Jeans of conformity
So long, counterculture
Perhaps the worst thing about this New York Times story about Levi Strauss canning Jennifer Sey for her views on school closures is how open the corporation is about muzzling Sey for criticizing the government.
From the story:
Vice President Kelly “McGinnis said that Levi’s supported Ms. Sey’s advocacy on schools, but that she ‘went far beyond calling for schools to reopen, and frequently used her platform to criticize public health guidelines and denounce elected officials and government scientists.’”
What they’re going after is Sey’s skepticism — because dissent will be not tolerated within the San Francisco-based company.
Here, the New York Times links to a tweet in which Sey cites WHO guidance. How can that be subversive?
Usually when big corporations muzzle someone, the individual is arguably right and thinks what many Americans think. Inside the bubble, however, censors don’t realize the wealth of contrary information and thought so they behave as if they can exorcise it . As the world moves on from COVID, they’re going to keep their bubble pure.
If this doesn’t remind you of the McCarthy era, nothing can. An employee complained that Sey appeared on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle.”
Sey’s response, she went on Fox News because CNN never called.
In short, when censors prohibit an opinion, that viewpoint will crop up outside the censorship zone.
Do you think they’d mind if she criticized the government when Donald Trump was President? Of course not. It’s 2022, the Left is in power and using that power to silence not only the Right, but the Middle.
Debra J. Saunders is a fellow at the Discovery Institute's Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. Contact her at dsaunders@discovery.org.
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I believe Levi Strauss has a right to be gutless. I simply point out that the Left no longer supports workers' rights to express themselves offline, as you demonstrate.
She was fired because she became a financial liability to the company. Capitalism at its best. [s]. Will never understand why conservatives can support governmental bans on free speech (CRT bans) but freak out when a private company is just looking to protect it self from some unstable person.