Corporate America's gun control silence is jarring after last week's mass shooting at a Nashville school.
In the past decade, large corporations have increasingly taken a stance on major social issues. In 2017, CEOs joined forces with politicians to oppose North Carolina's transgender bathroom law. A year later, they called for abortion bans to be "bad for business". Their collective voice was heard on several high-profile causes – including immigration reform and sustainability.
So, why are top executives mum now? Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld believes that the public has become complacent in expecting CEOs to lead the charge on social issues. The CEO's role is not to be a savior but to join the chorus of voices demanding change.
Sonnenfeld attributes the silence to corporate America having taken a strong stance, with many companies and executives having already voiced their opinions on gun control. Now they're waiting for others in civil society to take action as well.
Their frustration lies not in advocating themselves but in recognizing that social capital – the value of being part of a community – is equally valuable as financial capital. To genuinely make an impact, CEOs need the rest of civil society to join them.
Despite the widespread criticism of their influence on politics and policy-making, many top executives continue to be active voices on issues such as voting rights and sustainability.
However, the reality is that these companies cannot single-handedly solve the problems of gun violence or public trust. The lack of meaningful change suggests a growing disillusionment among corporate America with the current state of social affairs.
Their financial clout may not necessarily translate into campaign contributions – in fact, much less so since the 2020 elections and the January 6 Capitol riot.
In the past decade, large corporations have increasingly taken a stance on major social issues. In 2017, CEOs joined forces with politicians to oppose North Carolina's transgender bathroom law. A year later, they called for abortion bans to be "bad for business". Their collective voice was heard on several high-profile causes – including immigration reform and sustainability.
So, why are top executives mum now? Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld believes that the public has become complacent in expecting CEOs to lead the charge on social issues. The CEO's role is not to be a savior but to join the chorus of voices demanding change.
Sonnenfeld attributes the silence to corporate America having taken a strong stance, with many companies and executives having already voiced their opinions on gun control. Now they're waiting for others in civil society to take action as well.
Their frustration lies not in advocating themselves but in recognizing that social capital – the value of being part of a community – is equally valuable as financial capital. To genuinely make an impact, CEOs need the rest of civil society to join them.
Despite the widespread criticism of their influence on politics and policy-making, many top executives continue to be active voices on issues such as voting rights and sustainability.
However, the reality is that these companies cannot single-handedly solve the problems of gun violence or public trust. The lack of meaningful change suggests a growing disillusionment among corporate America with the current state of social affairs.
Their financial clout may not necessarily translate into campaign contributions – in fact, much less so since the 2020 elections and the January 6 Capitol riot.
. like, I get it, social capital vs financial capital, but when did they start being so extra about community involvement? 
all of a sudden, they're supposed to be just another voice in the chorus, not some mighty CEO leading the charge? 
and btw, if their clout can't translate into more than just "pledges" to support gun control, what's new there? 
didn't they say something similar about voting rights or sustainability like 5 years ago? 
. I know they've been vocal on some issues before, but gun control is a huge one that's clearly needed attention right now. It feels like they're expecting others to step up and make a difference instead of using their massive influence for change 
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. Their 'social capital' might be just as valuable as their financial clout, but when it comes down to it, we need real action and not just empty rhetoric 
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. Until then, it's gonna feel like business as usual... which isn't good enough 
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. I mean, I get why they're waiting for others to step in, but it feels like a lot of hot air was blown back then too. Like, what were those CEOs even doing when they said abortion bans would be bad for business? Just trying to stay woke and look good on Twitter 
. And honestly, it's a bit surprising that they'd be so quiet after all the noise they made on other social issues last decade 
. I think people have become too complacent in expecting CEOs to be superheroes and now just want them to fit in with the rest of us 
. The problem is, corporations can't single-handedly solve gun violence or rebuild public trust... it's a collective effort that requires more than just corporate America stepping up 
. Can we please see some concrete action from these companies? 
. and yale prof says it's 'cause we've gotten used to them being the ones to speak up... but what if they're not gonna do anything without us joining in? 
it's like, i get that their money can't fix everything, but still, it feels kinda weird that they're just sitting this one out 
corporations r all like "oh my god we're not gonna say anything about gun control" 
it's like they think their money talks or somethin 
but honestly its kinda refreshing to see them keep quiet on something thats so clearly a major social issue 
i mean dont get me wrong i love brands that care about sustainability and voting rights and all that jazz 
but gun control is just like literally the most important thing right now 
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I mean what's going on with all these big corporations being quiet about gun control? They're just chillin' now 
, after they were all like "we care" about everything else 
like what is it even gonna take for them to make a statement? we need corporations to step up on gun control and stop being so scared of being seen as 'partisan' or whatever... Newsflash: this isn't about politics, it's about human lives 
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. Companies have taken stances on so many things before, but now they're just chillin' 
. Yale prof Jeffrey Sonnenfeld makes a good point that CEOs need the rest of civil society to join in, or else... I don't know, maybe it's just not gonna make a difference? 
. It's like they're waiting for someone else to pick up the torch and lead the charge, you know? 
And that got me thinking... what does it say about our expectations of CEOs and corporate America as a whole? Are we just expecting them to be saviors or something? 
. I mean, they've been active on issues like voting rights and sustainability, so what's changed? 
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