What the Heck is Donut Bee Evil, Anyway?
Remember back a long time ago, when one of the biggest companies in the world proudly told us all that its motto was “Don’t Be Evil”?
That company has since pushed that core value to the backburner, turned the burner on, and danced around the remains.
Still… is it so much to ask that if we’re going to give our money, data, or personal information to an organization that they not turn around and do terrible things with it?
That’s why Donut Bee Evil is here.
Each week, I’ll run down the latest around the companies you may be giving your business. Take this information and make YOUR own informed decisions on what matters to you when you choose a company or corporation to give your support, whether it be financial or otherwise.
So… let’s get to this week’s updates!
The Good
The Tesla Takedown is gaining steam all around the country and the world. You may have seen some celebrities like Sheryl Crow and Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark selling their Teslas and donating the proceeds to NPR. Some are selling their stock, while others are picketing showrooms.
On February 28th, many took part in an economic blackout where any necessary shopping was only done locally. There’s some question about the impact, which tends to be true of most one-day boycotts, but since I know many want to take action, this is a starting point. They can have many more starting points moving forward, too.
Do it. For those bothered by Target’s recent retreat from their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives, March 6th began a 40-day Target Fast. Even if you missed the beginning, you still can join in. I will note that Shoppe Black has a list of black-owned brands at Target in hopes people will buy direct. Others continue to support these brands at Target to reinforce the message. Either way, there’s some evidence that Target was impacted by last week’s blackout and seeing a general downturn since divesting from DEI.
Amazon, which was NOT really affected by the blackout, continues to be a sore spot for many due to its largest shareholder, Jeff Bezos, well… acting like a billionaire. A boycott is planned for them as well, from March 7-14, though it seems less organized than the Target Fast.
The Evil
Paramount Global shared a memo from executives announcing the end of their DEI initiatives. Employees responded angrily.
Back to our original purveyors of the “Don’t Be Evil” motto, a leaked internal memo from Google founder Sergei Brin said he expects those working on the Gemini AI project to work 60 hours a week and be in the office at least every weekday. How else will he maintain his status as the ninth richest person in the world?
State Street, the sponsor of the Fearless Girl statue in Manhattan’s financial district, lowered their targets for the number of women and minorities who should serve on corporate boards.
Photo by Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash Finally, the CEO of Brown-Forman, purveyors of Jack Daniels Whiskey and other spirits, complained that Canada stores pulling US liquor off the shelves was “worse than a tariff,” then negged those same stores by saying that Canada only accounts for 1 percent of their sales.
Do Something
Next steps are up to you, of course. You may want to join the Target Fast or sell your Tesla stock. Or perhaps there’s a different approach you can take. Having the information is such a big part of the battle, given the fragmented state of media in our current world.
In the meantime, here’s something you CAN do. You can support this teacher, who is wanting to acquire diverse colored pencils, paper, and other supplies to help teach diversity and acceptance. If she is fully funded when you read this, search and find another teacher to help!
Have the BEST weekend, friends!
Kim
