‘Too many boardrooms have become PC workshops’

“I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it and stick your head out and yell ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more’.”

Hello readers and welcome to the column where you provide the content. More than a thousand comments dangled beneath Janet Albrechtsen’s withering assessment of the Sleeping Giants, whose Twitter trolling was bullying brands and causing craven cave-ins from CEOs, such as this week’s decision by NIB to yank their advertising from The Bolt Report on Sky after the host questioned the George Pell verdict. Tim B was mad as hell and not going to take it anymore:

”As a former company director and chairman, I am truly disgusted by this current batch of corporate wimps who succumb to every PC cause, every entreaty from leftist action groups and every new fad dreamt up by industry bodies.

“Corporations have a responsibility to serve the interests of their shareholders, their customers and other stakeholders but the shareholdern — the owner of the business — is king. Too many boardrooms have become PC workshops and laboratories for social engineering and it needs to be called out.”

Bill had a brand blitz:

“I now shave with Schick … for me Qantas, Cadbury, Coles and Scenic Tours are out too. Sky should publish regularly targeted companies (by Sleeping Giants & other trolls) who succumb.”

Paul proclaimed:
“I have worked in big companies all my life. They are scaredy-cats. They desperately try not to lose money or reputation on any account and so are constantly jumping when activists say ‘boo’. Thanks for calling this trend out Janet. I’m an NIB member and will switch.”

Kevin concurred:

“I also worked for a large company and if a customer complaint was received the staff member was presumed guilty on the customers say so when in fact on many occasions it was a arrogant customer complaining about something the staff member had no control over. So when activists complain they buckle.”

Another Giant fell asleep on the job. Illustration by Johannes Leak

Ron rallied:

“I’d love to see a free speech activist group start up, I believe it would get massive support from the silent majority.”

Noel nodded:

“ ‘Andrew Priest, an Edith Cowan University academic, was responsible for 43 per cent of the tweets …’ Who would have thought a university lecturer would be behind this socialist campaign?

“The sad thing is that he would be dispensing that same bile to impressionable young minds, who have been trained through primary and secondary school not to think for themselves, but to believe the group-speak.”

Joy’s rejoinder:

“It’s not specifically the boardrooms who are to blame, it’s the inexperienced marketing communications people who don’t bother to drill down as to who is complaining, they just simply look at the percentage of complaints/hits and react.

“Experienced and older corporate communicators wouldn’t kowtow. It’s the communications strategy of the business that needs to be questioned. Getting into political/social media fracas will not end well for the businesses who give these minnows airtime.”

George growled:

“Maybe it’s time the silent majority made some noise.”

Soi was savage:

“How about Edith Cowan University stepping in and having a word to this dissembling and destructive activist and maybe Sky News suing for targeted reputational and commercial damage based on false information put into the public domain.

“Those commercial organisations will feel the backlash of the many who support Sky and its commentators.”

Gestation pods at Edith Cowan University produce a silent army of activist trolls who never need to eat or sleep.

Robert raged:

“ I was unaware of these despicable gutless acts. I will cancel the new pool cleaner I had ordered from Poolwerx. Pleas keep us informed of these pathetic companies.”

Steve said:

“NIB will lose another customer later today. I’m sick and tired of these bullying tactics. Personally, I grew tired of Bolt years ago, but he still pulls in a large constituency of people.who are capable of polite debate and rational thought. These people also get sick and buy health insurance.”

JR reasoned:

“Every advertiser has a right to advertise where it likes. Equally we have a right to know which advertisers cave in to political pressure groups. And we have the right to move our business elsewhere.”

They might be giants.

Dingo Ernest did:

“I know I am very small but when I saw that Gillette ad I decided that I would not buy Gillette products again. I am tired of moral marketing.”

Peter proposed:

“Corporate Cowards should be the name of the anti-activism group in response to Sleeping Giants.”

Last word and co-comment of the week to John:

“This intrusion of companies into the political and social commentary arena has become far too common. It started with QANTAS applying pressure in the Same Sex Marriage debate.

“A company is a corporate entity and has no right to intrude into such issues even if it does think its shareholders support its position.

“To make matters worse there is no evidence that the shareholders are even formally consulted. Boards of Directors are stepping way out of line and the regulating authorities should be stamping this out quick smart.”

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“All capitalist roader running dogs must die.”

The Mocker exposed the lies, damned lies and self-interest underpinning a push by the Greens and Labor to give 16-year-olds the vote. Peter was appreciative:

“Your Red Guard and Cultural Revolution references are appreciated Mocker. Roz Ward should be encouraged to read up on how radical students dealt with school teachers/ university lecturers they felt showed both right and left deviationist tendencies.

“The fortunate ones lost their jobs and were assigned manual labour, the unfortunate were murdered. It is only in our capitalist democracy, with freedom of speech and protections at law, that someone can display such overt leftist deviationism and not be denounced.

“By lowering the age of majority to 16, the Marxist aspiration of many more ‘useful idiots’ to vote Green will be fulfilled, but this cohort is also a potential source of counter-revolutionaries to denounce teachers/ lecturers they disagree with; so be very careful what you wish for.”

From Matthew:

“We all see where this is going right? Look at what they are washing into children’s brains, urging them to strike for climate change etc. The recent 300 club students in NSW being forced upon answers they didn’t agree with in the whole gender politics scheme.

“It’s a matter of time before this filters down to young minds that aren’t experienced enough to form their own politician opinions and what do you know, we are swimming in a heavy left population.”

Camille’s hubby quoted:

“Alexander Tyler: ‘Democracies can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the treasury. From that moment the majority vote for the candidate promising the most benefits. Resulting in a collapse over fiscal policy, followed by a dictatorship. Written two centuries ago.”

Gej said:

“The human brain does not mature until the early twenties. Sixteen year olds have still got a fair way to before distinguishing between idealism and reality.”

Morris mooted:

“Current political circumstances suggest that the voting age should definitely change, along with a few modifications. The voting age should be raised to 30, and only those that have paid tax for at least 10 years be eligible to vote.

“This would eliminate the current situation in which a preponderance of our voters see their vote as a ticket on the gravy train. If people actually have a stake in their country, they would be more inclined to educate themselves, and more inclined to take responsibility for their own actions.”

Rick rolled up his sleeves:

“What rubbish. You say any proposal from the Greens is bad because they are collectivists. Ad hominem attack, avoids dealing on the merits.

“You say the proposal is bad because it advantages them. What political party is not guilty of this?

“You bring up the irrelevant point of Ludlum’s citizenship. Er, why? Just as a distraction, just to say this is the kind of incompetents they are, even though Steele-John did renounce, and plenty of Labor, Liberal and Nat nongs did not. You could have put a comparison with Mr Joyce, to be fairer. But it is just a general slang, ad hominem by proxy. Avoid the issue.

“Why must the teachers be closet Greens? I have noticed The Australian trying to run the line that conservationism is a leafy rich suburb preoccupation: you are utterly mistaken.”

The Mocker replied:

“You say any proposal from the Greens is bad because they are collectivists.

Didn’t say that.

You say the proposal is bad because it advantages them

Didn’t say that.

You bring up the irrelevant point of Ludlum’s citizenship.

Er, because it has something to do with how JSJ got into Parliament?”

Richard reminisced:

“When I was 16 I knew all the answers and all the solutions to all the problems facing humanity, the world and whatever. I knew my father knew nothing about anything, despite his having fought the bad guys in a world war, bought a house and raised a family.

By the time I was 32 I knew that 16 years earlier it was I who knew nothing.”

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Greg Sheridan wrote that the Brexit bungle was a political crisis unequalled in Britain since the appeasement of Hitler, and described Theresa May as in the laughing stocks. Sean suggested:

“It is only a mess because the political and bureaucratic elite thought they knew better than the people. “

Rick’s review:

“A mess of her own making. What kind of a fool thought that the EU wanted to help Britain leave? The EU was always going to make Brexit as painful as possible for Britain and they have succeeded.”

David declared:

“The parliament is full of remainers refusing to implement the will of the people. They should all resign along with the PM.”

Tallulah’s view:

“What was the will of the people? To leave with the best deal possible? Which box was that? No, it was to leave no matter what — and that form of exit just got rejected because it would be a disaster for the country.”

“And if I concentrate hard enough, I’ll suddenly become Winston Churchill.”

Andrew’s broad view earns co-comment of the week:

“A skilled piano player, footballer or mathematician, is no better equipped than you or me when it comes to a problem that falls outside of their expertise. One of the realities obscured from the mass of people most of the time is that the elites in charge are, like the rest of us, competent only when dealing with routine matters.

“All the experts in the US military and state department totally stuffed up the occupation of Iraq. All the experts in the UK establishment totally stuffed up Brexit.

“This in all likelihood was not a grand conspiracy; just incompetence. People out of their depth, arrogant with power, depending on other people equally out of their depth, but equally arrogant and unable to acknowledge their ignorance. The blind leading the blind.

“Far better in these circumstances is to acknowledge uncertainty, acknowledge possible hardship, but proceed on the basis of faith in the justness of the desired outcome and a resolve to push through.

“May has suffered from the delusions that frequently accompany those in power: the delusion of capability (a false sense of capacity) that arises from trusting in the circle of elite advisers that surrounded her.

“May believed that she would negotiate a Brexit that provided legal continuity, financial security, trading certainty, economic prosperity and sufficient political and economic independence to satisfy the public’s demand for independence.

“This was always an impossible aim as it was contrary to the interests of the EU. They could not allow Britain to have its cake and eat it; otherwise the EU would fall apart. As time progressed, and the EU dug in its heels, May spoke of the need for compromise. She and her advisers convinced themselves that they had done a good job. Yet they were advisers out of their depth, and they came up with a dog of a deal.

“Better to leave without a deal and begin the progress of building new relationships with all countries, including the EU, from a position of independence.”

Paul’s precis:

“The Peter Principle has come home to roost in the British Parliament.”

—

“I’m going to gnaw your white privilege away.”

The pin-up girl for the left in the US, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has embarked on a spot of historical revisionism and economies with truths, such as her suggestion that the New Deal was racist. Graham’s tip:

“Everybody should watch a video on her about who is pulling her strings. Search ‘The Brains Behind AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’. It is a real eye opener.”

Steve’s suggestion:

“I vote that she and Yasmin A-M team up and make a pitch for co-presidency of a One World government.”

From David: “AOC really gets the right riled. An intelligent woman will do that of course. It makes them get all emasculated.”

From Dave:

“It’s a pity she didn’t mention FDR’s real shortcomings. He was a fan of Stalin’s, and he and some of his senior staff let the dictator take what he wanted out of Europe after the war. Subsequent presidents had to deal with the consequences of his naivety and the Cold War was created, partly as a result.”

From Bassam:

“No doubt, like our Yumi, she is on the right side of history. I look forward to the day when AOC slips up and the full fury of the confected outrage brigade, where she usually is in the vanguard, comes to rest on her shoulders.”

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