Jon Stewart on the commercialization of Pride Month

Jon Stewart calls out corporations for rainbow-washing. Who knew profits had a color spectrum?

The collection of poorly thought-out Pride-themed merchandise is laughable. Stewart also points out how dehumanizing the trivialization of what it took to get to "Pride Month" is, and that the successes of inclusion do not need memorialization with colorless candies. The Oreo cookie commercial is baffling and weird.

"But don't be sad," Stewart continued, "for this is only following in a long line of hollow corporate pandering meant to convince you that not only are corporations people — they're good people. Decent people who care about the systemic ills of this great nation."

The comedian sarcastically alleged that proof of this good character corporate quality could be found in the wake of George Floyd's murder, when "corporations saw people's demand for a reckoning with America's racist past," before displaying a montage of campaigns from Vaseline, Doritos, and Kraft in response to Floyd's killing and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement. This display of seeming solidarity and dedication to improving diversity and inclusion standards was superficial, Stewart said, as their commitment "only lasted until the protests died down." He followed this claim by showing reports of tech giants like Meta and Google axing DEI positions and laying off workers in those respective departments. "DEI-related job postings in 2023 declined 44%," said an anchor in a clip from Fox Business. 

Salon

Previously:
• Jon Stewart will return to hosting Monday nights on 'The Daily Show'
• The Daily Show imagines 'Cocaine News' starring Don Jr
• Jon Stewart's return to the Daily Show (video)
• Watch as Sarah Silverman introduces her first 'The Daily Show'