Lego is the latest corporation to push woke capitalism:
Woke capitalism is destroying everything it touches. I and others have documented this far too often now. And that is a problem, because generally speaking as both a Christian and a conservative I support the free market. Its only other main alternative – socialism in its various forms – is a proven failure both in theory and in practice.
It is the free market that has raised millions out of poverty and allowed us to live in the most prosperous and successful nations of earth. Of course like all things in a fallen world, it is not perfect. And many have pointed out actual or possible shortcomings of it.
One thinks of famous works such as Daniel Bell’s The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976) or Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations (1979). But plenty of conservatives who are free marketeers have also spoken about such matters.
Consider just one: Catholic social thinker Michael Novak. As he stated in his very important 1982 volume, The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism:
Democratic capitalism is not a “free enterprise system” alone. It cannot thrive apart from the moral culture that nourishes the virtues and values on which its existence depends. . . . What do I mean by “democratic capitalism”? I mean three systems in one: a predominantly market economy; a polity respectful of the rights of the individual to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and a system of cultural institutions moved by ideals of liberty and justice for all. In short, three dynamic and converging systems functioning as one: a democratic polity, an economy based on markets and incentives, and a moral-cultural system which is plural and, in the largest sense, liberal.
As I said about this in an earlier article on Novak:
Thus his is not a rugged laissez faire system with no moral constraints. His is a free economy undergirded and guided by a free social and political system as well as a moral/spiritual culture. The three working together provide us with a workable system that is the best we can hope for in a fallen world. The system is not perfect, but it is an ideal which is worth aiming for. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2017/02/18/michael-novak-rip/
The point of this extended intro to a topic that seems to be about toys and building blocks is this: The way the free market best succeeds is when it is combined with moral and social supports. The naked capitalist who only wants to get rich, and has zero concern for any moral or cultural ramifications of what he is doing, is a threat to the conservative just as much as he is to the leftist.
And worse yet, when big business and corporations end up pushing radical leftist social agendas, it can get even worse. This is what we call woke capitalism, and as mentioned, it is causing all sorts of mischief. So finally, what I mention in my title can now be discussed.
The latest international corporate body to go woke big time as it pushes activist leftist causes is Lego. It seems it now wants children all over the world to be singing the praises of the radical homosexual agenda. As one news report says:
The LEGO toy company has announced the release of its rainbow “Everyone is Awesome” set for kids, just in time for Pride month. The multicolored set features 11 single-colored, non-gendered figurines that together form a rainbow with black and brown stripes as well as the “transgender flag colors,” LGBTQ Nation reported Thursday.
“The buildable display model is inspired by the iconic rainbow flag which is used as a symbol of love and acceptance by the LGBTQIA+ community,” LEGO said on its website, “and features 11 monochrome minifigures each with its own individual hairstyle and rainbow colour.”
“I wanted to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love,” said LEGO set designer Matthew Ashton, a LEGO vice president. “Growing up as an LGBTQ+ kid – being told what I should play with, how I should walk, how I should talk, what I should wear – the message I always got was that somehow I was ‘wrong.’”
“Trying to be someone I wasn’t was exhausting,” he added. “I wish, as a kid, I had looked at the world and thought: ‘This is going to be OK, there’s a place for me.’ I wish I’d seen an inclusive statement that said, ‘Everyone is awesome.’”
The figures in the set are supposed to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous,” and do not come with pre-painted faces or clothes. The only distinguishing features are their different hairstyles and colors. Ashton said the purple figure, however, is supposed to be “a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.” The set goes on the market on June 1 for $34.99. https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2021/05/20/lego-releases-lgbt-rainbow-toy-set-to-celebrate-pride-month/
That corporations over the years have jumped on board the radical homosexual bandwagon and have become promoters of all manner of politically correct causes is not new. I have been documenting this for decades now. But it is especially worrying when it seems that children are fully in the crosshairs of these mega-corporations.
And children have long been targeted by the militants. If you can get to the children, you are well on the way to winning the next generation over to your cause. Of course playing with rainbow Lego will not do this alone. But combined with everything else that we find in society today – be it the media or pop culture or education or legislation or politics – and we have a tsunami of activism aimed at our kids.
While all this is serious business indeed, the satire site Babylon Bee made a good point while pointing out this latest case of corporate activism. In a recent article it said this:
As part of its new push toward inclusion and diversity, Lego has unveiled a new set of genderless bricks without male or female connectors. The entirely smooth bricks have no suggestive male nubs or female receptors and instead have entirely smooth, androgynous sides all around.
“This represents a new era in inclusive building bricks!” said Lego spokesperson Bjørn Irkestøm-Slater Walker. “Finally — anyone can play with our legos without being triggered by those horrid male and female parts that imply they’re only supposed to fit in one direction. Every brick can stack on any other brick without anyone misgendering anything or making a brick feel bad because it only fits in one way.”
“I mean, I guess they’re pretty much just blocks now,” he admitted. “But they’re INCLUSIVE blocks!” The bricks will still, of course, instantly kill you if you step on them. https://babylonbee.com/news/lego-unveils-new-genderless-bricks-with-no-malefemale-connectors
Funny but sad. The attempt to eradicate sex, and male and female differences, is all around us. With Lego getting into the act it just has gotten a bit worse. Please leave our children alone.
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