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How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

quillette.com

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Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#11

Post by richmarr »

s9w wrote: post #9
richmarr wrote: post #8

This article is disengenuous. The lead example given is Ben & Jerry's anti-Trump ice cream, which is being painted as "virtue signalling" because Unilever apparently sells skin-bleaching creams in India. Let's just dwell on that for a second... Josh Dehaas is accusing Ben & Jerry's of cynical motivation, claiming that their "virtue" is performative, based on the actions of another part of a multi-national organisatio…

The anti-trump ice cream is virtue signaling in itself - without the skin-bleaching cream thing.

What's your reasoning? How to you claim to know the motives of the people that planned that product?

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#12

Post by cauchyschwartz »

s9w wrote: post #9
richmarr wrote: post #8

This article is disengenuous. The lead example given is Ben & Jerry's anti-Trump ice cream, which is being painted as "virtue signalling" because Unilever apparently sells skin-bleaching creams in India. Let's just dwell on that for a second... Josh Dehaas is accusing Ben & Jerry's of cynical motivation, claiming that their "virtue" is performative, based on the actions of another part of a multi-national organisatio…

The anti-trump ice cream is virtue signaling in itself - without the skin-bleaching cream thing.

Perhaps it is, but the author's argument appears to be that corporate virtue signalling is bad because it is hypocritical. Examples: B&J despite parent corporation's cream, Qantas vs. work rights, and though not mentioned in the article, probably the same deal for Nike.

And to be fair, there is a point there: corporations will back progressive social ideas that explicitly aren't anti-capitalist.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#13

Post by drcongo »

What I find funny about "virtue signalling" is that it's a pejorative only the right accuses the left of, and like the phrase "politically correct", it's hard to take as any kind of insult. You think I'm virtuous and my politics are correct? Well thank you very much, very kind of you to say so.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#14

Post by s9w »

richmarr wrote: post #10
s9w wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if that self-interest thing was misinterpreted. What I meant is that when people are alienated by corporate politics enough to not buy their things - then it's no longer in the economic self interest of the company.

> I'm not sure if that self-interest thing was misinterpreted. What I meant is that when people are alienated by corporate politics enough to not buy their things - then it's no longer in the economic self interest of the company. Are you saying that's happened here? I live in Europe, but my understanding was that Trump fans were in a minority (based on the fact that Clinton got more votes but rural states have more…

> Are you saying that's happened here?

I'm not sure, probably not. But I think in similar cases in the gaming industry this has definitely happened. BF5 just as a recent but non-ideal example. So it's dangerous for them, and hence my baffling.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#16

Post by s9w »

drcongo wrote: post #13

What I find funny about "virtue signalling" is that it's a pejorative only the right accuses the left of, and like the phrase "politically correct", it's hard to take as any kind of insult. You think I'm virtuous and my politics are correct? Well thank you very much, very kind of you to say so.

Virtue signalling is not about being virtuous. The other, much more important part, is the signalling. The impulse of companites/people/etc to brag about being virtous only to appear in a better light. A bit like vegeratians who often can't resist the temptation to tell the world that they're better.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#17

Post by lucozade »

drcongo wrote: post #13

What I find funny about "virtue signalling" is that it's a pejorative only the right accuses the left of, and like the phrase "politically correct", it's hard to take as any kind of insult. You think I'm virtuous and my politics are correct? Well thank you very much, very kind of you to say so.

> You think I'm virtuous

They're saying that you're shouting about how virtuous you are. That's unrelated to how virtuous you actually are. Same goes for political correctness.

Just because I say I'm awesome, it doesn't make it so.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#18

Post by apacheCamel »

s9w wrote: post #14
richmarr wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not sure if that self-interest thing was misinterpreted. What I meant is that when people are alienated by corporate politics enough to not buy their things - then it's no longer in the economic self interest of the company. Are you saying that's happened here? I live in Europe, but my understanding was that Trump fans were in a minority (based on the fact that Clinton got more votes but rural states have more…

> Are you saying that's happened here? I'm not sure, probably not. But I think in similar cases in the gaming industry this has definitely happened. BF5 just as a recent but non-ideal example. So it's dangerous for them, and hence my baffling.

I am not sure BF5 relates to this at all. It seems like many people were under the impression DICE was involving "gender politics" into a video game even though women would have definitely been involved in the setting. The ones outraged by it, in my opinion, just wanted to be outraged by it instead of having a good reasoning behind it. The gaming industry also has a lot more artistic freedom in taking jabs at the political here and now.

Re: How to Stop the Corporate Virtue-Signaling Before It’s Too Late

#20

Post by thecrash »

s9w wrote: post #16
drcongo wrote: post #13

What I find funny about "virtue signalling" is that it's a pejorative only the right accuses the left of, and like the phrase "politically correct", it's hard to take as any kind of insult. You think I'm virtuous and my politics are correct? Well thank you very much, very kind of you to say so.

Virtue signalling is not about being virtuous. The other, much more important part, is the signalling. The impulse of companites/people/etc to brag about being virtous only to appear in a better light. A bit like vegeratians who often can't resist the temptation to tell the world that they're better.

Yes, at the core of the "virtue signalling" philosophy is the idea that nobody _actually_ holds virtuous values. There are only two kinds of people: those who are honest about being selfish jerks, and hypocrites who disguise their selfishness using "virtue signalling".

It's reminiscent of the psychopath world-view, actually.

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