Coca-Cola Hit With Major Backlash Over ‘Anti-White Agenda’
Company slammed after training program to 'be less white' leaked online
© press
Coca-Cola is being hit with a severe backlash after training materials were leaked online that appear to show an "anti-white agenda."
The soft drink giant is accused of promoting anti-white sentiments in their online “anti-racism” training for employees, with some of the accompanying materials instructing participants to “try to be less white.”
Photos of the company's online training seminar were shared on social media over the weekend.
The images show slides that featured tips on how "to be less white," which include being "less ignorant," and "less oppressive."
"To be less white is to:" reads one slide before listing things like "be less arrogant, be less certain, be less defensive, be more humble, listen, believe, break with apathy," and "break with white solidarity."
Another slide reads, "Confronting racism: understanding what it means to be white, challenging what it means to be racist."
© press
"In the US and other Western nations, white people are socialized to feel that they are inherently superior because they are white," another slide shared on social media read.
"Research shows that by age 3 to 4, children understand that it is better to be white," it continued.
A psychologist, who describes herself on Twitter as a “Former Democrat. Unwoke activist. Accidental commentator,” posted screenshots allegedly obtained from a whistleblower at Coca-Cola:
🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Coca-Cola is forcing employees to complete online training telling them to "try to be less white."
— Karlyn supports banning critical race theory in NH (@DrKarlynB) February 19, 2021
These images are from an internal whistleblower: pic.twitter.com/gRi4N20esZ
For people asking to verify this, the course is publicly available on @LinkedIn: https://t.co/T2mmXTACeJ
— Karlyn supports banning critical race theory in NH (@DrKarlynB) February 19, 2021
You can see for yourself. The Coca-Cola icon is in the top right hand corner on some of the images because they're using LinkedIn content for their internal platform.
“In the U.S. and other Western nations, white people are socialized to feel that they are inherently superior because they are white,” reads one of the slides.
Coca-Cola published a statement Friday following a backlash for the “be less white” materials.
The company said the materials are “not a focus of our company’s curriculum” and it will “continue to refine” its learning curriculum:
The video circulating on social media is from a publicly available LinkedIn Learning Series and is not a focus of our company’s curriculum.
Our Better Together global learning curriculum is part of a learning plan to help build an inclusive workplace.
It is comprised of a number of short vignettes, each a few minutes long.
The training includes access to LinkedIn Learning on a variety of topics, including on diversity, equity and inclusion.
We will continue to refine this curriculum.
Statement from @CocaCola: https://t.co/Jzur7zuXFz pic.twitter.com/DBIpsj5706
— Chris Pandolfo (@ChrisCPandolfo) February 20, 2021
A day later, Coca-Cola released another statement that was marginally different:
The video and images attributed to a Coca-Cola training program are not part of the company’s learning curriculum.
Our Better Together global learning curriculum is part of a learning plan to help build an inclusive workplace.
It is comprised of a number of short vignettes, each a few minutes long.
The training includes access to LinkedIn Learning on a variety of topics, including on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Fwiw: Coca-Cola's press team tells me: "The video and images attributed to a Coca-Cola training program are not part of the company’s learning curriculum... The video in question was accessible on the LinkedIn Learning platform but was not part of the company’s curriculum." https://t.co/yuDmsBw7oe
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) February 21, 2021
© press
The blowback to initial reports on the leaked materials came swiftly.
Nigel Farage, the populist leader of the UK’s Brexit party, stated:
This week we learned that Coca-Cola, that venerated U.S. institution — I know Coca-Cola a little bit, their headquarters in Atlanta, and in 2017, I went to their HQ as a guest of theirs, I gave a presentation to some of their managers, really talking about global trends in politics and I was very struck what a nice working environment it seemed, and of course what a hugely successful company it’s been over all these decades.
But Coca-Cola, of all people, have now clearly lost their marbles, because they’re now putting their staff through compulsory training: how to be less white.
"You think I’m making this up? Have a look at this on the screen, saying, “So, to be less white means you’ll be less arrogant, less ignorant”—I mean, the list goes on: “try to be less white.”
And the inference here is clear, isn’t it?
That white is bad; white means supremacist; white means you look down your noses at everybody else; white means you are guilty!
Former GOP Texas congressional candidate Joshua Foxworth also chimed in on the scandal.
If your congressman does nothing when Coca-Cola tells it's employees to "Try to be less White" but would rush to any available mic if this was said about any other race, can it truly be said that they represent every American in their district, or just the ones the media allows.
— FoxworthForCongress (@FoxworthFor14) February 21, 2021
“If your congressman does nothing when Coca-Cola tells it’s employees to ‘Try to be less White’ but would rush to any available mic if this was said about any other race, can it truly be said that they represent every American in their district, or just the ones the media allows,” Foxworth tweeted.
