United States Women's National Soccer Team

Right-wing politicians and individuals used the slogan to refer to the knockout round loss of the United States Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) against Sweden during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, particularly player Megan Rapinoe, who was noted for missing a penalty kick during the shootouts against Sweden's team. The USWNT supports various progressive values, which conservatives argued was the reason they lost.[44] James Dator of SB Nation and Alex Abad-Santos of Vox reported the loss stemming from player injuries, organizational reasons and play, noting Rapinoe did not enter the field until extra time.[45][46][44]

Marvel Cinematic Universe

The phrase was notably used in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain Marvel and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which challenged the notion of diversity backlash and the success of boycotts against the films.[47][48] Regarding Captain Marvel, Bethany Lacina, writing for The Washington Post, concluded that there likely was no strong conservative resistance when she analyzed search traffic and Fox News coverage of the film. Lacina also noted that superhero movies the alt-right has objected to have performed well in conservative parts of the United States.[47]

Barbie (2023)

The phrase was also used for the film Barbie (2023), which at the time of its release achieved 2023's largest opening weekend as well as the largest ever opening weekend for a female director.[49] Barbie's feminist themes and inclusion of a transgender actress triggered backlash from some conservatives. The movie's box office performance, however, challenged the premise of the slogan.[6][5] Other conservatives argued that the film's overt messages hurt it.[50] Barbie would ultimately gross over $1.4 billion dollars, being the first woman-directed movie to achieve this record.[51]

United Airlines

After United Airlines announced in 2021 that they sought to increase the number of women and people of color hired as pilot trainees, Piers Morgan accused the company of virtue signaling and Tucker Carlson described the company's executives as "ideologues, suffering from an incurable brain disease called 'wokeness'". However, the airline's fourth-quarter profits in 2022 exceeded market expectations, with optimistic financial forecasting for summer 2023.[27]

See also

Notes
  1. The preamble to the act utilizes the phrase "classroom discussion". The relevant numbered section of the act utilizes the phrase "classroom instruction".[19]

References
  1. Klee, Miles (April 8, 2023). "Companies That Get 'Woke' Aren't Going Broke -- They're More Profitable Than Ever". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. "When brands go woke, do they go broke?". The Chartered Institute of Marketing. February 3, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  3. Mindel·, Maia (June 21, 2023). "Go Woke, Go Broke?". Liberal Currents. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  4. "If US companies 'go woke', do they really go broke?". BBC News. June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  5. "Conservatives hate woke Barbie, but Greta Gerwig wishes them well". The A.V. Club. July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  6. Lowry, Brian (July 24, 2023). "Barbie and Oppenheimer seek one shared goal: Making summer audiences think". CNN. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  7. Elhefnawy, Nader (August 21, 2022). "Why Does Discussion of Pop Culture Make Up So Large a Part of Political Discourse in Twenty-First Century America?". p. 26. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4196062.
  8. "Author John Ringo Response to SJW assault that led to Sci-Fi convention ban". Dangerous.com. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019.
  9. Stickel, Darryl (2022). Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World. Forefront Books. pp. 73–74. ISBN 9781637630792. [on go woke, go broke] ... One of the examples often cited is Gillette's 2019 toxic masculinity advertisement
  10. "Get woke or go broke?". BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  11. Ping Chan, Chan (March 1, 2023). "Go woke or go broke, warns CBI". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  12. Davis, Clay (September 4, 2018). "Why I'm boycotting Nike: Get woke and go broke". USA Today.
  13. "Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad campaign sends 'terrible message', says Donald Trump". The Guardian. September 5, 2018.
  14. Atkinson, Claire (September 5, 2018). "Nike doubles down on defiance of Kaepernick criticism, releases full-length TV ad". NBC News.
  15. "Nike sales defy Kaepernick ad campaign backlash". BBC. September 10, 2018.
  16. Youn, Soo (December 21, 2018). "Nike sales booming after Colin Kaepernick ad, invalidating critics". ABC News.
  17. Topping, Alexandra; Lyons, Kate; Weaver, Matthew (January 15, 2019). "Gillette #MeToo razors ad on 'toxic masculinity' gets praise – and abuse". The Guardian. [On get woke, go broke] ... One of the examples often cited is Gillette's 2019 toxic masculinity advertisement
  18. "P&G posts strong sales, takes $8 billion Gillette writedown". Reuters. July 20, 2019.
  19. "Florida House Bill 1557". Florida Senate. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  20. "Florida judge rules against Disney in feud with DeSantis". Reuters. July 29, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  21. Press-Reynolds, Kieran (April 15, 2022). "'Grooming' and 'pro-pedophile' surge as conservative buzzwords amid battle over 'Don't Say Gay' bill". Insider. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  22. "Florida moves to curtail Disney World's powers as "Don't Say Gay" feud advances". CBS News. January 6, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  23. Barnes, Brooks (May 18, 2023). "Disney Pulls Plug on $1 Billion Development in Florida". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  24. Leishman, Rachel (February 13, 2023). "Reducing Disney+'s Massive Subscriber Loss to Culture War Nonsense Is Just ... Factually Incorrect". The Mary Sue. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  25. Ramachandran, Naman (July 3, 2023). "Disney+ Hotstar in India: Cricket Rights Setback a Blessing to Bottomline, Report Reveals". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  26. Mullin, Benjamin (June 13, 2022). "Disney loses bid for the rights to stream Indian Premier League cricket matches". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  27. Klee, Miles (April 8, 2023). "Companies That Get 'Woke' Aren't Going Broke — They're More Profitable Than Ever". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  28. Martinez, Gina (April 6, 2023). "Bud Light partnership with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney prompts conservative backlash". CBS.
  29. Stewart, Emily (April 12, 2023). "The Bud Light boycott?? because sure, explained". Vox. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  30. Ulea, Anca (April 10, 2023). "Why are conservatives lashing out at Nike and Bud Light?". euronews. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  31. Valinsky, Jordan (April 26, 2023). "Bud Light sales are falling, but distributors say they're sticking by the brand". CNN Business. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  32. Mayer, Grace. "What boycott? Bud Light controversy led to only a 1% drop in global sales volume, CEO says". Business Insider. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  33. "Anheuser-Busch InBev/NV (BUD) Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript". The Motley Fool Transcribing. May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  34. Hur, Krystal (April 24, 2023). "Wall Street Journal: Bud Light owner places two execs on leave after transgender influencer backlash". CNN Business. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  35. Sullivan, Becky (April 27, 2023). "Bud Light sales dip after trans promotion, but such boycotts are often short-lived".
  36. "Bud Light boycott over trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney hits beer giant's sales". BBC. August 3, 2023.
  37. Myers, Owen. "'Panic and rash decision-making': ex-Bud Light staff on one of the biggest boycotts in US history". The Guardian.
  38. "Target's Pride collection features 'tuck-friendly' swimsuits for adults, not kids". Associated Press. May 25, 2023. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  39. "Fact Check-Target's 'tuck-friendly' swimsuits are for adults, not children". Reuters. May 24, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  40. Meyersohn, Nathaniel (July 13, 2023). "Why Republican lawmakers are going after Target". CNN Business. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  41. Gaskins, Kayla (June 6, 2023). "Target shares continue to tumble amid culture wars controversy". KRCR-TV. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  42. Maheshwari, Sapna; Friedman, Vanessa (June 16, 2021). "Victoria's Secret Swaps Angels for 'What Women Want.' Will They Buy It?". The New York Times.
  43. Chen, Cathaleen; CNN (October 17, 2023). "Why Victoria's Secret is bringing sexy back". CNN. Retrieved October 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  44. Abad-Santos, Alex (August 7, 2023). "The right-wing backlash against the US women's national soccer team, explained". Vox. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  45. Larson, Shannon (August 7, 2023). "Conservatives celebrate the US women's early exit from the World Cup: 'Go woke, go broke' - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  46. Dator, James (August 7, 2023). "USWNT eliminated from World Cup because of their play, not their politics". SBNation.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  47. Lacina, Bethany; Goren, Lilly J. (November 17, 2022). "Analysis | Is 'Wakanda Forever' too 'woke' for Marvel's own good?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  48. "Analysis | The smash success of 'Captain Marvel' shows us that conservatives are ignoring the alt-right". Washington Post. March 15, 2019. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  49. "Go Woke, Go Broke? Barbie's Opening Weekend Sales Smash Expectations". The New Republic. November 1, 2022. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  50. "C'mon Barbie, Let's Go Argue About Politics". The Seattle Times. July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  51. D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 6, 2023). "2023 Domestic Box Office Surges Past $6 Billion This Weekend Due To 'Barbie', 'Oppenheimer', 'Turtles' & 'Meg 2' As Strikes Continue – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
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