• rhythmisaprancer@moist.catsweat.com
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    7 days ago

    I wonder how many of these companies that choose to participate and welcome diversity, or choose to reject it, do so only for optics and economics. What does Tractor Supply actually believe about the different groups affected by this decision? Do they even care?

    • Seleni@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      To paraphrase Mark Stanley, corporations only have three rules: get the money, get the money, and get the money.

      Don’t think they do things like supporting Pride because they care; it’s only a sign that they want to appeal to the broadest audience possible. But, in that same vein, when they’re supporting a topic is a good sign of is the majority of society’s feelings on the subject.

      Polls can be gerrymandered to hell and back, talking heads on the news can make all kinds of claims. But since corporations chase money above all, they spend a lot of money getting very accurate ideas of what our society likes/dislikes.

      Think about it. 50, hell even 30 years ago, no corporation worth their salt would have claimed to be in favor of Pride, because it would have been suicidal for the business. Society’s majority take on LGBTQ+ back then ranged from hate and disgust to ‘eww, fine, but not in public!’

      Now, corporations fly the Pride flag all over the place. It definitely shows that society is much more supportive of LGBTQ+ and minorities.

    • Humanius@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      If it’s a publicly traded company the answer is that they likely don’t believe in anything. They just do whatever the leadership believes would generate most profit, since that is what shareholders (usually) care about most.

      If appearing to support progressive goals gets people to spend money in the store, then that is something that makes sense for a company like this to do. But if they stand to lose more money than they gain, for instance through boycotts, they will drop the pretence pretty quickly.

      Personally I see the stance such companies take more like a reflection of general acceptance in society as a whole. If a company promotes progressive values then that would indicate that society as a whole is on average leaning more progressive.
      Similarly, if companies stop supporting these values that indicates a worrying trend with regards to societal acceptance.

      Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that the company itself (as an entity) really believes in anything.

      (Note: This doesn’t hold for companies that aren’t publically traded. If there are no stockholders to please the leadership can let their personal view affect the company’s policy quite a bit)

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Probably all of them. Not that I really care. It’s enough that companies are doing the right thing, if they want to secretly do the wrong thing it is their concern. Sincerity is for lovers not for business relationships