Good news everyone! The elections are months behind us, and it is so nice that we can all get along again.
As a society, we’re finally thinking about what’s right and not “who’s right”. Discrimination is a thing of the past and we’ve solved all of our social issues. Now it is all Rainbows, Puppies and Fields of Flowers!
Right?
Wait…what?
It’s not??? So, you are telling me that we’re still in a position where half the population will disagree with almost anything you say? That someone will stand by a position even if it may harm themselves, their family and their planet? And that it’s still easier to vilify people than it is to debate the merits of a position?
Well…that’s just great.
Deep down inside, I think we all knew that things wouldn’t change overnight. We didn’t get into this mess quickly and it sure looks like we will not get out of it quickly.
So how did we get here? And we define “here” as this place where the word “science” has a negative connotation. Where our planet is viewed as some type of ATM that will never stop dispensing awesomeness and beauty no matter what we do to it and where some people judge others based on their gender or the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. (1)
Many will say that it is because some of our political leaders espoused those beliefs. Undoubtedly, politicians did influence people, but we suspect that this might not be the full story. That’s because we believe that many of our leaders are really just mirrors who reflect the views of their constituency. They may test the waters and then roll out talking points that resonate with their voters. If that’s the case, then one might ask how did so many in the population come to hold these views.
In our opinion it is because it’s easier than ever to share an individual point of view and then broadcast that message out to masses of listeners, readers or viewers. Somewhere, some time ago, some people started promoting a world view that embraced a return to a fictional past. They claimed that all of our problems would go away if we could just get back to that era. Then, over time, the seemingly unending barrage of messages began to sink in.
At first it might have been on talk radio and then television, but it grew exponentially when it was algorithmically amplified via videos, podcasts, and blogs.
Now, here we are.
So at this point, you might be wondering why a women’s apparel company might think it has a need or even a right to even bring this type of topic up.
Shut up and sell clothes! Right?
We understand that point of view and it was only after quite a bit of debate when we started Coeur that we decided to advocate for our deeply held beliefs.
What ultimately tipped the scale was our realization that there are people and institutions that go out of their way to share positions that are diametrically opposed to everything we stand for. We also know that there is an ongoing war of ideas and we want to add our voice to the debate.
It's not a loud voice and it doesn't have that much reach, but maybe, just maybe something we do or say, may help tip the scales.
Of course, we know that it’s very, very difficult to change someone’s mind once they hold a position but, there’s always a chance that we may interact with someone who truly is open to a new or different point of view.
Plus, many people want to know more about the companies that are receiving their hard-earned dollars. They want to make sure that their values align, and frankly, so do we.
When that happens, it is fantastic and we hope for a long relationship!
If values don’t align, and believe us when we say that a fair number of individuals let us know when they don’t, then we know we’ll probably lose their business to a competitor.
Trust us, that makes us sad, because we do believe in capitalism, albeit "Conscious Capitalism" and we know we’re in a very competitive space. But we also believe in Kindness, the Environment, Equality, Diversity, Being Kind to Pets and, as corny as it might sound, Just Being Nice.
So, in addition to making what we think is the best women’s cycling & triathlon gear in the market, we’re going to continue giving our time, our money and space on our blog and podcast to support the causes that stir our hearts.
And we hope you will too, because a chorus of voices advocating for a path of kindness can help win hearts and minds.
Your friends at Coeur
(1) While not a direct quote, we want to make sure it's clear that the idea behind this statement came from a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. in his "I have a dream" speech. Here's the exact quote:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."