A Book Review by: Paul Leslie
I don’t know about you, but the insistence of many companies to insert themself in the latest supposed social justice cause is more prone to provoke annoyance than inspiration. I’m not alone in wishing companies strived for excellence in the service or product they offer instead of lip service, hypocrisy, and insincere virtue signaling. What if they saved the self-righteous lecture and just focused on excellence?
You may have noticed the preoccupation of companies in “woke” causes. I’ve observed a vast increase over the last few years in chains broadcasting the latest social justice slogans on window stickers, receipts, on their websites, and in advertisements.
Is “wokeness” in corporate America rooted in altruism?
My curiosity about why this phenomenon grows was part of what inspired me to read Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam by Vivek Ramaswamy.
Is this invisible force that drives “wokeness” rooted in altruism? The book gives you a thorough analysis of how woke ideology infiltrated the American corporate world and why.
Woke, Inc. becomes more compelling as read
Woke, Inc. becomes more compelling as you get farther along in the chapters. It grew on me because of Vivek Ramaswamy’s rational and cool-head explication of today’s corporate climate. He’s not parroting the talking points of prominent pundits. Ramaswamy shares a lot of relevant real-world experiences he’s had as an entrepreneur and founder of a biopharmaceutical company.
“Woke” ideology has spread a message of social justice everywhere, but it’s crept into capitalism and now works hand in hand. But, aren’t social justice ‘wokesters’ the opposition to corporate executives?
Corporate America’s embrace of “wokeness” is all about image
If you think Corporate America’s embrace of “wokeness” is about benevolence, you’re sorely mistaken. As Ramaswamy demonstrates in Woke, Inc., for most companies being the good guy isn’t want matters. It’s being perceived as the good guy. The appearance of virtue is for sale.
It’s why companies routinely hire people like Robin DiAngelo (author of White Fragility) who make high fees for seminars. They are in a matter of speaking, being “paid off” by corporations. However, a principled Marxist is not bought off so easily. These same companies like to brag about their commitment to diversity, but Ramswamy shows that all too often, diversity hiring is narrow and lazy.
There is an alliance of organizations with government officials
Woke, Inc. documents what we are seeing—an alliance of nonprofits, corporations, and governments officials. There are even dictators involved. Ramswamy makes a fascinating case.
Authoritarian regimes are exploiting “wokeness” because it provides a perfect cover. But plenty of people around the world are laughing or rolling their eyes at the trap social justice activists have set for corporations. There’s even a new Chinese word for “wokeness” : Baizuo.
The hypocrisy in these so-called woke companies shows an alarming lack of awareness and a disconnect from reality. For example, a company claiming allegiance to BLM while doing business with China.
Ramswamy shows for big tech, “wokeness” goes hand-in-hand with power
Ramaswamy is to be commended for investigating what’s beneath the “woke” smokescreen in all types of businesses, but especially big tech. Silicone Valley wants more than money, after all, they have that in limitless quantities. They now pursue power in great volume. They know people don’t trust them, yet they advance. They’re going for it. There’s little doubt that big tech colludes with the government to do favors and keep power.
Many corporations pose a threat to our individual rights
Woke, Inc. is evidence of the author’s sharp mind, such as making fascinating comparisons of “wokeness” to religion. He’s able to see the many implications of the spread of wokeism from universities to corporations. Vivek Ramswamy makes the case in Woke, Inc. that many corporations are a threat to our individual rights.
The moment profits are in jeopardy, the “woke” mask comes off
Companies clamber over one another to “out Woke” the competition. Generally, at the first sign of their efforts hurting the profits, they change direction. It occurred to me while reading the book that an organization can never reach its fullest potential if one of its primary goals is to reach some kind of wokeness perfection.
Companies were not meant to be our lords in America, that much is certain. The author excellently illustrates that for America to be successful, we must be a country of individuality. However, we must in the end, be a nation.
Title: Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam
Author: Vivek Ramaswamy
Publisher: Center Street (Hatchette Book Group)
Publication date: August 17, 2021
Hardcover price: $16.99
ISBN: 1546090789
