Did you hear about Target?

On Friday, January 24th 2025 the Target Corporation did a cowardly thing.

And, honestly who's surprised?

Probably nobody.

What did Target do? They scrapped their commitment to diversity, equity , and inclusion (DEI).

I for one am pissed. And disgusted. And disappointed.

DEI is vital for the wellbeing of our society.

I feel it's important for me specifically to say so-- because most opponents to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion happen to look like me. Certainly, the most aggressive and vocal and impactful opponents to DEI programs are straight, white men.

As a straight white guy-- we're wrong here guys.

Seriously, if you're a fellow white guy and you think DEI programs are a problem or a threat, then I'm not gonna shout you down, but I will tell you a truth you might not want to hear: DEI isn't the boogie man you think it is. There's no reason to be afraid of equal playing fields.

Fuck that noise!

Really, DEI initiatives benefit us straight white guys too. It might not seem like it on paper-- long term, DEI success means we lose some of our head start. DEI success softens some of our socio-economic advantages. But that's a good fucking thing, for two reasons.

One: The socioeconomic advantage of being a white guy is really just a system-wide consolation prize. If we're really gonna go on about participation trophies being a bad thing, then we absolutely need to stop acting like our unearned advantages are ours to keep. Saying goodbye to the white head start would be a good thing for us whites because it would make us less fragile and coddled and afraid-- which we absolutely are.

Two: Increasing diversity/ inclusion strengthens social systems. Group think is poison to progress. Social-psychologists have known this for decades. The most resilient, creative, and dynamic groups are those that focus diverse members around common goals. In other words-- increasing diversity in ALL of our social systems will shake things up in a good way. Reducing complacency and increasing problem solving creativity will raise quality of life for EVERYBODY, us included. It's not like we'll get left behind if everyone starts thriving. The only plausible outcome of everyone getting a boost is a greater mobility and focus of the masses when it comes to addressing the real economic problems we all face.

Remember when I said you don't need to be afraid of DEI initiatives?

Yeah, you really don't. Fear and uncertainty are healthy, but clinging to a toxic norm, on account of that fear... That's weak.

And I think you should question where your fear comes from. It's not just the gut impulse of resistance to change. That's part of it-- we're the longstanding beneficiaries of the status quo, and it's natural to worry about the ways a change might throw an assured future into question. But the rawer reason for our fear: we're easy as fuck to manipulate.

The alt right knows exactly how to radicalize the loneliest, weakest or dimmest among us: by playing to our insecurities. They trump up lies about white men being persecuted by things like affirmative action. They sensationalize and demonize DEI programs as discriminatory towards whites when they never were. They paint a twisted narrative of whites being shouldered out of any place that draws others in.

Exaggerated scarcity, ramped up fear and other trash-tier hot takes.

All to maintain a status quo which we're told benefits us. But we're being held back, as surely as everybody else-- the wealth gap is growing at unprecedented rates and the only real beneficiaries are the scumbags at the top. Those scumbags love to see us squabble over our petty holdings, and more than anything they fear our unification.

That's why Target gleefully ditched their DEI. They swept their stated ethics off the table to make a little more room for profit. In this regard, target is not special, target is not unique.

Like all capitalist corporations, Target is a duplicitous bitch.

In giddily scrapping their DEI initiatives the second Trump's political landscape made it fashionable, they proved their so-called commitment to DEI was never sincere to begin with.

It was all public relations, a campaign to mask their heartless greed.

I'm pissed. I'm disgusted. I'm disappointed. But I'm not surprised.

Every skeptic and every anti-capitalist continues to expect this kind of cowardice and greed from all profit-driven corporations at all times.

What else would we anticipate from a congregation of hungry pigs?

Kiera Fernandez, Target's Executive VP and Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer issued this memo: "(...) and as a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future."

Target just said the quiet part out loud.

I'll translate:

"and as as (a corporation that only cares about the bottom line) that (profits off of) millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving (Political opinions and fashions), now and in the future."

Or, if you'd prefer more specifics:

"and as as (gaping, money hungry wound on the cultural face of the United States) that (profits off of) millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving (pressures and permissions of Trump and the rest of the maniacal alt-right crybabies who have a problem with DEI initiatives), now and in the future."

But what Target says is not important as what Target does-- and now, in rolling back programs that have been making a difference Target has done a bad thing. Target has spat in the face of progress and popped a big stinky squat all over their own sense of accountability.

Once upon a time, Target said they cared about DEI initiatives-- that they cared about hiring and promoting representative crews-- that they cared about equitable treatment of minority employees, that they cared about promoting people of diverse backgrounds and including all voices in their values-- that they cared about people feeling a sense of belonging and safety, that they cared about people being from diverse backgrounds being treated equitably in terms of finances.

ALL BULLSHIT!

Liars! Target never gave a flying fuck about DEI.

They put up a pretense, in response to social pressure especially considering the public outcry after George Floyd's murder. Target put up a pretense-- after the nation started to affirm that LGBTQ people deserved to feel safe, and after they started to feel the social pressure of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Target always claimed to be instituting DEI initiatives because they considered it the right thing to do. They claimed it aligned with their values and their sense of justice.

And they celebrated their own programs. Said they were very proud of their commitments and initiatives, and pleased to know they were making progress....

But now they gut these programs?

Does that mean Target changed their mind about their own values, about their own sense of right and wrong?

Or does it mean they were playing pretend all along?

How could DEI programs ever stop being the right thing to do?

No. These programs-- and especially Target's participation in external accountability measures-- are just as vital as they ever were. They haven't lost importance in terms of values or morals. They've only lost urgency in terms of public pressure.

Did Target satisfy the need for DEI, did they max out their goals for justice, did they plateau? Did they achieve final success, such that the programs no longer offered any benefit? No of course not. Disparities still exist. And even if Target truly believed they had finally beaten systemic problems like institutionalized bias and socioeconomic marginalization, they'd still keep the programs in place to ensure their moral success could be sustained....

So...

why did Target gut the programs?

Only because they finally could.

Now that a racist piece of shit is helming the country again and pushing hard against DEI values, Target is breathing a sigh of relief.

Target is glad to be off the hook. They can spend 4 years (or more) letting down their carefully painted PR mask a bit.

Must be nice-- to be utterly unafflicted with by any sense of conscience. Capitalist corporations are fucking sociopaths folks.

Target is like every other festering, pus-filled, corporate abscess on the corrupt socio-economic hellscape that is capitalism in the United States. These corporations are fat, bloated ticks. They suck down nutrients, sap the public of vitality, and spread their greed-disease into their hosts-- into us.

Target only cares about Target's bottom line.

Target does not give a flying fuck about us. Target couldn't care less about what's just. Target feels no moral obligation to say or do the right thing.

Target spouted their PR lies-- fleshed them out just enough to make them feel real-- in order to lull the public into a sense of commiseration.

Target pretended to sympathize.

Target pretended to be on our side.

But they're a profit hungry corporation-- therefore, they are our enemy.

The corporate mode is to let empathy and compassion die, to make way for the unhinged, psychotic hunger of limitless growth.

Dollars over people, always.

Corporations like Target are fucking cancers-- they're killing the body of public wellbeing.

Can we do a damn thing about it?

I dunno.

Feels like I atleast am fairly powerless. The only thing that will motivate target to do right is a threat against their bottom line. And I do not have any power in that regard.

There's a boycott going on-- a general boycott of all Target's stores. It's supposed to start this Saturday.

I'm joining the boycott.

But I'm not joining out of any optimism that my absence from Target's stores will actually hurt their bottom line. Target doesn't care that some random lower class guy like me is taking my business elsewhere. I actually sorta doubt that Target will care if thousands boycott. Modern Americans aren't organized or willfull enough to put that whole "Vote with your dollar" brand of democracy into real practice.

But I'm joining the fucking boycott anyway.

Not because I think I'll help set things right. I think things are too far fucked to be gently nudged back on course.

I'm joining because I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted with Target and if I shop there I'll be disgusted with myself.

Fuck Target, man.

Seriously.

Fuck the other companies that rolled back their DEI too. Amazon, Meta, Walmart, I'm talking about you, you sniveling cowards. You fucking leeches. You pigs.

I'm disgusted by all ya'll motherfuckers.

Fuck all of you douchebags.

And even more so-- fuck the alt-right for getting so many people to push against DEI-- especially for tricking so many straight white guys into the self-defeat of shilling for the status quo.

*

What has changed, by Target coming out as a piece of shit? Nothing's changed. Target was always a piece of shit.

And at the same time, everything's changed. Progress has been undercut, and dragged backwards.

People are seeing that we never should have placed any faith in these-- or any-- corporate-capitalist fucks.

Frustration is spreading. A little rage can be a good thing.

When it comes to profit, these corporations and the billionaire class-- the beneficiaries of the status quo are ALWAYS ready to fuck us.

But when it comes to ethics and doing the right thing, they're a bunch of drooping, flaccid noodles.

End rant.

***

Sources:

Target ironically missing the mark: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/target-says-it-is-ending-its-dei-goals-and-programs-citing-an-evolving-external-landscape

Info about the boycott:

https://www.instagram.com/strikeforall/

Diverse teams are stronger:

https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter

Wealth inequality demographics:

https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/

Rich are getting richer faster

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/#fn-39263-13