Two years ago, large corporations were willing to go directly against their own customer base to gain political power and funding. These companies sold out the Americans who built their businesses and remained loyal to their brands.
Nike was a staple for years. If you were athletic or wanted to appear athletic, you wore Nike. Bud Light was one of the largest beer brands in the country, present in many American households. Yet both companies decided to push woke ideology at the expense of their customers.
One company has course-corrected, while the other has struggled to regain its footing. Nike has lost more than $100 billion in market capitalization from its late-2023 value. There are multiple reasons a company can lose value, but the question remains: Why are companies willing to risk their own success to push ideologies their customers reject?
It is easy in the year of our Lord 2026 to become complacent because of all the winning the Trump administration has accomplished. But look back just a couple of years, and you will remember iconic brands pushing transgender ideology, anti-conservative rhetoric, and even anti-white rhetoric. We watched social media companies suppress information and Twitter block the president of the United States. Honestly, Twitter blocking Trump gave us X, so maybe that was worth it.
But why were these companies willing to risk so much? Corporate leadership, activist organizations, government policy, and major media companies can reinforce the same ideas until they become accepted positions inside powerful institutions. The people making decisions can become more concerned with pleasing those institutions than listening to the Americans who pay their bills.
When those institutions face public backlash, they do not necessarily disappear. They change their messaging, retreat, and wait for a more favorable political climate.
That is what conservatives need to understand. Just because woke ideology has suffered public defeats does not mean it is gone.
Look at COVID. We watched the government shut down businesses and churches, restrict people's lives, push medical mandates, and participate in far-reaching censorship. The origins of the virus, the decisions made by government officials, and the handling of information all need more investigation. Americans must demand answers about the actions taken by those making decisions that affect their livelihoods, their children, and their families. Instead, too many people who questioned the original narrative were silenced and have no justice to look forward to.
These lies damaged public trust, and that trust will not be restored by telling Americans to stop asking questions and move on. Powerful institutions decided which political views deserve to be heard, and it can never happen again.
Woke 2.0 may be coming. It may not look exactly like the version we saw a few years ago. The branding may change, the language may change, and the people pushing it may learn from their mistakes. But the underlying ideas and institutional incentives have not necessarily disappeared.
Hell hath no fury like a furry scorned, or something like that.
Conservatives should not assume that the people and institutions that pushed these ideas have simply given up. The political climate changes, and institutions adapt. The question is whether we are paying attention or whether we will be caught flat-footed because we assumed the fight was already over.
The rekindled spotlight around campus allegations, including the Cornell Seven case, is one example of how an issue can become a political movement. Individual allegations must be investigated fairly, yet due process is being thrown out the window. The public reaction, media coverage, and institutional responses are being pushed in a certain direction once again. If the same destructive movement is regaining momentum, conservatives have to recognize it rather than wait until it is destroying them.
There are two years until 2028. That may seem like a long time, but it is not. The midterms are almost here, and the decisions Americans make now will help determine what happens next.
The left would like nothing more than to see the right tear itself apart. Political division, infighting, and a violent reaction from frustrated conservatives would allow our opponents to portray the entire movement as a threat to the republic. We cannot afford to be stupid enough to give them that opportunity.
If you believe that the country is in danger, act like someone who wants to preserve it. Get involved in your community. Support candidates who share your principles. Vote in every election. Pay attention to the local government. Hold elected officials accountable, including Republicans who fail to deliver on their promises.
And do not mistake a political victory for the end of a political struggle.
There is another concern that deserves serious attention: the possibility that Americans will be targeted or punished for their political beliefs. Claims about lists that identify people associated with the MAGA movement, including those who purchased political merchandise, raise serious questions about privacy and political intimidation. Such claims must be verified, but Americans should not have to wonder whether expressing support for a political candidate will put a target on their backs.
Why should someone have to worry that wearing a MAGA hat, donating to a campaign, or expressing a political opinion could make him a target for harassment? Political disagreement is part of a free society. Using someone's political beliefs to intimidate or punish him is something entirely different.
This is why the right cannot afford to become complacent. The answer is not to panic or treat every political opponent as an enemy who must be defeated by any means necessary. The answer is to recognize what is at stake and take our responsibilities seriously.
We are Americans. We inherited a country built by people who believed freedom was worth fighting for and that future generations deserved something worth inheriting. Every generation has a responsibility to preserve it.
The left is not a single organization, and not everyone who disagrees with conservatives wants to destroy the country. But there are real political disagreements over government power, traditional institutions, and the meaning of our constitutional rights. We should stop pretending those disagreements will resolve themselves while we sit on the sidelines.
The 2028 election will decide the fate of this country. So will the election on November 3. Republicans must get out and vote, keep the government intact, and demand the changes they voted for. Americans must defend free speech, protect their constitutional rights, keep the border closed, and restore their institutions to their former glory.
If Republicans lose, the country may not fall instantly. But the right cannot afford political defeat, and conservatives should not pretend otherwise. If we believe that our rights and our way of life are under threat, we have a responsibility to prepare ourselves to defend them. Know your rights, protect your family and communities, and be prepared to defend yourself lawfully when the time comes. Do not abandon the principles your ancestors preserved.
We cannot protect the republic by abandoning the ideas that built it. We cannot preserve our freedoms by allowing political violence to pass without swift correction and punishment. And we cannot expect to win a political battle if we are too lazy and checked out to participate.
The woke movement may be in hiding, but conservatives have to stop acting as though it is dead. The people pushing it have learned from their failures, and the institutions that supported it are waiting for a more favorable political climate.
We have two years until 2028. Do not waste them.
Get involved. Get informed. GO VOTE. Hold your representatives accountable. Protect your rights, and prepare your family for hard times. Do not allow political opponents to convince you that your fellow Americans are beyond reason, and do not allow frustration to make you abandon the principles you want to preserve.
Image: JoslynLM via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Source link
