Woke Corporatism’s Bad Summer

While all eyes are on the battle for the White House, conservatives are quietly gaining ground in another crucially important—but oft-underdiscussed—battle against corporate wokeism and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Among the most prominent leaders in the conservative movement’s grassroots anti-woke crusade is Robby Starbuck, a Tennessee-based activist and former candidate for U.S. Congress who has now become a force in exposing and ultimately defeating the left’s DEI regime.

Starbuck made headlines this summer when several classic American brands, including Tractor Supply Company, John Deere, and Harley Davidson, abandoned their DEI policies following significant pushback generated by Starbuck.

In a lengthy post on X in early June, Starbuck took aim at Tractor Supply Company, noting that, even despite its status as “one of the most beloved brands” in the nation, the company’s policies stand in stark contrast to the values of most of its loyal customers. “[W]hat do they REALLY stand for under CEO [Hall Lawton’s] leadership?” he asked.

Starbuck then listed a catalogue of left-wing policies enforced by the company, including “LGBTQIA+ training” for employees, funding for “pride” and drag events, the establishment of a DEI council, funding for sex changes, activism on behalf of “climate change,” “pride month” decorations in office spaces, and other promotion of far-left ideology.

“I take no pleasure in bringing this all to light. I’m a Tennessean who loves to support TN companies but as a proud Tennessean I know these woke priorities don’t align with our state or [Tractor Supply’s] customer base,” Starbuck wrote.

“We must make our voices heard. Hal Lawton needs to understand that we don’t want our hard earned money spent on these woke priorities. If he supports this stuff then he should spend some of his $11M salary or tens of millions in stock on it instead of using the money we spend at Tractor Supply.”

Starbuck then encouraged his followers to contact Tractor Supply’s corporate offices and begin purchasing goods from other places “until Tractor Supply makes REAL changes and shows that they respect the majority of their customers enough to not spend the money we give them on causes we’re deeply opposed to.”

Just weeks later, Tractor Supply issued an extraordinary and unprecedented statement announcing their cancellation of the policies brought to light by Starbuck.

“We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart,” the statement said, before announcing that Tractor Supply would cut ties with leftist groups, “stop sponsoring non business activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns,” eliminate DEI roles and “retire” the company’s current DEI mandates, and withdraw its “carbon emission” goals.

Tractor Supply’s retreat from left-wing activism signaled not only a massive win for conservatives and Tractor Supply patrons, but also a shifting cultural and corporate landscape.

But Tractor Supply was just the beginning.

Almost immediately after his public awareness campaign forced Tractor Supply to retreat from its DEI agenda, Starbuck turned his attention to John Deere. In a post on X, Starbuck called out the company for its allegiance to far-left causes—most notably seen with its funding for a “pride” event for kids as young as three, asking its employees to list “preferred pronouns” on company communications, acknowledging left-wing “equity” programs, and an official commitment to DEI policies.

“To put it mildly, John Deere seems to have forgotten who their customers are,” Starbuck wrote. “Having a farm myself, I’m disgusted that a once great American brand is now taking this turn to seemingly embrace leftist policies that are diametrically opposed to the values of most farmers.”

Sure enough, days later, John Deere pledged to “no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events” and audit all company-mandated training materials and policies “to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages”—a striking success for John Deere customers and conservatives everywhere.

Starbuck then targeted Harley-Davidson, which, as he noted on X, openly supports the radical “Equality Act,” funded an all-ages “pride” event, and held trainings on “how to become LGBTQ+ allies,” among other acts of far-left subservience. Shortly thereafter, the company announced that although it was “saddened by the negativity” surrounding the company, it has ended its DEI “function,” and will now be “absent of socially motivated content.”

In the aftermath of Starbuck’s anti-woke activism, several other companies, including Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s parent company), Lowe’s, and Ford Motor Company, backed away from some of their left-wing initiatives, likely out of fear that they could be next on Starbuck’s list.

“Companies are starting to realize the whole DEI thing has been a house of cards,” Starbuck said in a recent interview with the New York Post. “Somebody just had to press the cards. The majority of CEOs in America are very happy to have an excuse to get rid of this stuff.”

Of course, the developments wrought by Starbuck’s efforts in recent months by no means indicate that corporate wokeism is dead. Many corporations continue to aggressively promote policies, lifestyles, and worldviews that contradict those of most ordinary Americans.

Robby Starbuck’s anti-woke crusade, however, suggests that the relationship between big business and militant progressivism may be in peril.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.