Nov
7
Woke Mob Accuses McDonald’s CEO of Racism
Everyone knows about Chicago’s history of crime and corruption. It’s a dangerous place to live, and most of the murders in the Chicago area nowadays are due to Black-on-Black violence. Sadly, sometimes innocents get caught in the crossfire — even children. Such was the case for 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams, who was killed this April while waiting at a McDonald’s drive-thru with her father, the target of the attack. Another unfortunate death was that of Adam Toledo, 13, an Hispanic boy killed a few days earlier during an “armed confrontation” with a Chicago police officer.
These were the events in particular that McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski referred to in his text to Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, following Lightfoot’s visit with Kempczinski at McDonald’s HQ:
“[P].s. tragic shootings in last week, both at our restaurant yesterday and with Adam [Toledo]. With both, the parents failed those kids which I know is something you can’t say. Even harder to fix.”
Any charitable reading of that might note Kempczinski’s seemingly genuine sadness and concern. I also read it as his acknowledgment that, with the tragedies so fresh (and perhaps other reasons), it would be insensitive and imprudent for the mayor to suggest that the children’s parents shared any of the blame. (For example, was it really the best decision for Jaslyn to accompany her father, Jontae, when he knew “[there were] people out to hurt me”?)
Judging by the mayor’s response, she didn’t see anything outrageous in Kempczinski’s text, either.
“Thanks, Chris. Great to see you in person. Such a great work space, and your folks were terrific. I said to Joe I would be happy reach out to the operator to offer support. He and his team members have got to be traumatized. Terrible tragedy. Thanks again, Chris.”
The exchange was made public after an activist’s FOIA request was granted. The woke/BLM crowd then proceeded to prove the point about any suggestion of the parents sharing blame causing a backlash. They immediately began organizing a protest. Statements were made attacking McDonald’s in general and Kempczinski in particular, accusing them of all sorts of things. For instance, an open letter posted in the Chicago Tribune included the following:
“McDonald’s has failed to address its rotten, racist culture under your leadership. It’s clear to us you’re the one who has failed here. Your text message was ignorant, racist and unacceptable coming from anyone, let alone the CEO of McDonald’s, a company that spends big to market to communities of color and purports to stand with Black lives.”
McDonald’s has been the subject of other protests in the past, too (e.g., demanding higher wages, accusations of sexual harassment and animal cruelty). This time, the claim is the ever-popular “racism”. If there is genuine racism prevalent in McDonald’s corporate culture (and I often disagree with “woke” definitions and examples of “racism”), then it should be investigated and changed. Even so, how the heck do they see racism in his text? Some people have grievances over the way the McDonald’s corporation is run, sure, but how is this relevant to what he actually said?
They also bring up the matter of Kempczinski’s being white and his wealth, saying things like,
“If he really feels that it’s the mothers’ fault, of them being the culprits of their kids’ deaths, then he should fund our communities with all the profits that he takes.” (activist Baltazar Enriquez, President of Little Village Community Council)
Fwiw, I doubt that anyone, including Kempczinski, would say that the parents are the ultimate — let alone the only — people to blame for such tragedies. There are many factors involved, of course, which I won’t get into now. But, I find it interesting that Enriquez specified “mothers”. Is that an implicit acknowledgment that absentee fathers (many of whom are in the gangs in question) are a big part of the problem?
I’m sure I’ll be called “racist” for saying so, but it sounds to me like this is yet another example of triggered “woke” karens and activists — the kind who see/hear racism and oppression around every corner. And the comments about wealth and redistribution are also typical of Marxist “woke” doctrine.
Not everyone speaking out in Chicago is against Kemczinski’s text, though. For example, Alderman Ray Lopez (15th Ward) said, “The uproar should be about the fact that, in many of these situations that have made headlines in the city of Chicago, it is a fact that parents are failing their children.”
Mayor Lightfoot was getting hammered, too, and accused of remaining silent so as not to upset any big donors (e.g., McDonald’s). So, her spokesperson released this statement via the Chicago Tribune:
“As the Mayor has said previously, families do everything they can — moms, dads, grandparents — to love and support their children, and tragedies can still happen. Victim shaming has no place in this conversation.”
Notice that the statement makes no mention of the accusations of racism.
For his part, Kempczinski issued the following mea culpa:
“When I wrote this, I was thinking through my lens as a parent and reacted viscerally. But I have not walked in the shoes of Adam’s or Jaslyn’s family and so many others who are facing a very different reality. Not taking the time to think about this from their viewpoint was wrong, and lacked the empathy and compassion I feel for these families. This is a lesson that I will carry with me.”
In my opinion, rather than simply acknowledging that his comments about the parents’ guilt were insensitive and inappropriate, Kempczinski’s apology sounds a little too much like groveling. He must realize, though, that the woke crowd will never be so easily appeased.
