User:I edit things that come to mind/sandbox/Get Woke, Go Broke

Get Woke, Go Broke is a phrase usually used to describe a phenomenon where companies lose financially due to their alignment with political correctness and/or social justice causes, i.e. going woke. The phrase is often popularly used by conservatives to directly oppose the social awareness term "woke".

History
Before the phrase was created, there have been some controversies and debates regarding companies becoming too political with their advertisements. A notable case is Pepsi's controversial Live for Now commercial launched on April 4, 2017. The final segment of the ad showed Kendall Jenner handing a Pepsi can to an officer in front a crowd of protestors, who cheered at the display. Pepsi faced backlash from the commercial; being accused of profiting off the Black Lives Matter protests and/or trivializing it. The company issued an apology and promptly removed the commercial.

A year after the Pepsi ad controversy, sci-fi author John Ringo would be credited for creating the phrase. According to Know Your Meme, the phrase was coined in an article that was published on April 17, 2018, on Milo Yiannopoulos's website dangerous.com. In the article, John Ringo expressed his experience and frustration at being removed from ConCarolinas due to pressure from "social justice warrior (SJW)/leftists trolls". According to John, due to SJW pressure, the convention gave in by pushing out conservatives members; which resulted in decreased attendees and support for the convention over the years. It is here that John coined the term "Get Woke, Go Broke"; which he directed towards any organization that would follow a similar route as the convention. He further blames the left for the decrease in quality of writing and creativity in the publishing industry, and encourages readers to cease their support of conventions that give in to similar pressures. Debates about companies getting involved with social justice would gain more attraction following Nike's hiring of Colin Kaepernick for its advertising campaign. Colin Kaepernick gained national attention for controversially kneeling during the US national anthem at the 2016 NFL preseason.

On January 13, 2019, Gillet released the controversial "The Best Men Can Be" commercial. The commercial portrayed bad behaviors of men: such as, but not limited to, bullying, toxic masculinity, and referencing the Me Too movement. Gillet received immense backlash for the commercial; being accused of virtue signaling and pandering to social justice audience while insulting male consumers. Subsequently, calls for Gillet to be boycotted ensued, giving rise to the hashtag #GetWokeGoBroke, as well as igniting more debates about companies "going woke".

Decrease in profitability and growth
Opponents of corporate involvements in social and/or political issues have argued that such involvement could inevitably backfire on them. Staunch opposition, boycotts, and long-term reputational damages are among chief concerns with a company's political alignment. This is because more attention is being paid on businesses, owners, and executives by consumers and activists alike through the usage of social media. This becomes even more apparent during elections, with which increased polarizations of political beliefs usually occur. Taking a stand on a issue may attract unwanted pressure onto the company. Another concern is the well beings of the employees. A company's alignment with a belief or issue may completely differ from the employees' or prospective employees', who in turn may take it personally. This may negatively effect a company's ability to retain old workers or hire new ones.

James M. Roberts, a lead expert in economic freedom and growth for The Heritage Foundation, stated that corporate virtue-signaling can lead to poor performance or irresponsibility. Using past examples, such as the 2016 Target Bathroom Boycott, Paul Polman's involvement in Unilever, and Chipotle's food safety problems, he argues that executives become too distracted with maintaining their corporate social responsibility (CSR) that they lose sight of their business's performance and responsibility, often at the shareholder's expense. Roberts also argues that progressive radicalization in how businesses operate would inhibit economic growth and freedom. The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) echoed similarly, stating that CEO's who focus too much in maintaining their CSR are more likely to engage in irresponsible actions.

A research conducted by Kateryna Holland, a professor of finance at Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, concluded that politically motivated government investments tend to hurt businesses due to the political goals often conflicting with shareholders' profitability.

Impractical
The decision for businesses going woke has been described as being impractical. Victor Davis Hanson has described the phenomenon as a "cultural suicide". He describes the sports, movies, and educational institutions that go woke are turning their backs on their consumers, supporters, and their core values. Victor further states that the ones who advocate political/social agendas are either hubris or ignorant into believing that there will be no consequences that will ensure from their decisions. The IPA have stated that the woke capitalism's push for radical progressive standards, principles, and strategies completely undermines a business's way of operating. Woke and woke capitalism have also been described as limiting free-speech or abused by social activists due to the risk of "cancel culture" forming mob mentality and/or ending jobs or careers for those who speak out against a movement, make an "offensive" comment, or are mistakenly targeted. Others have described corporations going woke as ill-advised due to the polarization of the culture war.

Accessing international markets becomes a challenge of balancing moral values and placating the host country (particularly the government) as the country may not share the same values as the corporation advocates. This is particularly seen with China, where corporations must avoid angering the government in order to continue accessing the country's large market. For example, Blizzard Entertainment and the NBA, while vowing to support various political and social issues, did not demonstrated such support with the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. This provoked backlash against the companies, who were accused of hypocritically promoting social issues in the U.S. while not doing the same against China in order to maintain access to the country's large markets.

Some have argued that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the extent corporations are willing to support their commitment in the face of economic uncertainties. Carl Rhodes, a professor of organization studies at the University of Technology Sydney, stated that the government bailouts, mass layoffs, and low financial contributions of various well known companies relative to their wealth during the pandemic is proof that corporations will prioritize their own welfare over the sociopolitical issues they committed to.

Negative reactions and lack of genuineness
A company's response or support to a political/social issue may incur negative reactions from consumers instead of approval. Consumers may be turned off by a business's stance on an issue, thus losing customers. The stance may also be misinterpreted, and the negative reception will linger for a long time on the internet. The message may even fail to appeal to the group/s that the company is trying to appeal to.

More in Common, an organization that researches divisions in society, found in their research Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape, that 80 percent of Americans that were surveyed view political correctness as much of a problem as hate speech. The report identifies these Americans as "exhausted majorities"; which are people who are identified as Traditional Liberals, Passive Liberals, Politically Disengaged, and Moderates. The report further elaborates that the "exhausted majorities" seek to compromise between differing political views and shy away more from politics due to the increasing polarization between Left-wing and Right-wing politics. Bill Maher would also denounce political correctness, citing an article from The Atlantic that covered the same research, as well as claim that the United States is losing its competitive edge against China because of political correctness. The Wall Street Journal reported that from a 2019 survey conducted on 1,000 Americans by Edelman (firm) found that 60 percent of those surveyed would choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on their stance on a societal issue. This is compared to the same survey conducted in 2017, which only 47 percent of surveyors said they would negatively react to the brand under the same circumstances. Between December 4-11, 2019, PLUS Communications and GS Strategy Group conducted a survey on 1,000 people and found that 81.2 percent believe that political correctness has gone too far and that 65.5 percent believe American businesses can't adapt to political correctness and therefore should focus on appealing to the broadest consumers.

Opponents and observers a like have criticized businesses, sports, and entertainments that "went woke" for alienating long-time consumers and fans in favor of, what is perceived as, an outspoken minority. Clay Travis criticized the NBA for alienating its large fan base in favor of embracing politics. James Pitaro (president of ESPN), Bob Iger (former CEO of Disney), and David Gabriel (Marvel's vice president of sales) have admitted that embracing politics have alienated their fans from their respective businesses.

Among conservatives, the reception for companies "going woke" is largely negative. Conservative radio host Erick Erickson urged conservatives to fight back against "woke corporations" following the backlash against Georgia's Election Integrity Act of 2021 bill.

The genuineness of companies' responses have been called into question. One such accusation is that companies are taking advantage of sociopolitical issues to promote their products/services rather than actually support the cause. Other's have pointed out perceived hypocrisy of companies' responses in light of their past history or from events that would contradict the companies' commitment. The Atlantic and The Guardian have argued that many businesses respond to issues of racism either out of peer pressure to avoid appearing apathetic or to take advantage and enhance their image to the public. Both news medias further listed instances of contradictions involving companies pledge of support, such as a lack of minority or women in senior positions or history of discrimination or abuse. Aforementioned Blizzard Entertainment and NBA were criticized and accused of hypocrisy for not supporting the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests in order to avoid angering the Chinese government. Nike, who signed Colin Kaepernick for their advertisement to spread awareness of racial injustice, was criticized for its past history of profiting from overseas labor akin to slavery and is accused of profiting off forced labor from the Xinjiang internment camps; as China's top cotton producers (which Nike relies on) are located in the Xinjiang. Similarly, Cory Bernardi criticized Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, and MLB for protesting the Georgia's Election Integrity Act of 2021 while continuing to do business in China despite the country's human rights abuse.

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center on August 2020 found that the 69 percent of Americans surveyed who've seen or heard companies or organizations addressing racial issues believe the address was made out of pressure, compared to 19 percent who believe it was made out of genuine concern. When dividing between races and ethnic groups, 73 percent of Whites believe companies and organizations are pressured, while around 60 percent of Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians similarly agree.

Benefits
Supporters of corporate involvement have argued that companies can benefit from being political or actively getting involve with social issues.

A survey conducted by Harvard Business Review found that a company with conservative values were viewed in a worse light than a company with liberal values; whom the participants treated with relative indifference. It is believed from the survey that while participants view conservative values negatively, they view liberalistic values as "normal".


 * https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/get-woke-go-broke/
 * https://medium.com/@thesamlenz/debunking-the-myth-of-get-woke-go-broke-5d2b4d40094e
 * https://medium.com/reflections-of-a-grown-up-fan/the-myth-of-forced-diversity-e44a8525140a
 * https://snarkynomad.com/why-are-so-many-people-completely-missing-the-point-of-diversity-in-media/
 * https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/06/26/double-edged-sword-corporate-world-goes-woke/
 * http://buytheway.ascjclass.org/get-woke-go-broke-finding-a-scapegoat-for-suffering-ratings/
 * https://www.thegeekbuzz.com/the-basement/nah-it-should-be-dont-go-woke-get-broke/


 * https://www.bustle.com/p/this-study-found-diverse-movies-are-successful-at-the-box-office-but-hollywood-doesnt-seem-to-be-listening-15517499#:~:text=which%20found%20that%20films%20with,those%20with%20a%20homogenous%20cast.&text=The%20study%20also%20broke%20down,be%20evaluated%20on%20their%20own.
 * https://variety.com/2017/film/news/diversity-box-office-winners-hollywood-1202603438/
 * https://www.reuters.com/article/us-film-diversity/diversity-on-screen-equals-bigger-box-office-bucks-study-finds-idUSKCN1GB2ST
 * https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/28/16181026/hollywood-representation-diversity-tv-movies
 * https://www.thewrap.com/can-inclusion-boost-box-office-films-with-diverse-leads-have-more-success-domestically-new-study-shows/
 * https://medium.com/@ebonstorm/forced-diversity-in-modern-media-b015d6bd0024
 * https://thesouthern.com/entertainment/movies/rodriguez-whitewashing-and-forced-diversity/article_5e26d228-74ea-55a9-b39b-a504b8554693.html
 * https://themedium.ca/arts/film-diversity-is-needed/
 * https://morbidlybeautiful.com/diversity-horror-matters/
 * https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/2020-hollywood-diversity-report
 * https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2020/02/06/new-ucla-hollywood-diversity-study-progress-glacial-but-its-happening/4674890002/

Successes
Some companies or products have become successful despite being associated with political/social issues.

For movies, it has been argued that promoting social issues, such as diversity, can benefit the film industry. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and ReFrame reported in their research, The Ticket to Inclusion: Gender & Race/Ethnicity of Leads and Financial Performance Across 1,200 Popular Films, that although movies with female or minority leads receive less budget, marketing, and distribution, they perform on par with movies with white male leads, both domestically and internationally. The study also found that the movies with a diverse cast can be more successful domestically and that having a diverse cast does not play a significant factor in a movie's performance. The factors that play a significant role in a movie's success is its production costs, promotion, distribution density, and its story. The Variety (magazine) pointed that movies such as Get Out, Wonder Woman (2017 film), the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Fast & Furious series are proof of diversity having successes in the film industry.

Proper approach
It has been argued that businesses can benefit from addressing social issues, so long as it is done properly. Inc. (magazine) listed three advices that a company should do when addressing social responsibility: find an issue that's genuinely relatable to the company, align with a causes that needs attention rather than what's popular, be passionate and cause a controversy instead of being caught up in it. In another article, Inc. advises that companies speaking out can benefit from it so long as: the companies pays attention to its customers, employees, and surrounding community, discuss about topics regardless of party affiliations, speak out on issues that directly affect the business and its immediate community, plan ahead on how to deal with the reception, and to be sincere about what the business supports. Dr. Tim Dean stated that while addressing social issues is more an individual obligation than a business one, if a company desires to take a stance it would need to consider the risks, whom they will support, employees' opinion on the issue, if the issue is relatable to company, and whether the company is truly committed to it. Harvard Business Review argues that if a company wishes to partake in social justice, it would need to be committed to a structural reorganization. These include assessing corporate accountability, accountability in leadership through structural evolution, and allow employees to drive institutional culture. Boston University states that the management of the company must first consider the company's brand history, core values, and customers before engaging in political issues.

Inevitable
It has been argued that starting in the 1980s with the introduction of the CSR and with an increasingly politically polarized society, companies have no choice but to take a stand when an issue arises. Harvard Business Review argues that with the increase in scrutiny of news media and social media, businesses will have a hard time remaining neutral. Cone Communications, a subsidiary of Porter Novelli, conducted a CSR study in 2017 and found that more Americans expect companies to address social and political issues. Boston University similarly echoes that with the increase use of social media and more Americans getting involved with politics, companies will eventually have to speak out.

Video game industry

 * https://theoutline.com/post/7803/are-video-games-political-conservative-liberal?zd=2&zi=f7mdgguo
 * https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2017/02/08/keeping-politics-out-of-video-games-is-dumb/

Nike

 * https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/why-nikes-woke-ad-campaign-works-and-gillettes-doesnt.html
 * https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17818148/nike-boycott-kaepernick
 * https://www.marketplace.org/2020/06/25/nike-colin-kaepernick-brand-advertising-racial-justice/
 * https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nike-kaepernick/kaepernick-ads-spark-boycott-calls-but-nike-is-seen-as-winning-in-the-end-idUSKCN1LK1DK
 * https://www.distractify.com/p/did-nike-lose-money-after-signing-kaepernick
 * https://nypost.com/2018/09/10/nike-stock-gains-back-all-losses-after-controversial-kaepernick-ad/
 * https://footwearnews.com/2018/business/earnings/nike-profits-q1-2018-earnings-colin-kaepernick-stock-shares-1202684723/
 * https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-15/us-sports-store-out-of-business-after-nike-boycott/10815846
 * https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/colorado-sports-store-going-out-business-after-its-nike-colin-n971531
 * https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-store-going-out-of-business-after-owner-stephen-martin-boycotts-nike-over-kaepernick-ad/
 * https://abcnews.go.com/Business/nike-sales-booming-kaepernick-ad-invalidating-critics/story?id=59957137

Gillet
The aforementioned Gillet advertisement "The Best Men Can Be" propelled the popularity of the phrase and re-ignited debates about companies being too involved with political agenda. The advertisement was heavily criticized and disliked on YouTube and social media platforms. The subsequent boycott of the product resulted in a $8 billion loss for the parent company Proctor and Gamble. The advertisement was also mocked by other companies: Egard Watch released their ad titled "What is a man?" to refute Gillet and Schick released "The Man I Am" as a jab towards Gillet's ad. Following the controversy, Gillet appears to have back peddled from their previous message to focus on presenting something more relatable and appealing to male consumers. On August 21, 2019, Gillet Australia released their ad, "Ben the Aussie Firefighter", to show the dangers that Australian firefighters have to brave through and encouraging their support for them.

Disney
Disney and its divisions/subsidiaries have been criticized for implementing political/social agenda into many of its entertainments. Both Bob Iger (former CEO of Disney) and David Gabriel (Marvel's vice president of sales) have acknowledged that their business' progressive shift have alienated their fans. Marvel's comic book sales have reportedly been sluggish compared to the movie, with fans and commentators blaming the comic book's very progressive tone on the superheroes.

Disney's Onward (film) generated $40 million on its first week; when adjusting for inflation of past Pixar movies opening, makes it the worst opening weekend for a Pixar film. While the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in the United States has been blamed for the movie's loss in revenue, others believe the film's openly LGBT representation to be another factor. The film has been banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to its LGBT content, while the Russian dubbed version of the film was forced to change a specific line from the film from "girlfriend" to "partner" due to the country's LGBT censorship.

A poll of 2,200 U.S. adults conducted ahead of The Last Jedi release by Morning Consult found that 17 percent of respondents found the Star Wars series to be political. Of the 17 percent, 41 percent stated they are bothered by it. Social scientist Mark H. White II conducted a survey of 5,000 individuals to discover the root of the backlash against Star Wars: The Last Jedi. From his survey, he concluded that political beliefs, particularly views on sexism, did play a role in the backlash against The Last Jedi. Mark found that fans who have anti-political correctness beliefs are more likely enjoy the original and prequel trilogy over the sequel trilogy; a view that is shared by a group of fans he dubs "The Last Jedi (TJL) disowners", who only rated The Last Jedi very poorly out of all the Star Wars movies. Fearing a sense of decline in the Star Wars franchise following the mixed reception of its sequel trilogy, Disney has been reportedly purging "woke agenda" from its future films.

Scandinavian Airlines
In early February 2020, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) released an ad on YouTube called “What is truly Scandinavian?”, which shows how aspects of Scandinavian culture originated from elsewhere, declaring that "absolutely nothing" is Scandinavian. The commercial drew online criticism and backlash, receiving a 95 percent dislike ratio on YouTube and comments being disabled. The commercial was temporarily removed soon after its release due to SAS's speculation of an "online attack" and the commercial being "hijacked", with supporters stating that right-wing elements and Russian "trolls" were to blame. Critics have called the ad anti-white, anti-European, and globalist minded, with calls of boycott ensuing in Twitter. Others have criticized SAS and its supporters on deflecting the blame on right-wing individuals and Russia. Some have compared the message of SAS's commercial and the backlash to Gillet's "The Best Men Can Be" ad. Right-wing and nationalist parties in Scandinavia have been vocal against SAS. Richard Jomshof of the Sweden Democrats called the commercial "nonsense and self-hatred" and vowed to never fly with SAS. Soeren Espersen of the Danish People's Party said the SAS "spat on" Norway, Sweden, and Denmark with the commercial.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
On August 18, 2020, WIBW-TV reported that a Goodyear employee from a Topeka plant leaked an image of a slide showing what is and isn't acceptable in the company's zero-tolerance policy. The slide showed that Black Lives Matter and LGBT are acceptable, while Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA attire, and politically affiliated slogans or material were deemed unacceptable. The employee who took the photo stated that the policy is discriminating. Goodyear released an initial statement stating that the company is committed to inclusivity and freedom of expression, but asks their employees to refrain from "workplace expressions, verbal or otherwise, in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party as well as other similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of equity issues." Following the leak, Donald Trump called for a boycott against Goodyear on Twitter. In response, Goodyear released another statement, stating that it did not create or distribute the slide, nor was it part of a diversity training class. The company reiterated its previous statement and further stated the company was not "anti-police". In a press conference, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany accused Goodyear of targeting conservatives and said the company needed to "clarify their policy". In response to Goodyear's statement about "equity issues", McEnany stated that supporting the police was as much as an equity issue as supporting Black Lives Matter. Immediately after Trump encouraged a boycott on Goodyear, stocks for the company fell by six percent, dropping share values from $9.76 to $9.15 within three hours. Goodyear's rival Bridgestone reportedly had its shares increased following Trump's tweet. On August 20, an audio of Goodyear's diversity training was leaked, revealing that an employee did present the slide, which contradicted the company's statement that it had nothing to do with the zero-tolerance slide. Following the audio leak, Goodyear CEO Richard J. Kramer admitted that the slide was made by an employee and that the diversity training did occurred at their Topeka plant. He clarified that the company does support law enforcements and will allow employees to wear apparels that express support of police officers; a reversal of what the zero-tolerance policy tried to enforce. In early December 2020, during a virtual customer conference, Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear's Americas region, acknowledged the negative reception Goodyear received from the zero-tolerance slide controversy.

Anheuser-Busch: Budweiser and Bud Light
On May 31, 2019, Budweiser UK advertised beer cups designed with various LGBTQ flags as part of their "Fly the Flag" campaign during Pride Month. The advertisement was met with backlash on social media by members of the the LGBTQ community, oppositions, and neutrals alike; who either accused the company of profiting off Pride Month or simply want the company to stay out of politics.


 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-game-plan-bud-light-203336578.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-ceo-bud-light-maker-180039658.html
 * https://finance.yahoo.com/news/costco-just-planted-death-star-133000145.html
 * https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hes-paralyzed-former-anheuser-busch-141313745.html
 * https://pkbnews.in/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-budweiser/
 * https://www.newsweek.com/videos-appear-show-nearly-empty-budweiser-tents-motorcycle-rally-1819207

Nike

 * https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/04/colin-kaepernick-ad-boycotting-nike-column/1189989002/
 * https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Nike-s-business-plan-Get-woke-go-broke-13213720.php
 * https://www.dailywire.com/news/nike-suffers-790-million-loss-ceo-confirms-layoffs
 * https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/nike-kaepernick-deal-politics-nfl/
 * https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-betsy-ross-sneaker-conservative-boycott-after-withdrawal-2019-7
 * https://www.the-sun.com/news/736787/nike-colin-kaepernick-share-price-knee-national-anthem-nfl-boycott/
 * https://www.thewrap.com/colin-kaepernick-nike-stock-loses-4-billion-market-cap/
 * https://blogs.wellesley.edu/whatisracialdifference/2018/11/02/the-kaepernick-campaign-and-how-nike-got-woke/

TV shows/movies

 * https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/hollywood-woke-politically-incorrect-movies-would-never-made/
 * https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/24/diversity-in-films-a-wrinkle-in-time
 * https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-diversity-agenda-is-killing-cinema
 * https://steemit.com/news/@suitablybored/forced-diversity-in-media-stifles-creativity
 * https://thefederalist.com/2020/09/25/hollywood-struggles-to-overcome-the-pandemic-as-well-as-its-own-woke-agenda/
 * https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/09/10/hollywood-decides-its-not-woke-enough-sets-oscars-diversity-quotas/
 * https://amgreatness.com/2019/11/18/woke-broke-movies-in-2019-does-hollywood-even-care/
 * https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/are-sjw-and-pc-culture-ruining-movies/

Terminator: Dark Fates
Terminator: Dark Fate is considered a box-office bomb; losing over $120 million. A number of viewers have blamed feminist representation for the film's lackluster performance; stating that film's emphasis on political agenda made the movie and the main characters boring and unrelatable compared to its more well acclaimed predecessors. The film's director, Tim Miller, stated he blames "Get Woke and Go Broke" sentiments for the movie's poor box office performance. Likewise, he called some of the fans "toxic" and described them as a "small minority".

A&E
A&E's viewership plummeted by 49 percent following its cancellation of Live PD on June 10, 2020. The show was cancelled due to pressure following the George Floyd protests. Live PD was A&E's most popular show, averaging around 1.9 million viewers. Viewership from A&E's key demographics, ages between 18-49 and 25-54, have decreased 55 and 53 percent respectively following the shows cancellation. Due to the drastic drop in viewership, A&E has been mocked for cancelling Live PD.

Charlie's Angel (2019)
Charlie's Angels (2019 film) drew in a very low $8.6 million on its domestic opening weekend, and a worldwide total of a little over $26 million, with the opening in China, the film's biggest international market, generating only $7.7 million in revenue. By December 2019, the film generated $55.8 million worldwide, making it a major box office bomb. Several columnists have attributed the movie's underperformance to its "wokeness", stating that the movie's feminist approach made it difficult to attract fans and casual audiences alike.

Black Christmas (2019)
Black Christmas (2019 film) is considered a box office bomb; earning a "D+" on CinemaScore, a 38% satisfaction rate on PostTrak, and generating only $4.42 million on its domestic opening, with a worldwide total of only $7.52 million. The film was expected to earn at least $10 million on its opening weekend. Several columnists have described the movie's feminist tone to be major contributing factor in the movie's poor story telling, horror aspects, and audience reviews.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Dark Phoenix (film) is considered a box office bomb; losing $133 million and receiving a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the movie's poor performance has been attributed to its hectic production, management, and marketing, repeated delays, and the fans' dislike to the story, in particular Jean Grey's death, others have also attributed the film's attempt and failure in utilizing feminism, with the "X-Women" line being a particularly noted example.

Video games

 * https://www.keengamer.com/articles/features/opinion-pieces/top-5-damaging-issues-in-todays-games-industry/
 * https://literaturedevil.com/2018/11/11/the-woke-effect-blizzard-stocks-plummet-after-diablo-immortal-controversy/
 * https://www.pulsarplatform.com/blog/2019/woke-inclusive-gaming-release-strategy-movie/
 * https://www.criticalhit.net/gaming/take-sjw-politics-gaming/
 * https://gadgism.com/2019/01/14/social-justice-is-having-a-negative-effect-on-the-gaming-industry/
 * https://www.penthouse.com.au/articles/tech/how-woke-millennials-ruined-video-game-journalism

Battlefield V
Following the release of the announcement trailer for Battlefield V, Electronic Arts (EA) received initial backlash from fans due to perceived historical inaccuracies following depictions of women fighting in the frontlines of WWII. In response to the backlash, EA's chief creative officer, Patrick Soderlund, defended the inclusion of women in Battlefield V and insulted disgruntled fans, labeling them as "uneducated" and ending on a note to "either accept it or don't buy the game". Jorge Arenas of Bounding Into Comics believes Battlefield V's issue isn't with women being featured in the game, but rather how EA and DICE tried to present it as "realistic" in light historical events of WWII. Jorge acknowledges that other games have popular lead female characters, such as Samus Aran from Metroid, and stated that if the game was to focus on women fighting in WWII it should have centered around the French Resistance or Soviet Snipers rather than simply make the game more "inclusive". Jorge further stated that EA's response only exacerbated the issue. Battlefield V experienced poor sales upon release, being 63 percent lower than Battlefield 1 and having to discount up to 50 percent during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, which occurred only one week after the games release. Despite this, EA furthered mocked the fans during a launch party in Stockholm, Sweden by presenting #everyonesbattlefield in response to the negative comments surrounding the initial backlash, as well as declaring the game a major victory over "gamers" and "toxicity". By the end of 2018, Battlefield V sold 7.3 million units, missing its targeted 8.3 million projection sales and dropping EA's stock by 18 percent. EA's CFO Blake Jorgensen and CEO Andrew Wilson attributed the game's underperformance to due launch delay and lack of battle royal game mode; however, others have blamed more so on the game's direction and EA's response to the backlash.

LawBreakers
LawBreakers was released on August 2017, receiving an overall positive reception, but poor sales led to its server being shut down on September 14, 2018. In an Instagram post, the game's designer, Cliff Bleszinski, believes the game's downfall was attributed to him pushing his own political beliefs and making the game "woke", which he expressed regret over.

Sports

 * https://www.outkick.com/gallup-poll-sports-industry-image-took-big-hit-in-last-year-among-republicans-and-independents/
 * https://www.turleytalks.com/blog-summary/as-nfl-goes-full-woke-study-shows-92-of-fans-oppose-political-activism-in-sports
 * https://www.outkick.com/espn-president-joins-disney-ceo-in-announcing-network-got-too-political-alienated-viewers/
 * https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/opinion/6657223-Port-The-sports-industry-got-woke-and-the-fans-dont-seem-to-like-it-at-all
 * https://www.outkick.com/espn-is-moving-backward-alienating-sports-fans-with-every-move/
 * http://delawarevalleynews.com/2020/07/26/is-a-boycott-of-pro-sports-coming/
 * https://www.jamestownsun.com/opinion/6657223-Port-The-sports-industry-got-woke-and-the-fans-dont-seem-to-like-it-at-all
 * https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirkwakefield/2020/08/28/escape-from-2020--a-case-to-separate-sports-and-politics-for-more-fans-and-higher-ratings/#31ddefa476ad
 * https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/31/dear-athletes-keep-your-politics-out-of-sports/
 * https://www.outkick.com/cant-we-just-enjoy-baseball-without-all-the-politics/
 * https://www.phillipstutts.com/sports-has-a-problembeing-woke-aint-helping-by-phillip-stutts/
 * https://thehayride.com/2020/09/sports-viewership-is-down-because-its-no-longer-escapism/
 * https://www.city-journal.org/nba-mlb-boycott-black-lives-matter
 * https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2020/9/10/21430679/hey-ballplayer-youve-always-challenged-the-norm

NBA
On August 2020, it was reported that the ratings for the NBA significantly dropped due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sports leagues' support for Black Lives Matter. On July 31st, the Lakers-Clippers and Pelicans-Jazz game drew in 3.4 and 2.1 million viewers, but then dropped to 1.3 and 1.7 million viewers for the Celtics-Bucks and Mavericks-Rockets game. Upon seeing players, coaches, staffs, and officials taking a knee during the national anthem, disgruntled fans expressed their anger on social media. Fans have called the gesture disrespectful and calls for a boycott have ensued. Reportedly, TV ratings dropped by 40 percent on TNT network, 20 percent on ESPN, and 45 percent on ABC, with a former NBA public relations executive describing the ratings drop as "cratering". A survey conducted by The Harris Poll on 2,000 people found that 38 percent stopped watching the NBA because it was "too political", followed by 28 percent stating it is boring without fans, and 19 percent disliking the sports league's association with China. Donald Trump similarly tweeted his blame on politics for the NBA drop in ratings. In response to the rating drops, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that "Black Lives Matter" text will be withdrawn from the Jerseys and courts. In late October 2020, it was reported that the NBA could potentially lose $5 billion in revenue due to a combination of ratings drop and delay in starting the season to January 2021. In an anonymous survey done by The Athletic, one NBA agent criticized the league's embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement, stating that it manipulated players and hurt the business. Another agent, who was less critical, believed that NBA could've done more to be genuine with its approach to Black Lives Matter, such as donating money to victims of police violence or to people in impoverished areas.

MLB
Similarly to the NBA, the ratings for MLB also significantly dropped due to sports leagues' support for Black Lives Matter. On the opening day (July 23, 2020), the Yankees-Nationals and Dodgers-Giants game drew in four million and 2.8 million viewers. However, on the next day viewership for the Mets-Braves, Brewers-Cubs, and Angels-Athletics dropped to 922,000, one million, and 797,000 viewers respectively.

NFL
During the NFL 2020 season Kickoff Game, the song Lift Every Voice and Sing (dubbed the "Black National Anthem") was performed followed by players from the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs locking arms in a moment of silence to show support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The gesture was met with protests from the audience, who booed in response. While the moment of silence and the booing both received mixed responses on social media, some observers and columnists have voiced that the NFL is hurting itself by siding with Black Lives Matter. They argue that an increasingly amount of NFL fans are getting sick of politics in the sport, with the drop in viewership and the booing during the 2020 Kickoff being prime examples of their displeasure. By the end of 2020, the NFL's ratings reportedly dropped by seven percent. While the COVID-19 Pandemic has been blamed as the primary factor for the drop in ratings, support for Black Lives Matter has been described as another major contributing factor.

Democratic Party (US)
During the Democratic Party's preparations for the 2020 United States presidential election, observers have repeatedly warned that the party's emphasis on "woke" politics could cost them the election. In December 19, 2018, NPR found that 52 percent of Americans they surveyed are opposed to political correctness. When dividing between party affiliations, most Democrats favor political correctness, while most Republicans oppose it. However, most independents were revealed to be against political correctness. The survey also showed that most Whites and Latinos over 30 years old and men from small city/suburban areas are against political correctness. Based on the results, NPR warned that the Democratic Party's push for progressivism may hinder their support base for the 2020 presidential election.

Among the Democratic candidates, Kirsten Gillibrand, Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro, and Cory Booker were singled out as being the "wokest" candidates and having failed to secure substantial support. Reason (magazine) similarly warned that the Democratic primaries' emphasis on identity politics will harm their chances against Donald Trumps re-election. Using a New York Times poll of six swing states, the magazine site argued that Joe Biden had the best chance at beating Trump because of his more moderate views, compared to more progressive candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Some Democratic politicians have also warned/criticized the Democratic party's focus on far-left views. In an interview with Vanity Fair (magazine), Max Rose, a democrat who won the New York's 11th congressional district, revealed that he was very critical of the Democratic party. Max criticized Democratic politicians for jumping on bandwagons and having far-left views that alienate more supporters. Max distances himself from the Democratic Party, describing himself as a "non-xenophobic populist" and emphasizes that centrist views is the key to winning political support. Barack Obama cautioned the Democrats that appealing to the far-left will drive away more moderate voters. He further cautioned that using the slogan "Defund the police" will further drive away potential supporters. David Shor, a progressive data scientist, found in his polling that the Democratic party's association with socialism and the "Defund the police" movement were actually driving away minority voters, especially Hispanics; making them lean towards more conservatives ideals. In an interview with Vox (website), James Carville stated that "wokeness" is a problem for the Democratic Party.


 * https://www.axios.com/anti-woke-democrat-8a192166-3240-410d-8b2a-074e8013be66.html
 * https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/12/politics/woke-green-new-deal-defund-the-police/index.html
 * https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/democrats-question-woke-message?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yahoo_feed
 * https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/politics/james-carville-wokeness/index.html
 * https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1018996709/rising-violent-crime-is-likely-to-present-a-political-challenge-for-democrats-in
 * https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/republicans-credit-woke-ism-for-gains-with-hispanics?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yahoo_feed
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/whoopi-goldberg-says-democratic-party-225400929.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/york-democrats-ripped-constituents-231000692.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/andrew-yang-says-officially-left-145720406.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-virginia-governors-race-213124131.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/republican-winsome-sears-unloads-msnbc-004350484.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/defund-police-candidates-stumble-liberal-004747491.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/seattle-elections-pit-leftist-candidates-154812752.html
 * https://www.businessinsider.com/virginia-governor-race-critical-race-theory-republican-talking-point-messaging-2021-11
 * https://www.newsweek.com/candace-owens-glenn-youngkin-terry-mcauliffe-virginia-governor-woke-election-1645300
 * https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579757-van-jones-on-virginia-this-is-a-big-big-wake-up-call-for-democrats/
 * https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/12/politics/woke-green-new-deal-defund-the-police/index.html
 * https://www.yahoo.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-leaving-democratic-party-woke-warmongers-video-134355523.html

Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party won its lowest amount of seats in the House of Commons since 1935 during the 2019 United Kingdom general election. In contrast, its rival, the Conservative Party, made considerable gains during the elections; even gaining support from constituencies that were part of the Red wall (regions that historically supported the Labour Party). Some observes have attributed the Labour Party's disastrous defeat to Jeremy Corbyn's (the party's leader) decisions and policies that pander towards liberal middle-class voters instead of supporting their long-time supporters, the working-class voters. The working-class and the liberal middle-class voters are described to have contrasting views with each. Chief of these, the working-class opposes immigration and support Brexit; views that are shared with the Conservative Party. This contrasts the liberal middle-class voters' desire to stay in the European Union (EU) and support immigration. Additionally, Jeremy has been portrayed as anti-British and his push for progressive policies have been described as leaning towards far-left politics. Moreover, he has been criticized for failing to tackle issues of antisemitism in his party. These reasons, the observers have argued, led to Jeremy becoming an unpopular leader, and subsequently deterred voters from supporting the Labour Party.

Liberal Party of Australia (Western Australian Division)
During the 2021 Western Australian state election, the Liberal Party of Australia (Western Australian Division) lost 11 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, reducing their number of seats from 13 in 2017 to just two in 2021. In contrast, their rival, theAustralian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch) gained 13 new seats, increasing their number from 41 in 2017 (later reduced to 40) to 53 in 2021. There are 59 seats total in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. Sky News Australia attributed the Liberal Party's disastrous defeat to "go woke go broke", stating the party's adoption of left leaning policies went against the party's centre-right political position.

Educational institutions

 * https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/wokeness-smothers-higher-education/
 * https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/woke-broke-colleges-its-a-trend/
 * https://www.marketwatch.com/story/at-americas-most-woke-colleges-extreme-liberal-politics-fails-students-and-free-speech-2020-01-27
 * https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/1/colleges-sowing-seeds-of-their-own-obsolescence-wi/
 * https://www.newsweek.com/parents-must-stop-letting-woke-colleges-indoctrinate-their-children-opinion-1518780
 * https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/07/09/woke-broke-or-worthy-how-to-pick-a-college/
 * https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/higher-education-is-churning-out-woke-and-broke-graduates-op-ed/
 * http://nusfeed.com/2019/11/04/victor-davis-hanson-universities-breed-woke-and-broke-graduates/
 * https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/universities-breed-anger-ignorance-ingratitude/

Evergreen State College
In May 2017, Evergreen State College attracted national attention because of student protests that occurred on campus during a day long event called "Day of Absence". During the event, minority students and faculties are allowed to leave campus to raise awareness; but in 2017 the event called for white students and faculties to leave instead. Bret Weinstein, a biology professor at the school, disagreed and intended to hold class regardless of the event, triggering the student protests. Several media outlets have denounced the protests as proof of "intolerant liberalism" and blamed the college's orientation to social justice and far-left ideologies to be the cause of the protest and the protesters' behavior. Bret Weinstein sued Evergreen State College over the protest; he and his wife ultimately settled with the college for $500,000 and left the school. Subsequently, the college no longer hosts the "Day of Absence" event. On February 12, 2018, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ranked Evergreen State College one of the worst colleges for free speech due to the protests. On major consequence of the protests is the drop in enrollment for Evergreen State College. According to the school's enrollment data, around 3,300 students enrolled in 2018 compared to about 3,900 enrollment in 2017. Reportedly, between 300-350 freshmen have enrolled in the 2018 fall semester, which is described as a "significant drop" in enrollment. Enrollment further dropped to 2,854 students in 2019; a 27 percent decrease from 2017 and more than 40 percent decrease from peak enrollment in 2009. As a result of the enrollment drops, Evergreen State College reduced its budget by $6 million, about 10 percent of its budget, and laid off over 20 faculty staffs and eliminated 19 vacant staff positions.

Oberlin College
In June 2019, Oberlin College was ordered to pay $33 million in punitive damages to the Gibson bakery in a defamation lawsuit filed by the family owned bakery. The court found the college liable for supporting and actively participating in a student-led protest/boycott of the Gibson Bakery; whom they accused of racial profiling following the arrest of three black Oberlin students during a shoplifting altercation. Police records and a testimony from a black employee have confirmed that the Gibson's have no history racism, with the three arrested students also confirming that their arrests weren't racially motivated. Some residents and faculty of the college have expressed disapproval of the protest. Based on this, observers believe that the student protest and the college's involvement were politically motivated simply because the arrested students are black and the Gibson's are white. The college's insurer, Lexington Insurance Company, further stated it will not cover the punitive damages since its policies does cover damages that were intentionally caused by the defendant. In their own website Coastal Alabama Insurance have expressed approval of Lexington Insurance's refusal to pay for Oberlin College, stating that insurances should only cover damages caused by accidents instead of ones from malicious acts. Coastal Alabama Insurance further stated that Oberlin College brought the issue on itself and cautioned other insurances to not support those who cause harm for politically motivated reasons.

San Francisco Board of Education

 * https://www.nationalreview.com/news/san-francisco-voters-overwhelmingly-back-recall-of-progressive-school-board-members/
 * https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-school-board-elections-d22ee9c5175904885d41e149775102a5
 * https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/progressive-parents-push-to-overhaul-san-francisco-board-of-education/
 * https://www.nationalreview.com/news/todays-san-francisco-school-board-recall-is-dividing-democrats/
 * https://www.foxnews.com/media/leo-terrell-on-woke-school-board-facing-recall-in-san-francisco-the-kids-have-been-damaged
 * https://www.foxnews.com/media/san-francisco-woke-school-board-recall-election
 * https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/02/16/even-in-san-francisco-voters-fed-up-with-woke-incompetence/

Boy Scouts of America
On February 2020, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While the main attributor to the BSA's bankruptcy is the sexual abuse cases and lawsuits against it, others have additionally blamed the BSA's decline to its increasing progressive policies and changes in the years leading up to the organization's bankruptcy. On November 2018, the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) sued the BSA over its name change to "Scouts BSA" and its recruitment of girls. The Mormon Church, the BSA's greatest ally and sponsor, announced it will sever ties with the BSA and start its own youth program. According to the church, this was primarily due to BSA's decision to admit gays and transgenders, which goes against the Mormon's belief. The Mormon Church contributes over 400,000 youths, about 18 percent, of the BSA's total youth membership.

Feminist Frequency
Feminist Frequency is a non-profit organization founded by Anita Sarkeesian, which addresses issues of sexism within video games and the video game community. The organization gained large recognition during the Gamergate controversy. However, in June 2019, it was reported that the feminist organization was running out of money due to a growing lack of interest from the gaming community. The organization's YouTube channel, which has over 200,000 subscribers, has dramatically dropped in viewership, garnering only a small fraction compared to its heyday when its viewership numbered in the millions. Anita has been mocked for the organization's decline, with one incident being pointed out of her offering "consultation" to CD Projekt Red via Twitter falling on deaf ears.

Others

 * https://uk.news.yahoo.com/too-woke-risk-going-broke-151915986.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJwSgxjS4dQgwRIiH3RRhOo2IL9pwOrx2BxrjJPMTmX_8N0k9Rjmy07QKJMfmvEIitKwur4iJeC1aq8R3N23Dry4bvV9gMQya9mFEGhBHd61gDs8PA-ZJ8OtNDBHPEMFnVSW0oc7UD9TR-sJ8PlvG21ju9fSUvZ8_pynEwUza1FK&guccounter=2
 * https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/oliver-dowden-ben-elliot-conservative-party-politics-conservative-party-conference-b958936.html

Handsome Her café
Handsome Her is a vegan café that opened in Melbourne, Australia in 2017. The café received media attention for its unconventional/controversial business practice to promote awareness of gender inequality and pay gap. Women are given priority seating over men and for one week per month male customers are charged an optional 18 percent "man tax" (the extra money is said to donated). The practice has been described as reverse sexism. On April 28, 2019, the café permanently closed. Although the owners insist the closure was unrelated to financial or "men's rights activists" reasons, others believe the "man tax" played a big role in the café's closure.

Tim Pool
Journalist and political commentator Tim Pool often covers "Get Woke, Go Broke" phenomenon's on his YouTube channels. These include the aforementioned examples listed above.

Helen Zille
South African politician Helen Zille wrote a book titled Stay Woke - Go Broke, which according to her, "will focus on why America's culture wars will 'destroy' SA [South Africa] and what readers can do about it." On April 7, 2021, it was reported that the book ranked number one on Amazon's best-seller list before its release (which is April 26, 2021).

California
California, which is arguably the most progressive U.S. state, is said to be suffering from its own progressiveness. Cities in California, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, have adopted progressive policies; such as policies to protect illegal immigrants and reduce police budget in response to the killing of George Floyd. Despite these measures being implemented to benefit Hispanics and African-Americans, the state is said to have one of the worst standard of living for the minority population in the United States. In 2016, 32 percent of the Latino population in California live in poverty; compared to 21 percent of the Latino population overall living in the US, excluding California. Likewise, 28 percent of African-Americans live in poverty in California; compared to 22 percent overall in the US, excluding California. A poll conducted by University of California, Berkeley in 2019 found that half of the state's voter considered leaving California; citing high cost of housing, high-taxes, and state's political culture as the three main reasons. Among African-Americans, 58 percent considered leaving California. In 2016, the population for African-Americans living in San Francisco dropped by half since 1970. Residents have called it a "black exodus". Los Angeles similarly experienced the same African-American population decline since 1990. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has openly criticized local Democratic leaders for the homeless crisis in Los Angeles; blaming the leaders' "woke rationale" for not taking the homeless crisis more seriously.