Corporations embrace anti-family sentiment in response to Supreme Court abortion ruling
Being a mom or dad is the most important job any of us will ever have. Parents are the first teachers, first authorities, and first clergy. What we do has a direct impact on the lives of our children, but also on our communities and ultimately our nation. It has been true for all of recorded history. "Train up a child in the way he should go," Proverbs implores.
But what happens when a mom or dad’s first obligation is no longer to their family, but to their employer?
There was a time when our nation’s largest corporations were as much part of Main Street as they were Wall Street. They would sponsor company picnics, little league teams, Scouts, and more. They were part of the fabric of our communities.
In many ways, it was a uniquely American tradition. We relied on private businesses to provide meaningful, dignified work. And historically, the goals of those businesses were oriented to useful production. In our best moments, this institutional alignment created stable mass employment that secured the foundation for a dignified life. Put another way, American corporations used to advance the common good.
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 22: A view of the entrance of Walt Disney World on March 22, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Employees are staging a company-wide walkout today to protest Walt Disney Co.'s response to controversial legislation passed in Florida known as the "Don’t Say Gay" bill. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
That is no longer the case.
Following the end of the Cold War, our corporate elites began to view themselves as citizens of the world rather than patriotic Americans. The ripple effect was enormous and led to the loss of millions of American jobs. If labor is cheaper overseas, the logic went, then products should be made there. After all, if we’re all citizens of the globe, then American families and communities are no more important than those in Mexico, China, or Vietnam.
The destruction of American communities from Baltimore and Detroit to Manchester and Greenville is well-documented. But what is less widely understood is how this globalist shift impacted corporate behavior. Gone were the days when corporations were just one part of workers’ lives — today work is expected to be their entire life.
Wall Street firms demand upward of 80 hours a week from employees. Big tech firms expect the same, though they try to make it comfortable by providing napping pods, foosball tables, and free food. The message is clear: your home is here. And if your home is at work, you have no time for what home is actually supposed to be: family, faith, and community.
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