(LifeSiteNews) – Prominent farm and landscaping vehicle company John Deere announced a retreat from many of its “woke” corporate activities in the interest of “listening to our customers, employees, and other key stakeholders” after customer outcry over an expose by conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck.
Last week, Starbuck reported that the company was engaged in a variety of overtures to LGBT activists, including “preferred pronouns,” gender identity training, and sponsorship of a “pride” event for children as young as three, as well as a “total commitment” to the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) framework.
“To best serve our customers and employees, Deere is always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve,” John Deere announced Tuesday. “That’s why we consistently prioritize internal policies that more closely align our business strategy to meet the needs of our customers.”
“Based on ongoing conversations, we have committed to (…) no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events;” having Business Resource Groups “exclusively” focused on “professional development, networking, mentoring, and, and supporting talent recruitment efforts”; a company-wide audit to ensure “absence of socially motivated messages” in “all company-mandated training materials and policies”; and reaffirming that “the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy,” the statement announced.
At the same time, it reiterated that John Deere “fundamentally believe(s) that a diverse workforce enables us to best meet our customers needs,” so it “will continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization.”
Our customers’ trust and confidence in us are of the utmost importance to everyone at John Deere. We fully intend to earn it every day and in every way we can. pic.twitter.com/8BgyPyQJQo
— John Deere (@JohnDeere) July 16, 2024
“Another huge win in our war on wokeness BUT I don’t think this is enough for customers to go back,” Starbuck responded. “Customers want to hear that DEI policies are entirely gone and that they will no longer participate in social credit CEI scoring by HRC.”
“This half measure shows that we’re a powerful force to be reckoned with though,” he added. “While I’m not completely pleased, I don’t want to downplay the fact that this is another massive win.”
In recent years, left-wing activists have used DEI and “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) standards to encourage major U.S. corporations to take favorable stands on political and cultural issues such as homosexuality, transgenderism, race relations, the environment, and abortion.
Political and customer backlashes to such activism has translated to business woes for companies such as Disney, Bud Light, Target, and, most recently, Tractor Supply, which late last month announced the abandonment of all its forays into left-wing causes and identity projects.