Harley-Davidson is one of the latest companies to back-peddle on woke ideologies after facing a backlash from customers. Harley-Davidson appointed German-born CEO and board chairman, Jochen Zeitz back in May 2020. It is claimed Zeitz embraced a host of DEI initiatives to remake the motorcycle’s muscular American image and to implement sustainability programs. This week, the company released an official statement:
“It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome,” and
“We have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.”
This comes after much pressure from their loyal customer base who have been vocal in their opposition to the progressive agenda. Fans of the brand have claimed, “they killed Harley”. Vintage Harleys’ second-hand values have plummeted and some fans have moved away towards other brands.
Harley-Davidson is one of a small number of large corporations to publicly turn away from wokism. Other companies have responded more quietly in the face of consumer backlashes such as Bud Lite owner Anheuser-Busch. Following their social media promotion by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April 2023 and a large financial hit to their revenue and stock price, Anheuser-Busch the next month stated their promotions would focus on music and sport. It was a U-turn of sorts, but certainly not an outright apology to fans.
What makes corporations pursue woke agendas?
In so many respects, the woke agenda is an oddity in the corporate world. Historically it was accepted that best practice in the business world was to identify who your customer is, understand who they are and what problems they have, and then solve these with a product or service at the right time and at the right price. Conversely, the woke agenda causes corporations to disengage from their customer base and instead focus on rolling out ideologies their customers are not asking for. The Harley example is a good case in point. Derrik van Orden expertly summarised the affair on X: “As the Vice Chair of the Congressional Motorcyle Caucus, I am telling you, motorcycles are about freedom. Freedom to ride without listening to a bunch of politicized garbage”
So why would a company grate against their core customers and morph their brands away from what has made them successful? Why wouldn’t they seek to strengthen their brand instead of deconstructing it. Or why would a senior executive alienate their DIY customer base by stating those who question LGBT views are “not welcome in our stores” as did COO Fraser Longden of Wickes in the UK in November 2023?
We propose the answer is two-fold. There are a minority of people who truly believe the woke agenda will bring something positive to the world. They have not discerned the sinister motivations of such ideologies that lurk under the surface. They are not aware they have been tried and tested before for millennia and never produce anything but bad outcomes. These are the ones that shout the loudest. These are the minority activists that influence corporations by exerting external pressure or by working from within a company, typically via the HR department. The second category of people are a by-product of the activists. These are the ones who succumb to the fear and pressure tactics of the woke advocates and for fear of ostracisation or job loss they keep quiet. They keep quiet on the outside while on the inside are in disbelief at the utter nonsense of it all.
What in the World is Going On recommends…
Firstly, that corporations stick to the tried-and-tested mission of being politically neutral, of focusing on their customer’s needs and wants as a means of driving financial returns, not by promoting fringe ideologies. This is still the reality for most of the business world, composed primarily of SMEs that lack large marketing budgets or extensive HR departments. Instead, they are compelled to focus on the fundamentals of good business practice.
Secondly, and this is a much harder ask, is that corporations recognise the negative impact they are having on societies as they help promote the New Marxist ideologies. Their motivation for the promotion is most likely due to a sense of wanting to do the right thing. The Gospel according to the woke gods tells them that the world will be a better place if we disregard our Christian foundations upon wish the success of the West was built, and instead serve the new gods. This is not true. These new gods are really old gods that have been served in the past and their fruit for society is not good. Their fruit consists of confusion of identity, family breakdown, disregard for the value of human life (e.g. abortion and euthanasia), statism, sexual oppression, poverty, futility of purpose etc.
A full-blown U turn is the only way forward. Let’s hope that as more and more corporations realise their folly that the movement back to best business practice avalanches.
Further Reading
Insight: The Mechanisms of the New Marxism