Woke capitalism comes to Georgia…but not China

A wave of woke corporatism has been sweeping America. The latest example comes courtesy of CEOs being forced to weigh in on SB-202, a Georgia bill to restructure mechanisms of the state’s voting procedures and laws. Spurred on by President Biden — a man seemingly guided by his Very Online chief of staff, who takes his cues from Twitter hashtag campaigns from the likes of the pedophile-enabling Lincoln Project — celebrities and companies are lining up to demand boycotts of Georgia, labeling the new law inhumane and an abuse of basic human rights.

While appearing on CNBC, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey called SB-202 ‘unacceptable’ and ‘a step backward’. He said the company would work to remedy the legislation, through both public and private advocacy. Quincey was born in the United Kingdom, but as a resident of Atlanta he is certainly welcome to his opinion on SB-202. However his virtue-signaling is surface-level.

In March 2020, a Congressional Executive Commission on human-rights abuses in Xinjiang listed Coca-Cola as a major American company with ties to forced labor camps in the Chinese province. Other companies on the list included Nike, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Campbell’s Soup Company, CostCo, H&M (who has since distanced themselves from China and paid a price for it), Patagonia and Tommy Hilfiger. The report went on to specifically name Coca-Cola’s COFO Tunhe sugar facility in Xinjiang as having direct ties to forced labor. It was reported in the New York Times in November of last year that Coca-Cola was one of the primary companies lobbying against congressional legislation targeting companies who engaged with China’s forced labor policies. The New York Times piece said ‘Lobbyists have fought to water down some of its provisions, arguing that while they strongly condemn forced labor and current atrocities in Xinjiang, the act’s ambitious requirements could wreak havoc on supply chains that are deeply embedded in China.’

Quincey will likely not have to answer for these corporate hypocrisies while appearing on friendly media outlets who also do not want to see Chinese threats to their valuable media markets.

Delta Airlines was another high profile company to wade into the debate around SB-202. CEO Ed Bastian, in a company-wide statement declared ‘I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values… The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights.’ The bill however was signed into law by Brian Kemp, who faced heavy pressure from former president Donald Trump and his acolytes to decertify the 2020 election results from Georgia.

Guess what? Delta Airlines, in a partnership with China, agreed last August to add additional flights to China. This occurred while the United States and countries around the world were still in the grips of a global pandemic, which originated in and was initially covered up by China. And Major League Baseball has just caved under pressure to relocate the annual All-Star game from Atlanta, an idea bravely endorsed by President Biden in an ESPN interview Wednesday night. The MLB, much like the NBA, has been eager to expand its market into China in recent years. In 2017, Major League Baseball struck a deal to construct 20 new baseball centers in China for developing talent. In 2018, the MLB cut a deal with Tencent Technologies to stream MLB games in Chinese markets.

The selective outrage doesn’t stop with corporations and sports franchises. Director James Mangold has said there will be no more filming in Georgia for the new Indiana Jones movie he is shooting for Disney. Actor Mark Ruffalo has also spoken up about the Georgia boycott. Ruffalo collected several paychecks from Disney, which filmed several Marvel films in the state. He is yet to return any of his earnings from those high-profile films. So much for Hulk-smash.

What about President Biden himself, who struck a harsher tone with the state of Georgia than he and his State Department have over genuine human rights abuses in China? Jen Psaki didn’t have an answer in Friday’s press conference. Biden and his team can whisper in quiet grandpa-voice ‘Jim Crow’ terminology all they want, but until he and his administration begin to strike a stronger tenor on China, he should be wheeled off into the corner of the home and ignored.

The corporations bowing to woke online mobs should be willing to cut ties with the real authoritarian regimes around the world that commit the most brutal atrocities. Will it happen? I guess the market will decide…