You have to admire their honesty, if not their willingness to stand on principle. 

BMW was challenged on Twitter to explain why its logo is all rainbowy in Western countries but remarkably uncolorful in the Middle East. They answered honestly: we don't do that because Muslims as a group, at least in the Middle East, don't think so highly of gays and other sexual minorities. 

This is an established practice at the BMW Group, which also takes into consideration market-specific legal regulations and country-specific cultural aspects (4/4)

— BMW (@BMW) June 1, 2024

It's hard to argue with the logic behind that. I can't imagine that BMW would like to suffer the Dylan Mulvaney effect in a wealthy and prestige-conscious part of the world--especially given that the Dylan Mulvaney effect might look more like what Dylan's fate would be were he to visit the less enlightened parts of the Middle East. Nobody wants their salesmen to be given the opportunity to prove that men can't fly just by flapping their arms. 

As far as I know, every major corporation that has a Pride logo here is using a Shame Logo in the Middle East. (Yes, I just made that up, and it does kinda suck). 

We shouldn't expect corporations to stand on principle, at least not when virtue-signaling. They exist, after all, to make money and not reform the culture. 

I just wish they acted like that outside of places where their employees aren't going to get killed or kicked out of the country if the corporation offends some part of the population. You know, places like the United States or Europe. 

Corporations here are afraid, of course, but not of consumers; they are afraid of their woke employees and the ESG folks who control capital. Those ESG folks, in turn, are anything but afraid of normies because they know that we won't punish them unless they cross some line so egregiously that we get fed up. 

In a sense, our relative indifference to symbolic idiocy like rainbow logos speaks well of Western countries and consumers; I wouldn't want to live someplace where people get thrown off roofs for violating sexual norms short of rape or pedophilia (in which case I am just fine with unpleasant forms of capital punishment). 

But it would be nice not to get this crap shoved down our throats, and for God's sake, stay away from the kids. 

This brings up the question: should we start drawing the line beyond which corporations should fear crossing a bit closer to normal behavior?

Obviously, the answer is yes. I quit buying Gillette products when they ran those execrable ads about toxic masculinity. I found them insulting, and while I am not "boycotting" them per se, I am not buying their products either. They make me angry every time I see them because, well, screw you, Gillette. You hate men? Well then, I will return the favor. 

I am not going to boycott a company for displaying a Pride logo, both because it isn't a big insult to me (it is annoying, but not insulting per se until it gets obviously preachy), and because I would probably have so few products I could buy. 

But Bud Lights, Targets, Gillettes—we can find other places, other products, easily avoid supporting these companies, and easily let them know why we left them as customers. And that will have a clarifying effect on all corporations. They will tone it down. We know that because they have toned it down in the Middle East. I have yet to see any corporation give in to their woke employees when it comes to displaying Pride there. 

BMW's open admission that they take into account the cultural response to their virtue signaling is a lesson. Consumer response does matter, as long as the consumers actually respond rather than just grumble. 

We should take that lesson to heart.