Throughout the past few weeks, many businesses and companies have come out and spoken in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement - one that has sparked immense momentum after the death of George Floyd, a man in Minneapolis who was caught on footage not being able to breathe for over eight minutes due to an officer kneeing his neck. This has then turned into a domino effect into weeks worth of protests all over the world.
Many businesses have joined in and stood for solidarity with several social media trends including Blackout Tuesday, where people would post a black square to their social media feed and link several resources to donate or sign petitions. Many were skeptical about the motives of the businesses as their efforts may simply be a publicity stunt and the position they truly stood on could be reflected through the funds they support or how they support their employees.
We are also living in an age where cancel culture is a really big deal - the minute it comes to light that a person or business has done or said anything racist, homophobic, transphobic, or insensitive of the sort. Each day, there seems to be a new thing that has branded "#isoverparty" and people stop buying from them.
Starbucks in particular has come under fire this week due to the fact that their employee policy regarding their dress code does not allow them to show Black Lives Matter on anything they wear, including shirts, pins, or face masks (thanks, COVID-19). Publix, a popular chain in the Southeast, has been put on blast for now allowing their employees to wear Black Lives Matter masks as it brings "politics into the workplace." Taco Bell was also canceled for firing an employee just for wanting to wear a Black Lives Matter mask to work.
Taco Bell manager firing an employee for supporting BLM :/ #RIPTacoBell https://t.co/pFd6Wn4u2f— elijah daniel (@elijah daniel) 1592476789.0
Many of these organizations have been backing their policies against Black Lives Matter clothing based on their argument that it is a political thing that they do not want to get involved in, despite the fact that many of them have sent out mass emails claiming to back and support the movement and that they are welcoming for all.
There's a popular public opinion that this frenzy of cancel culture makes people too quick to end a person's career or stop business sales just because of mistakes they've made or for going against public opinion. They argue that cancel culture is toxic because we shouldn't simply disown companies just because they go against their political beliefs. There's the counterargument that cancel culture is productive because for the first time in a very long time, people are choosing to spend their money at places that align with their beliefs.
Supporting Black Lives Matter isn't a thing of political belief nor should it be whether a person is democratic or republican; it should be standing with people who have been oppressed and at an disadvantage to the privileges of our society for generations. If a person chooses to no longer support a business that does not stand for basic human rights, then they are amplifying their voice and their values just a little bit louder.
