Fake Woke , Performative Allyship , and Corporate Moralism
Ms . Julie Ward , HS English Teacher
This is not an argument . This is a question .
In 2017 , Kylie Jenner starred in a Pepsi commercial that featured peaceful protestors dancing , marching , and smiling as they affronted a mild-mannered and meekly-outfitted police line . The protestors featured are Black , Brown , Asian , and white ; some present as gender non-conforming ; there are hijabs , cornrows , and piercings . The protestors march for an unidentified cause , holding posters decorated with the banal words “ love ” and “ peace .” The police line stands without riot gear , appearing to be on a bored and passive defense line .
This commercial sparked outrage because the benevolent atmosphere of the commercial was so clearly off-the-mark of the reality of the actual Black Lives Matter protests from 2017 — protests that again swelled in the United States this past summer in the wake of George Floyd ’ s , predicated by many others ’, death . In my home city of Richmond , Virginia , I saw first-hand this past summer the aggressive arrests of protestors , the military-style riot gear of the police , and the fields of tear gas spreading across city blocks .
In the 2021 Superbowl , Jeep released a commercial calling for unity , common ground , and middle-ness — a message intended as a response to the heightened political tension of the 2020 Presidential Election , COVID responsiveness , and the continued Black Lives Matter movement . But like Pepsi , Jeep doesn ’ t really say anything ; they both present the audience with an either-or option that leaves no actual message or call to action , besides to just feel better when you purchase from them .
But , in a world almost wholly dictated by consumption , consumerism , and profit : is there any other way to spread mass-awareness of social justice besides off-the-mark corporate moralism ? As performative and empty as it might be , are these commercials the only way to reach such an audience ?
In their sponsorship of Colin Kaepernick — NFL quarterback who took a knee during a nationally-televised National Anthem in 2016 in support of Black Lives Matter , ultimately receiving publicized critique from President Trump and unemployment from the NFL — Nike at least said something . Their slogan , plastered over a close-up of Kaepernick ’ s face reads : “ Believe in something . Even if it means sacrificing everything .” While this slogan runs the risk of the same middle-of-the-road empty platitude like Pepsi and Jeep , the inclusion of Kaepernick ’ s face implied that Nike stood on a side , and therefore encouraged their customers to do the same . It sent the message that , should you support Nike , you support Kaepernick . And should you support Kaepernick , you support Black Lives Matter .
More and more , we are becoming a society driven by corporations and the consumption of those corporations . Our governments are lobbied by for-profit industries and therefore , our policies , our civics , and our lives are entwined with these corporations . Don ’ t get me wrong : I just bought a new iPhone this weekend . But I am wondering : Are we angry at these corporations for appropriating the actual , lived inequalities of real people , for the sake of more profit ? Or are we behind them , and welcome their performative allyship , because we have given them such authority over our lives ? In a time of rapid technological development , pandemic mania , and climate change : will corporations become the new churches that we turn to , to influence our morals ? Is the embrace of their Superbowl ads , no matter how bad they might be , a necessary evil before we demand their economic support of the disenfranchised groups they plaster on their ads ?
I know that these commercials are not enough , and I know that Black Lives Matter , that no human being is illegal , that all love is love , and that healthcare is a human right . I know that a corporation that says something , like Nike , is better than a corporation that says nothing , like Pepsi . But I don ’ t know when , in a consumer-driven society , we will collectively demand accountability from these entities that have so much power over us ; entities that we , in turn , have so much power over as well .
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