13-38 Get Educated – School Choice, Woke in Corporate Boardrooms

By Dr Mark | September 23, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

Show 13-38 Summary: This week, it’s about getting an education – and pushing back on the woke society is pushing on us. In our school systems and pushing back on woke corporations, like Disney, that think they know better about what society needs than what we Americans think. But what happens in those board rooms? And just how much power do activist shareholders have — who want to make a company go woke or, conversely, stop a company going woke? We also catch up with the effort to get real school choice on the ballot here in Oregon. And how a terrible personal accident has reignited the effort.

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Original Air Dates: September 23rd & 24th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg and Scott Shepard

This Week – Get Educated on Woke

This week, we are talking about woke in the corporate boardroom. And its negative impact on a corporation’s share prices and profits. So why do they do it? And when it comes to going woke even when it hurts shareholders, there is no better example of Bob Iger’s transformation of Disney and marching to the Left’s ideology. And did he set up his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek — only to swoop in and clean up the mess he himself left?

But first, we talk about real school choice. We catch up with Donna Kreitzberg to hear how things are going to get real school choice on the ballot for Oregon’s 2024 general election. Education Freedom for Oregon just came through their summer events. So how did they do? How far along are they in their petition drive?

Have you signed one yet? Head to this link to download a signature form — then print it, sign it, and and mail it back.

We also wanted to talk to Donna because she recently had a horrible accident, that required her to be life-flighted out of the Montana wilderness. Hear how this personal tragedy has reignited her passion to get this on the ballot and to help kids get out from schools where they feel trapped.

And did you know real school choice will not only help kids trapped in bad schools but it can help free teachers too. Tune in to find out how.

Get Educated: On Woke Corporations and their Boardrooms

The Supreme Court recently overturned affirmative action as a gate for higher education. But what impact with that ruling have on woke corporations and their DEI initiatives? DEI being “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” DEI also being Leftist codespeak for, “exclude people who don’t share our political ideology.”

Yes, Bud Light gets the attention when it comes to “go woke, go broke.” But Disney is the true leader when it comes to going woke. Think about it. Did Bud Light ever have the pro-family, pro-America reputation that Disney once had. And Disney is now actively pushing a woke, transgender ideology at kids. Bud Light isn’t exactly pushing their products at kids.

Woke for thee but not for me. Disney reports DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusiveness for its employees but not its own board members or executives — Disney’s DEI for employees—but not the board? (click image for full size). Source.

We talk with Scott Shepard, the director of the Free Enterprise Project, which is the original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of American corporate life. Disney is back in the news as its revenues continue to crater, losing money on woke, box office flops, and bleeding Disney+ subscribers. And even at its parks, its one source of profits, attendance is down.

Could it be because they’re pushing transgender at kids even at their parks? Nah! Couldn’t be that!

We also talk with Scott about a broader view of corporations and their boardrooms. If, say, an activist shareholder wanted to take a corporate woke, could they? Just how much power do they have? Or what if a shareholder wanted to protect a pro-America company from an activist board?

You never knew corporations and free enterprise could be so interesting and entertaining.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Donna Kreitzberg’s Segments (1–3)

Donna’s school choice organization is Education Freedom for Oregon. Donate, volunteer, spread the word. And sign the petitions!
Oregon takes another look at ‘equity grading’ (OregonLive, Sept 17, 2023)
U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge (NYT, May 3, 2023)
High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty (NPR, Apr 25, 2018)

Scott Shepard Segments (4–6)

Articles from National Center and the Free Enterprise Project

Affirmative Action is Racist and Illegal in Corporate America, Just as it Was in Higher Education (National Center, Aug 10, 2023)
Black Conservatives Celebrate Supreme Court Ruling to End Racial Preferences in College Admissions (National Center, Press Release, June 20, 2023)
Real Clear Markets, Op-Ed: Bob Iger is Ruining Disney (Nation Center, Aug 8, 2023)
Scott Shepard: Bob Iger’s Dark Disney Magic: A Wrecking Ball for Wokeness (National Center, Aug 7, 2023)
Scott Shepard: Companies Should Prioritize Profits of Everyday Investors Over the Whims of Bill Gates & His Buddies (National Center, Free Enterprise Project Commentary, Sept 13, 2023)
How Much Influence Does the Human Rights Campaign Have On Disney Decisions? (National Center, Free Enterprise Project Commentary, Aug 16, 2023)
Scott Shepard: Hollywood Writers Have Scripted Their Own Redundancy (National Center, Free Enterprise Project Commentary, Aug 9, 2023)
Will the National Center’s Lawsuit Bring the SEC Back to Neutral? (National Center, Media Mention, July 14, 2023)

Disney’s Corporate Wokeness

Disney DEI EXPOSED Part 2 | How Disney BROKE Their Advertising Sales Team | Politics Over Profit (Valliant Renegade, YouTube Channel, July 31, 2023)
Wokeness Hobbles Disney as It Faces the Streaming Challenge (Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2023)
Disney isn’t killing Florida jobs over Ron DeSantis — but to save itself (NY Post, May 19, 2023)
- “Bob Iger is more than just Disney’s CEO; he’s also a progressive and a shadow member of Sleepy Joe Biden’s Cabinet”

Bob Iger: Determined to Take Disney to Ideological Ruin

Disney CEO Bob Iger: Marvel Diluted Audience’s Focus and Attention by Making So Many Disney+ TV Shows (Variety, excerpt via Slashdot.ord, July 17, 2023)
Bob Iger Reveals His Master Plan to Restore the Magic at Disney (Bloomberg, Feb 9, 2023)
Bob Iger Isn’t Having Much Fun: Eight months after returning as Disney’s CEO, he is straining to put out fire after fire, including streaming losses, an activist investor and TV woes (WSJ, July 14, 2023)
Is Bob Iger screwed up at Disney because of woke content, the removal of Disney+ content, and the possible sale of Lucasfilm? (David Mullich, via Reddit, June 15, 2023)
Politicization of Disney Gives Bob Iger Path to White House (Real Clear Politics, May 14, 2022)
- Iger is (or was) considering a run for the presidency.
Bob Iger Lambasted For CNBC Comments About Strike: “He Came Out Of Retirement To Make $54 Million In Two Years And Says This” (Deadline, July 13, 2023)
- One tweet: “Hollywood writers, on average, are paid $69,510 a year. Bob Iger is paid $74,175 a DAY.”
Disney Is in a Death Spiral and I Don’t See Bob Iger Reversing It (The Street, July 14, 2023)
- A marked decline in attendance for Summer 2023 at Disney World and Disneyland
- “According to boxofficemojo.com, Disney only has three of the top 10 grossing films thus far in 2023.”

Activist Investor: Definition, Role, Biggest Player (Investopedia, updated Feb 14, 2023)
How Outlawing Collegiate Affirmative Action Will Impact Corporate America (MIT Sloan, Aug 7, 2023)