Corporatization of Culture
Is business participation in festivals and traditions objectively good?
BY NITHYA VENKAT WITH ART BY MEGAN BORMANN
On the weekend of October 21st, families across the world celebrated the Hindu festival of lights–Diwali. Diwali is objectively the best Indian holiday: no restrictions on what you can eat, brand new clothes, and ending nights with firecrackers. Growing up, my friends and I found ourselves struggling in school to explain to our teachers why we couldn’t complete assignments, why we might skip school to celebrate with our families and to do all the things we needed to complete the rituals such as lamps and sweets shipped from India. More recently, however, Diwali as well as other ethnically specific festivals have been included in days off for public schools and in marketing campaigns for various companies. It’s not just religious holidays; Target and other retailers sell merch for Black History Month, Pride Month, and Cinco de Mayo. As our societies become more diverse, our world becomes more globalized, and social awareness becomes important currency, we ought to ask the question of whether or not corporate participation in ethnically-and-racially-specific movements and traditions is a good thing or if there are more sinister undercurrents.
The positives of awareness around holidays that Western countries wouldn’t otherwise know are obvious. Knowledge of culture and history is always good, and often it can lead to positive change. For example, after the uprisings in Minneapolis in 2020, many schools revised their curriculum to make sure they had accurate representations of slavery, colonialism, segregation, and modern forms of persisting racism. Increased knowledge of Diwali has caused New York City public schools to make it a holiday and give students off. Workplaces offer time and space for Muslim employees to pray. Traditions and festivals that were once mocked are now regarded with respect; cultures of welcome and acceptance are becoming increasingly common. A globalized world should be accompanied by global mindsets. However the trouble comes when corporations get involved.
Corporatization of traditions that are specific to certain communities may seem surface level and harmless. People like buying Black History Month shirts and Indian flavored ice cream on Diwali, but when we look deeper into the implications, we can see the negative impacts. For example, what does it mean to buy a Black History Month shirt made in a sweatshop? What does it mean to buy Pride merch from corporations that have queerphobic CEO’s? What does it mean to allow these large conglomerates more avenues of making money by convincing us they care? Corporations aren’t people–they can’t have views or political stances. They exist to make money and often do so unethically. Oftentimes, companies use these marketing campaigns to hide their shady business and wage practices. By praising them for their participation, we detract from where we ought to be shining a light. That’s not to say we should discourage participation in traditions, but rather we should investigate the intentions.
The reality is that we live in a consumerist society, and it’s okay to enjoy buying things. But maybe instead of supporting disingenuous conglomerates, we can find ways to engage more meaningfully. Shopping from small businesses, educating yourself on ways that people outside a culture can celebrate a holiday, and reconnecting with the purposes behind traditions and movements are ways we can bring back authenticity. We must keep in mind that businesses aren’t people and that what we put our dollars behind matters. Tear back the curtain of virtue signaling and look into what businesses truly do with our money. End corporatization and start truly caring.