The latest twist in the draining woke saga appears to be “debanking”. A horrible word for a horrible activity.
It was in the news this week after Brexit kingpin Nigel Farage revealed that his Coutts (posh bankers to the rich and royal) account had been closed. There was some back and forth in the media about whether the reasons were financial (ie he wasn’t rich enough) or political. In the end, of course, it was proved to be the latter. Other people with accounts at Coutts and different banks came forward with similar stories. Chilling.
Obviously, the anonymous men and women who run Coutts didn’t come forward and offer any kind of explanation to the public. They never do. Have you seen the CEO of Disney or Target or (whisper it) Bud Light face an in-depth grilling from a proper journalist about the nuts and bolts of their recent horrendous decisions? They just tweet platitudes about inclusivity and diversity (like we haven’t quite got the message yet) and hide in the shadows.
And a lot of it is being done in the name of this ESG thing (not to be confused with DEI, oh no, keep up at the back!). Over to Ben Habib in the (Daily Telegraph, subscription required) for an explanation.
“The virus goes by the name of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG). It is the policy mechanism by which governments across the developed world are requiring public bodies, institutions and businesses to drive towards Net Zero and eliminate social injustice. ESG has now firmly taken its place alongside the traditional drivers of the economy, and in many cases trumped them, including the vitally important profit motive.
“In the pursuit of being seen to combat social injustice, businesses have wrapped themselves in cloaks of virtue. They have centred their efforts in this respect on what is called “diversity and inclusion”. They are promoting people from different ethnic minorities, religious backgrounds and sexual preferences even if doing so would be to the detriment of their organisations and the exclusion of the ethnic majority. It is a sort of economically damaging reverse racism.”
Only a fool or a coward would attempt to appease these ESG zealots because whatever you do they will still want more. Give 10 per cent of your salary to LGBT or black causes, that’s my prediction for the next phase. You heard it here first.
How I wish I had a hundred mill to pull from my (imaginary) Coutts account (not that that would make a dent in their finances but it would at least be a gesture).
Who thought we would see such things in our lifetime? I remember strolling carefree through Savannah in the early noughties, free to do or say as I pleased. Sure, we’d had 9/11 and the war on terror but that was about it. There wasn’t this constant, oppressive sense that you could be persecuted at any second because you’ve upset some power-crazed group. Normal American life, you know? Normal western life. We’re living through a McCarthy era, and one that is worse than the original version because it potentially affects everyone, not just Hollywood folk.
I can see this blog turning more campaigny, ratcheting things up a notch, and if you’ve followed me for other stuff and want to drop out, I understand. But I can’t remember any more serious and depressing issue in my lifetime, and I can’t keep quiet.
If you’ll excuse my French, shit got real.
Me saying: “Shit got real.”
Jessica Harper Uncanceled 
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