The Rubber Meets the Virtue Signaling Road: Goodyear Says BLM, LGBT 'Acceptable’; MAGA, Blue Lives Matter, Not So Much

AP featured image
In this Oct. 27, 2011 photo, a Goodyear sign is displayed, in Philadelphia. The Goodyear Tire

We can add “America’s Tire Company” to the long and growing list of virtue-signaling corporations that continue to prostrate themselves before the Black Lives Matter altar of pretend “systemic racism.”

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And for virtue-signaling extra credit, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has told its employees that terms like MAGA, Blue Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter are “unacceptable” in the workplace.

As reported by WIBW 13 News in Topeka, Kansas, a Goodyear employee leaked a screenshot of a slide that was presented during a diversity training session showing what’s acceptable and what isn’t acceptable as part of the company’s new zero-tolerance policy.

“Zero-tolerance.” Let’s talk about that for a moment.

While the Democrat Party has long claimed to be the so-called “big tent party” — “the party of tolerance” — it is anything but; and it’s getting worse by the day. In the eyes of the Left, tolerance is a one-way street.

Those of us on the Right must be tolerant of their beliefs, causes, and everything else they foist upon us. When we’re not, we are immediately labeled (pick one or more): “racist,” “white supremacist,” “bigoted,” “homophobic,” Islamophobic,” “misogynistic,” or worse. That reality has never been clearer than in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

Anyway, the leaked Goodyear slide is titled “Zero Tolerance,” and lists “acceptable” and “unacceptable” behavior by Goodyear employees:

Acceptable: Black Lives Matter (BLM), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride

Unacceptable: Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA Attire, Political Affiliated Slogans or Material

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One tweet of the slide, which is circulating on social media, summed up Goodyear’s new policy this way.

According to @goodyear tires, a MAGA shirt is a zero tolerance hate symbol. But Black Lives Matter is allowed.

The employee who took the photo told 13 News the slide was part of a presentation at the Topeka plant by an area manager and that it came from the company’s corporate office in Akron, Ohio. He said he’s “cool” with employees wearing Black Lives Matter shirts to work, but…

“If someone wants to wear a BLM shirt in here, then cool. I’m not going to get offended about it. But at the same time, if someone’s not going to be able to wear something that is politically based, even in the farthest stretch of the imagination, that’s discriminatory. If we’re talking about equality, then it needs to be equality. If not, it’s discrimination.”

Wait — what did he say? “If we’re talking about equality, then it needs to be equality. If not, it’s discrimination.”? BINGO. Can someone get this guy a Nobel Prize? Spot on, man.

The employee spoke to 13 News under an agreement of anonymity due to fear of retribution by the company. Sadly says it all, doesn’t it?

13 News reached out to Goodyear about the slide, but “shockingly” the company refused to answer questions about the slide or presentation, instead issuing the same kind of hollow vanilla statement all companies issue when caught in such predicaments.

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“Goodyear is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace where all of our associates can do their best in a spirit of teamwork. As part of this commitment, we do allow our associates to express their support on racial injustice and other equity issues but ask that they refrain from workplace expressions, verbal or otherwise, in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party as well as other similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of equity issues.”

Melissa Monaco, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Hang on. “Fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace where all of our associates can do their best in a spirit of teamwork”? Yeah, no.

Translation: “Fostering an exclusive workplace where only associates we deem “socially acceptable” can display their political beliefs, in a spirit of blatant virtual-signaling by Goodyear Tire & Rubber.”

“Dave” pointed to the obvious hypocrisy of Goodyear’s policy.

As did “Ginger.”

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Multiple Twitterers focused on saying “adios” to Goodyear and its tires, one of whom claimed to be “with BLM as a justice movement.”

Finally, for those inclined to go all Karen on Goodyear, here ya go.

https://twitter.com/mrn_special/status/1295873851935645696

The bottom line:

Tolerance is a two-way street, be it on a personal level, corporate, governmental, or any other level. Exclusivity in the name of inclusivity is nothing more than pandering, exploitation, and prostration.

As for corporations like Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, it’s all about the bottom line. Virtue-signal that.

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