Purpose – Big Business Attempts Social Engineering?
Purpose. No longer just a buzz word, it is now one of the core objectives of many companies. A generation ago, most business of significance supported one, some several, “Not for Profit” (NFPs) organisations such as World Vision, Red Cross, Smith Family, Beyond Blue, Salvation Army – an almost endless list of worthy organisations who rely heavily on corporate support.
The private sector has always been active in a wide range of “charitable” activities, in addition to providing funding and professional advice to NFPs. Though way too many to list, never did they engage in “socio-political” actions.
Today, an ESG strategy (Environmental, Social, Governance), has become an essential requirement for any publicly listed business (it is becoming almost mandatory for all companies to develop an ESG strategy – not having one will negatively impact them in many ways).
This all sounds good in theory but is it the role of business to develop and lead what are Federal, State and Local Government areas of responsibility? Governments are democratically-elected, businesses are not. Business should, and in most cases do, act lawfully and workers are protected by rafts of legislation.
Will the various HR departments introduce their own spurious regulations and statutes? In many large corporates in Australia (and most other western democracies), particularly the publicly listed ones, the HR departments have become ardent disciples of woke ideology.
The prevailing Zeitgeist not only confined to Sociology, but now pervading much of the university, is a strong anti-western culture bias. The Ramsay Foundation offered Australian Universities to fund a course into the study of western civilisation. The reaction was akin to them offering scholarships in devil worshipping. Whilst totally acceptable to study Middle Eastern Muslim and Aboriginal cultures, western culture was deemed “evil” and would potentially poison the ethical outlooks of impressionable students.
The dangers of mind pollution from: Shakespeare to Hemingway, Newton to Einstein, Michelangelo to Picasso, The Magna Carta, Parliamentary Democracy & The Separation of Powers, Modern Medicine (Average Life Expectancy from 30-40 to 70+) – good grief, could go on not pages, but books containing only the names of people and events which have contributed to the development and vastly improved quality and lengths of life, not just in western civilisations, but the civilisation of Earth.
Such attitudes from supposedly the pinnacle of education in Australia is not just gross stupidity, but dangerous.
Western culture is accused of being “paternalistic”.
Muslim culture is not? Where do women and minorities sit on the hierarchy in their societies? (In some Muslim countries, gay men are thrown from the top of high buildings as sport). Yet many of the LGBTQ+ members protest Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and support these same countries where homosexuality can mean a death sentence. Go figure!
And Indigenous culture? One must be extremely careful in making any statements, as to do so even when quoting facts, will have you branded racist:
“Like most traditional cultures around the world, the culture is deeply patriarchal; men are superior to women and more privileged, and the collective quashes the rights of the individual.”
Ironic to see people protesting “white privilege” yet utilising their various technologies. Not just “using”, but reliant upon.
How much of the social theories on white privilege, quotas for minorities rather than selection on ability, gender-based on how a person feels rather than biology, philosophies from stone age societies – a list of socialist dictum’s. Will they influence a firm’s Social Score?
And will the criticisms of Australia, a “stolen country” with a patriarchal society, also be an element in gaining social accreditation?
Imagine if commercial airline pilots were subjected to the various quota policies now imposed in so many other areas? A key reason for many migrants coming to Australia is no matter who you are, with hard work any realistic dream is achievable. (One-third of businesses are owned by migrants.)
Road safety is an area I have committed to. Consider these facts:
The 9th leading cause of death globally, expected to rise to number 7 by 2030.
The leading cause of death, all people aged 5 to 29 years.
In Australia, average 22 deaths a week, 700 series injuries at a cost to the nation around $32 billion.
Yet not only people becoming almost immune to the carnage on our roads, so are many corporate.
I am working with Total Driver, an organistaion dedicated to improving the quality of young drivers. Graduates of their learn to drive programme have a 400% decrease in accidents, versus the national average, in the 2-year period after obtaining their open licence. Extrapolate this 400% nationally to all drivers and the saving of lives, prevention of permanent injuries and monetary savings would be enormous. And the skills obtained through what Total Driver calls “The Art of Driving”, are in-grained and stay with them throughout their driving lifetime.
All our market research consistently shows, parents, believe there is little or no difference between driving schools. There is close to 100% agreement to the concept statement:
“There is little or no difference between driving schools. Their primary goal is to teach their students how to pass the driving exam.”
Yet finding corporate sponsorship and support has been difficult. The objective of changing the population’s belief in binary gender to a more fluid model, is deemed of greater importance than addressing the big issues negatively impacting road safety.
The solution to the road carnage is not difficult. As Total Driver principal Gene Corbett says: “Nobody gets into a car with the intention to crash.”
The big question is not:
Should corporate Australia take on role of social engineering through attitudinal shifting?
More importantly:
Is such a role solely the domain of a democratically-elected government, with the mandate to do so?
