Rainbow Corporate America

The terms ‘Rainbow Capitalism’ and ‘pink-washing’ float around on the internet every year during June, but they hold relevance all year, especially now. The name ‘Rainbow Capitalism’ makes this term sound more fun than real capitalism, but I assure you the hidden facets might change your mind. Allow me to explain: ‘Rainbow Capitalism’ refers to the use of LGBTQ+ themes, symbols, and ideas in marketing and products by companies to pander to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. Pink-washing is a broader term, it encompasses any use of queer issues in a positive way to move attention away from negative actions from corporations or even territories.

Although Pride seems like the most elaborate celebration, its origins come from the Stonewall riots which began on June 28th, 1969. Police in New York City raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in NYC, and roughly mishandled bartenders and attendees. This was an immediate catalyst for protests outside the bar in the coming days and, in turn, the gay rights movement in the 1970s. The progress in the United States for the LGBTQ+ since then has been celebrated during June. It’s a time to recognize the beauty of our individuality, and the effort put in to reach this point.

Many companies, instead, have turned this special time into a great big marketing campaign. Have you ever walked into a mall during Pride month? I’m thinking of brands and stores like Converse, Target, and Hollister, whose shelves and walls are lined with advertisements for Pride gear. Brands change their logos on social media in support, and Disney especially has unveiled a lot of pride celebrations in their services and in the theme parks. In sum, Corporate America clearly is not lacking in ROY G. BIV. But how does this help anybody learn what we’re actually celebrating? And more specifically, what is it hiding? These companies really don’t have much to gain other than recognition, of course, and with that comes money. But underneath the flags and posters, a lot of corporations are causing true setbacks to the LGBTQ+ community. There are quite a handful of companies who are rainbow-washing that actually donate to anti-LGBT politicians and organizations.



The façade that companies present is entirely tarnished and worsened when their real intention isn’t even to help support the community. The first step in inclusion and equality is allowing people to feel like they’re accepted and integrated into society. When brands recognize them with rainbow merchandise or Instagram infographics, the world learns about LGBTQ+ terminology and ideology. The brands put in genuine work to seem progressive, modern, and forward thinking. So it hurts more, as a result, when LGBTQ+ people are only relevant from June 1st until June 30th; when the “PRIDE SALE” sign comes down from the windows, they fade back into obscurity and inferiority. Being queer or transgender may as well equate to being a fashion trend or a new movie release.

‘Rainbow Capitalism’ is the pinnacle of hatefulness and hopefulness; there’s a line that these companies approach to be progressive and inclusive, but money is the priority every time. It almost feels like a setback by its very nature of simulating support, but being wrong about it every single year.

Even though we’ve come a long way since the 1970s, the world is finding it harder and harder to have tough conversations. Society will find any way out of recognizing queer identities for too long (check out the “Don’t Say Gay” bill being passed in Florida RIGHT NOW), and no scapegoat is too outlandish. Companies, some of which actually have participated in pink-washing, are sponsors of the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation and homophobic lawmakers.











Again, this is merely a testament of how hard members of the LGBTQ+ community have fought to be equal only to face a new battle: economic manipulation and private enterprise.

There may always be a hidden agenda behind support from corporations, even when it feels sympathetic. It’s so easy to rejoice the fact that companies want to celebrate our love and our identities, but we must be mindful of the true battles and the harm of Rainbow Capitalism, in June and throughout the year.

The Uyghur Genocide

    Fans cheering on the sidelines, athletes pumping their arms in the air, winners holding gold medals. The 2022 Beijing Olympics illustrates a utopia where the world’s single priority is establishing dominance through their athletic competition–a world where genocide doesn’t exist. Yet, it does. The Chinese government has been accused of commiting genocide against the Ugyhurs population in Xinjiang, which is the western region of China. China is also being accused of targeting Muslim figures and banning their religious practices in the region. There are roughly 12 million Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, living in Xinjiang. They speak a language that is similar to the Turkish and they are in fear that their culture is going to be erased. 

Although it may seem this ethnic-cleansing has just begun due to the popularity of the Winter Olympics, China has been detaining Uyghurs and other Muslims ever since 2017. They are being victimized based on their religion, the Chinese authorities have labeled the Uyghurs “as extremists simply for practicing their religion (CFR).” There are reports of the sterilization of Uyghur women, so that China can stop the reproduction of their population and even the separation of families, however China has been denying all allegations that have been brought forth to them. There was evidence found by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that there are more than 380 re-education camps and that was a 40 percent increase from the last collected data. The Chinese government released a statement saying that they liberated all of their detainees from the re-education camp system in 2019, however that is far from the truth. There are still many Uyghurs imprisoned in camps and serving prison time.

The Chinese government is masking their repulsive actions with the 2022 Olympics, they are partaking in sports washing – a practice by which a country uses sporting events to distract from human rights abuses or other issues. In the beginning of 2022, Amnesty International warned states to not partake in China’s effort to hide their violations, countries such as the U.S, Canada do not want to be complicit in the political propaganda of the Chinese Government. It is heartbreaking that the competing athletes cannot use their political platform to raise awareness to these issues, the athletes are being told not to make political statements or protest because there will be consequences. China is silencing the athletes' voices.

I think the United States should be more involved in this matter and not turn a blind eye; I think that only undergoing a diplomatic boycott is not enough to make a difference in the vulnerable lives that are being impacted in China. On the other hand, I do believe that the popularity of the Olympics is shedding light on the human rights violations that are taking place in Xinjiang, China; This increased publicity can potentially raise enough awareness where other countries can take action against China or make them cease to violate the rights of Uyghurs and Muslims. The United States can raise taxes on exported goods, so that we can weaken China’s economic power.

Sources: 

            - https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uyghurs-xinjiang

- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037

- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-02-09/la-fg-chinese-reax-olympics#:~:text=China%20has%20denied%20the%20allegations,Games%20over%20risk%20of%20retribution.

Do Our Choices Have Consequences?

Chad Carswell is a U.S. Air Force veteran, who served during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

North Carolina local, Chad Carswell, is a thirty-eight year old double-amputee. In the last four years, he has had six heart attacks and suffers from stage 4 kidney disease, which has left him with only 4% kidney function. Carswell undergoes dialysis three times a week. While dialysis is a beneficial process, it is not a solution to his health problems. Without a kidney transplant, Carswell will die. According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “There are currently more than 100,000 candidates on waitlists for organ transplantation and a shortage of available organs — around half of people on waiting lists will not receive an organ within five years,” proving how long of a process it is for those who need a transplant. More than a hundred people have offered to donate a kidney to Carswell via direct donation. A GoFundMe has been created on his behalf and in a month he has received contributions amounting to $4,250. However, Carswell is unable to receive the readily available life saving medical attention he needs. Why? Because he’s unvaccinated.

Chad Carswell receiving dialysis at one of his four hour sessions.

Leilani Lutali has stage 5 kidney disease and refuses to get vaccinated as it goes beyond her religious beliefs.

DJ Ferguson is dealing with severe end stage heart failure and requires a heart transplant to live.


These people are running out of time and options. This is today's reality for unvaccinated people, even those who require basic medical treatment.


Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) articulates that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care…” and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) defines “adequate” as “… the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” These doctrines express that medical care should not be considered a luxury. Denying a person's medical care who is making an opinion for themself is unethical, immoral, and a human rights violation. Doctors swear the Hippocratic oath, which obliges them to serve patients to the best of their ability and treat them equally. The Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 1.1.2 states that “physicians may not decline a patient solely based on their infectious disease status,” meaning it is the doctor’s responsibility to heal patients, not judge them for their choices.


Medical professionals have spoken out on treating unvaccinated patients and have expressed utmost hesitance. Trish Zornio, a research methodologist, went as far as saying “we should deprioritize the eligible unvaccinated patients…” citing how “choices have consequences.” Would the same be said about a smoker who has lung cancer? What about a drunk driver who kills someone? It is important to embody an empathetic attitude when considering these hypothetical situations, because they are still human beings and someone’s family members. Due to the heavy social media presence in society, it is easy to fall into the trap of following our peers, whether that be stereotyping, finger-pointing, or ridiculing those who are unvaccinated. These actions further isolate us as a community by producing the Us vs. Them conflict Dozier (2003) proposed (4).


Nevertheless, it is critical to acknowledge the nuances of the pandemic – refusal to get vaccinated poses a threat to the health of others. How do we resolve this on-going issue? Composing a solution is a demanding task and requires unity and understanding. While there are people who do not want to get vaccinated, we need to address inequity in access to the vaccine and to stop the spread of misinformation. In lower income communities, there are people who are not able to afford or receive public transportation to a facility offering the vaccine as well as people who do not speak the primary language on registration sites. Furthermore, we should support non-profit organizations, such as GOTVax, which produces educational resources and vaccine assistance for minority communities, low-income populations, and immigrants.

My questions are: Do unvaccinated people deserve the same medical treatment as anyone else? Are the rights of unvaccinated people different from other individuals? Do their opinions mean they deserve to die? Does it violate a person’s human rights to deny them medical treatment based on their vaccination status? Is it ethical to deny individuals medical treatment due to their beliefs? Is it dehumanizing to say unvaccinated people deserve to die? Is it selfish for people to resent those who choose not to get vaccinated? Who is at fault for this situation?


Works Cited

Dozier, Rush. Why We Hate: Understanding, Curbing and Eliminating Hate in Ourselves and Our World. Contemporary, 2003.

How Discourse Promotes Hate

    Criminal, Anti - National, Patriot, Terrorist. Did certain images come into your mind as I progressed with each word? If yes, that is exactly what discourse is. “Discourse is the production of knowledge through language” (Hall 291, 1992). That means while saying certain words and phrases, we already have an ingrained image we want to associate them with. The concept of discourse and hate goes hand in hand as we have experienced hate speech, misinformation and propaganda increasing in recent years.

    Mahatma Gandhi once said “When slogans are used for wrong purposes, their meanings too are misunderstood and they become curses instead of boons.” Keeping this statement in mind, we realize that hate speech propagating worldwide is often defended by phrases like “freedom of expression” or “freedom of religion”. However, when our freedom becomes a source of intimidation or terrorism to another group, it no longer holds the meaning that it was intended to. For example, In India, during the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests, a pro-CAA BJP leader, Kapil Mishra, said the following infamous lines at a rally, “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro salon ko”. In this statement, which roughly translated means “look at these anti-nationals, let’s shoot them”, he refers to the Muslim population as anti-nationals and associates patriotism to their killing.

A Man standing in front of an entirely burnt area. Photo Courtesy: The Atlantic

    Within a week of this speech, violence broke out in Northeast Delhi which caused the horrific 2020 Delhi Riots where 53 people lost their lives, two-thirds Muslims. As Hindu mobs burnt, tortured and killed Muslims in the pogrom, chants of “Jai Shree Ram” (all hail lord Ram), “Vande Matraam” (Praise the motherland of India) and “Jai Hind” (All Hail India) were extremely prevalent. The discourse used to display hate through these otherwise positive phrases brings us back to the statement Gandhi’s argument made about using boons as curses. The way in which the killers used language as a way to justify their actions led them to create an “Us vs Them” mentality where you can justify almost anything if you consider the other to be your enemy who needs to vanish for you to feel safe.

    Following similar footsteps, we are witnessing a bigger scale, more current human rights crisis at the moment, with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin uses discourse t 

Ukrainian service members in Kyiv, on Feb. 26. Picture Courtesy: Bloomberg  

to manipulate facts and propagate false information and propaganda. He repeatedly refers to Ukraine as “artificial” and claims that Ukraine is “not even a state”.  According to Putin, Ukraine is an “illegitimate creation” and an act of theft from Russians and Ukrainians who still want to be under Moscow's rule. Putin claims that Ukraine and other soviet nations were manipulated into gaining independence from Moscow’s rule. However, his statements could not be farther away from the truth because an overwhelming majority, including east Ukrainians, who Putin suggested were forced out of Russia against their will, voted to establish an independent nation.

Russian Prime Minister Mr. Vladimir Putin. Photo Courtesy: The Atlantic Council

    Putin’s inappropriate language, however, is not a new affair. Previously, the president was known for using vulgar language against French presidents and the western world. While some might pass this for general rudeness, the way it has progressed can only be called alarmingly dangerous. The beginning of this series of unfortunate events was right after he was elected prime minister and he uttered the phrase “We’ll drench them in the outhouse”, referring to Chechen Militant Islamists. This expression was originally used for prisoners who would get their heads plunged in the toilets as punishment. Soon after, Putin started a running “joke” against French Presidents and breaking their male reproductive organs. His jabs have only increased in recent years, as he called America’s European Allies by their soviet name : satellites, which is how Soviets used to refer to Axis powers in WWII. According to The Atlantic, "No previous Soviet leader, neither Stalin nor the often crude Khrushchev, allowed himself to refer to the West in the terms that Putin has used. Zabaltyvat’ (“to bury in bullshit”); vrut (they “are bullshitting”); naduli, prosto naglo obmanuli (“they have swindled [us], shamelessly deceived”); protivno (“disgusting”); idite vy [na khuy, or “f*ck yourselves”]". 

    Putin’s aggressive speeches, used to manipulate facts, generate sympathy and instill false fear against everyone else makes the perfect recipe for discourse and hate. Similarly, the continuous exclusion of Muslims in India and painting them as the "other" has instilled fear and loathing against them. This language doesn't invite aggression, it incites war. 

Sources Cited :

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/world/europe/putin-speech-russia-ukraine.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/vladimir-putin-dirty-language-cursing/622924/

The Ukrainian Question

 February 24, 2022, will, for the rest of the days, be known as the day when Putin increased his aggression and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Or, as he called it, a special military operation. During the first day, Putin's army destroyed 83 military infrastructure facilities and killed 137 Ukrainians. This raises the question of how NATO and other countries will react. So far, the world has created and is continuing to increase sanctions against Russia, which is believed not to do any significant harm to Russia's economy. 

Ukraine's situation looks a lot like a situation in which Czechoslovakia was before the Second World War—stranded with no guarantee of being independent the following day.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on Twitter a couple of hours after the start of the invasion: “Russia treacherously attacked our state in the morning, as Nazi Germany did in WW2 years. As of today, our countries are on different sides of world history….Ukraine is defending itself & will not give up its freedom no matter what Moscow thinks.” Ukrainian president talked about Germany's free takeover of Czechoslovakia when the Allies used the policy of Appeasement and gave Germany part of the Czechoslovakia, Sudetenland. Afterward, Nazi Germany continued to seize control over Poland, the rest of the Czech Republic, and other parts of Europe.

The history and present both reflect similarities in the way Hitler and Putin state their intentions. Hitler's main reason for annexing Sudetenland was that he had intentions of helping fellow Germans from the atrocities that the Czechs have tried against them, which was one of Russia's central answers of why they are annexing Crimea and now invading Ukraine. Putin spoke out and said that the Russian minority is being suppressed and all he wants to do is help them.

The irony lies in another one of Putin's explanations of why he is launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin justified his attack as a fight against neo-nazism. In his speech, the Russian president explained that he is attempting to end neonazism and demilitarize Ukraine, and the Ukrainian president is its symbol. The fact is that rightfully elected president Zelenskyy is Jewish.

Ukraine's journey of continuous efforts to join the EU has been more than eventful. The first effort to join European Union and NATO came in 2008 while Viktor Yuschenko was the president. The attempts ended by electing pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. The year 2014 was the year of change for Ukrainian civilians. Viktor Yanukovich, elected in the 2010 elections, is connected with rejecting the pending EU association agreement and establishing closer ties with Russia. Ukraine's civilians started protesting, which led to what we could call a civil war. On February 21, 2014, Viktor Yanukovych escaped and has lived in exile in Russia since. 

Viktor Yanukovych had been succeeded by acting president Oleksandr Turchynov and then by Petro Poroshenko. Poroshenko continued battling Russian rebels until the presidential election of 2019, when current president Volodymyr Zelenskyy defeated him by a big margin. Zelenskyy, a former comedian turned politician, received 72% of all votes. His goal was to “clean” Ukrainian politics of Russian influence and become part of the European Union. 

Five days into the conflict, the situation now looks like it is nowhere near done. The European Union, the USA, and the UK, as well as other states, have imposed sanctions against Russia and are supplying military equipment to support the Ukrainians. Ukraine has applied for immediate membership to the EU. Russian soldiers are still attacking the cities of Ukraine, trying to seize the capital, Kyiv, and kill or capture president Zelenskyy who is still hiding in a bunker in Kyiv. This goes against what Putin had expected. Russian military officials expected that Zelenskyy would take the first opportunity to flee the country, but the opposite is true. Zelenskyy seems to be the right person to be the Ukrainian head of state while going through this crisis. The true hero that Ukraine needed for so many years.

During the first few days, Russia has reportedly lost 5300 soldiers, 191 tanks, and 60 helicopters or other air support. Russia's officials have yet announced only one official death of its soldier. 

Russia uses its propaganda to ensure Russian citizens will not rebel against Putin and his presidential decisions. Most Russians use only Russian newspapers and websites and know very little about what is really happening in Ukraine and worldwide. A great example of that is Russian skier V. Barkov, who was asked about the war in Ukraine in an interview. “What war? It is a saving operation”, said Barkov.

How far will Russia go before it either ends trying to overthrow the current Ukrainian government or actually manages to do it? The same question goes for Ukrainian allies. How far are they willing to go in the fight against Putin?

“I still think that over the past few centuries there has always been that '“Russian problem”' because Russia does not really know where it starts and where it ends” (Václav Havel, 2008).

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/28/russia-ukraine-crisis-in-maps-and-charts-live-news-interactive

https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/zahranicni-valku-jako-slovo-skrtli-na-pad-rublu-je-vsak-cenzura-kremlu-kratka-190904

https://www.vox.com/2022/2/23/22948534/russia-ukraine-war-putin-explosions-invasion-explained

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48007487

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kyiv-poland-europe-c270027c825e009ed66988bb98a3476e

Houston, I mean Colleyville, We Have a Problem

On January 15, 2022, a gunman held four hostages captive at a synagogue named Congregation Beth Israel. This attack on the synagogue located in Colleyville, Texas was considered an antisemetic act. Fortunately, all four hostages were able to escape before the attacker, Malik Faisal Akram, was shot and killed by the FBI. According to Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was one of the hostages, he was put through many training scenarios for how to deal with different types of threats. The Rabbi of the synagogue explained that his training was very beneficial for the attack on his synagogue.

This is not the only attack on the Jewish community in the past decade. For example, the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh happened less than four years prior to the shooting in Texas. Then only one year after the incident in Pittsburgh, a rabbi and his guests were stabbed while celebrating Hanukkah at the rabbi’s house in Monsey, New York. These are just two examples of the many acts of hate towards the Jewish community in the past few years. In fact, an article from 2021 explains that around one of four Jews in the United States claimed being part of antisemitism over the past year. As Dozier would say, these situations are considered "Us vs Them" conflicts. Acts of hate are in response to "Us vs Them" and they are the result of anger, such as the shooting in an Oregon high school by one of its students, Kip Kinkel. Kinkel wrote, “Hate drives me… I am full of rage… Everyone is against me” (Dozier 3). This shows that he was driven to shoot his school by feeling alone, and saw himself against the whole school.

So, how do we prevent acts of hatred and violence towards Judaism? Well, the public needs to be aware of these actions going on around the world just as the Black Lives Matter movement did and many other movements and activists had done in the past. We need to protest and think of other creative ways to show that there are still specific groups targeted, such as the Jews, in the modern world. For example, support Jewish businesses. Attend a synagogue service even if it’s not your religion. Or even learn to speak Hebrew. In general, just do a small act because every small step helps.


While the world may never fully reach peace everywhere and eliminate hate and violence, it should be our goal as a community to make everyone feel as though they have a place in this world. No gender, race, religion, or ethnicity should feel scared of the world around them.



Citations:

Dozier, Rush W. Why We Hate: Understanding, Curbing and Eliminating Hate in Ourselves and Our World. Contemporary, 2003.

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/23/texas-colleyville-hostages-attacks/

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hanukkah-stabbing-suspect-had-also-been-eyed-november-synagogue-knifing-n1109981

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049288223/1-in-4-american-jews-say-they-experienced-antisemitism-in-the-last-year