0
0
The North Face: Navigating the Woke Olympics
The North Face, a renowned outdoor clothing company, has recently made waves by actively participating in what can be described as the “Woke Olympics.” In a bold move last year, the company featured a drag queen in its marketing efforts to target the rugged outdoorsmen demographic. Now, The North Face has taken it a step further by offering a 20% discount to customers in the U.K. upon completion of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) course.
Embracing Diversity Through Education
The hour-long Allyship in the Outdoors course, accessible at this link, delves into the concept of privilege and how it affects access to outdoor spaces. The course emphasizes that privilege can grant certain individuals advantages based on factors such as race, religion, gender, wealth, sexual orientation, ability, or citizenship status. Specifically, the course highlights the notion of “White privilege,” pointing out how historic racism and biases have marginalized individuals in their enjoyment of the outdoors.
Moreover, the Allyship in the Outdoors course urges participants to become allies in the fight against racism both on a systemic level and in their personal lives. It encourages individuals to reflect on their privilege and gain insights from others about the societal impact of racism, particularly as it pertains to outdoor activities.
Voices of Critique
Concerns have been raised regarding the content of the DEI course offered by The North Face. Mike Gonzalez, an expert on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Heritage Foundation, expressed his dismay, calling it “the longest hour I have ever lived.” Gonzalez found certain aspects of the course to be particularly offensive and “dehumanizing,” especially the suggestion that individuals of privilege should not judge minority groups by the same standards they apply to themselves.
“That is a dehumanizing proposition. We have ethics in virtue, in talent and intelligence and hard work and gumption and resilience. And these are things by which we admire people who possess these qualities, no matter what their race [is],” Gonzalez remarked.
Additionally, critics have pointed out a perceived disconnect between The North Face’s commitment to inclusivity and the lack of diversity in the executive leadership of its parent company, VF, Inc. This observation underscores the importance of aligning values across all levels of an organization to ensure authenticity in diversity and inclusion initiatives.
This is the executive leadership of the parent company of North Face, which offered a discount for taking an equity course that suggests white people are racist. Look how diverse they are! pic.twitter.com/SMPXMY3G0Q – Libs of TikTok
Image/Photo credit: source url
