Book. Current events give a singular resonance to this essay, entitled Capitalism woke. Not because of yet another controversy around “wokism” but because of the war in Ukraine. Because, behind its provocative title, the book highlights the way in which companies are led to assume an increasing responsibility in society, going well beyond the production of cars or the sale of yoghurts.
However, this phenomenon appears flagrant concerning the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops: while European states are reluctant to impose an embargo on imports of hydrocarbons from Russia, NGOs, politicians, public opinion public expect TotalEnergies to go beyond the decisions of the French government by leaving this major market. The sellers of Leroy Merlin, they are taken to task by customers who would like to see the DIY sign close its stores in the country of Vladimir Putin.
That corporations are eminently political entities is nothing new. By training us from the corporation of market gardeners in Rome in the XIand century to the paternalistic bosses of the industrial revolution, the journalist from Figaro Anne de Guigné recalls that the real break came from the liberals of the second half of the 20th century.and century. It was the disciples of the economist Milton Friedman who established profit as the sole motivation for business.
“Soul Supplement”
The recent comeback of a ” purpose “ closes this parenthesis. With new ingredients, however. Neither the Roman market gardeners nor the masters of the forges had faced social networks and globalization. The reputational stakes become colossal. Highly organized collectives of consumers or shareholders harass the multinationals to encourage them to behave well, whether on the ecological level or in terms of discrimination. In January 2022, TotalEnergies announced its withdrawal from Burma, bowing to pressure from NGOs who accused it of funding the country’s military junta.
Can’t complain about it. But this mechanism is not without danger. By this yardstick, insists the essayist, the definition of good and evil escapes the traditional workings of democracy. According to his score, about a quarter of CAC 40 companies offer paternity leave for a surrogacy course that is not recognized in France. By taking up the issue of gender or anti-racism, companies meet the expectations of their employees (especially young people) and intend to equip themselves with a “soul supplement” handy for marketing. The movement from the United States, where seminars on white privilege or toxic masculinity are developing, is arriving in Europe. The foundations of society can be shaken, as when the German airline Lufthansa gives up announcements with ” Ladies and gentlemen “. For the author, it is urgent to put safeguards on this “privatization of the general interest”.
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