In a 2021 diversity training session, Coca-Cola advised employees to “strive to look less white,” earning them the nickname “Voka-Cola.” But now the company may become whiter. Either way, that's what will happen if Coca-Cola follows through on its pledge to implement new diversity goals.
That means matching employees' racial, ethnic and gender demographics to U.S. Census data.
To reach these goals, the company will need to cut its black workforce by 31 percent, and Asian employment by 33 percent.
Will Hild, executive director of Consumers Research, reported on the matter at X (below).
“Unbelievable,” RealClearMarkets commentator Scott Shepherd wrote about it, “and entirely expected from this ignorant company that today apparently operates on principles based in equal parts radical ideology and unqualified stupidity.” Shepherd then offered perspective, writing about Coca-Cola's sordid history.
Coca-Cola's early and aggressive adoption of the neo-racism of the '20s (e.g., anti-white racism) is nothing new. The company notoriously required its outside counsel to represent “diversity” in implementing contracts with Coca-Cola and to engage in racist and other prohibited discrimination. It also had employees undergo racist training (e.g., “try to be less white”). The company “clearly clarified” that Georgia's voting integrity law enforced “voter suppression” by requiring voters to prove their identity, closing off some of the most widespread avenues for voter fraud. Voter fraud is treasonable to even consider in federal elections “won” by the left, but it was arguably the deciding factor in state elections won by people who couldn't be (Stacey) Abrams.
The secret to Coca-Cola's madness?
Shepherd is outraged at Coca-Cola's turn to “anti-black racism.” But is it justified? Ultimately, the issue is the focus on “diversity” itself, not the exact formula employed. In fact, if you're going to indulge in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) nonsense, aligning employees to census data makes more sense than most woke paradigms. Moreover, it's entirely possible that whoever formulated Coca-Cola's goals didn't consider the politically incorrect implications. Woke people aren't people who think deeply enough to be prescient about unintended consequences. But there's another possibility. Shepherd also writes:
Coca-Cola would no doubt have stuck with the new racism (and discrimination) if it could, but Supreme Court decisions over the past two years have made what has always been true clearly and inescapably: Everyone has the same civil rights. They prohibit discrimination based on questionable classifications (race, sex, sexual orientation, creed, etc.). This includes all workplace discrimination, including the kinds of things that companies have been pretending don't matter legally (and are endlessly touting as mattering in every other respect).
…This created a dilemma for Coca-Cola. The new discriminatory policies in the country appeared to be pervasive, even systemic. As my colleague Stephen Padfield pointed out in X, Coca-Cola seemed to realize that with its current staffing levels, it could subject plaintiffs whose civil rights had been violated in previous motions to dismiss to surprising discovery.
Die, die, die? Don't hold your breath
Whatever the reason, Vodka-Cola is certainly more working-class than you might imagine. For starters, the company's diversity goals include shedding male employees. The company aims to have 50% of its employees female, but currently, 39% of its senior management positions are female. This sounds fair. But it's not. And it doesn't even benefit “women.”
In the end, men are more likely to be the sole breadwinners. But this role is hindered when men who normally hold high-paying positions are put under quota. But does this help women? Well, just ask the women who depend on these men: their wives and daughters.
Of course, if the goal is to destroy the traditional family and force housewives into the workforce, then such quotas are ideal.
But to really understand Coca-Cola’s steroid-filled wokeness, look through the 88-page section, “Refresh the World. Make a Difference.” It reads as if it was written by the University of California, Berkeley political science department on an LSD trip. Of course, there’s talk of “sustainability,” “climate change,” and “renewable energy.” The page reads, “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are in our DNA.” The company sponsors a “Women’s Leadership Platform” called “Break the Ceiling, Touch the Sky.” In Japan, the company boasts that it “earned the 2022 PRIDE Index’s highest rating, ‘Rainbow,’ for its LGBTQI+-friendly workplace initiatives” (is this a woke version of Eagle Scout?). The company also talks about “standing with Ukraine.”
Additionally, Coca-Cola says it wants to increase the “overall diversity” of its suppliers. The company is “committed to spending at least $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers,” explaining, “We are seeking to join the Billion Dollar Roundtable, the gold standard for supplier diversity, but currently only have 27 member companies.”
Diversity Blues
Going back to Coca-Cola's desire to “reflect the markets we serve,” can you imagine what would happen if the NBA did this? Most of the players in the NBA would be middle-aged white men of average height with beer bellies. And if we aligned with census data, the league would be 51% female. But no company's jobs would reflect the markets they serve.
Their job is to make a profit by serving the markets they serve as well as they can.
Whether it's the military, Harvard presidents, pilots, air traffic controllers, or corporate executives, focusing on diversity doesn't improve anything. It just makes certain people feel good and keeps them invited to cocktail parties. In the end, the false virtues of these pseudo-elites are just a cover for the fact that they've sold their souls for wallets, power, and prestige.
