
When Virtue-Signalling Backfires
Halifax Bank has made a grave error in attempting to pander to transgender ideology. It is losing business — even from those who experience same-sex attraction. Their customers recognise the insanity of their politically correct stance.
‘Dear valued customer, embrace our extremist Woketard ideology or take your money elsewhere!’
Welcome to the brave new way of doing business, this month being modelled by the gender-botherers at the UK’s Halifax bank.
Oh, and it’s not going well.
Blanket Rule
Last week the progressives at Halifax sent out a tweet, advising customers that staff would be adding their preferred pronouns to name badges.
Pronouns matter. #ItsAPeopleThing pic.twitter.com/vj9UdlBnLy
— Halifax (@HalifaxBank) June 28, 2022
The tweet was predictably mocked.
Bank customer Warren Richman summed up the situation fairly succinctly:
“There’s no ambiguity about the name “Gemma”; It’s a female person’s name. In other words, it’s pathetic virtue signalling and is seen as such by almost everyone who has responded to the initial tweet. Why are you trying to alienate people?”
Great point, Warren. But hell hath no fury like a virtue-signaller scored.
The self-righteous zealots in the Halifax social media department replied with this …
We strive for inclusion, equality and quite simply, in doing what’s right. If you disagree with our values, you’re welcome to close your account. ^AndyM
— Halifax (@HalifaxBank) June 28, 2022
Boom!
‘We strive for inclusion and if you think differently to us, shove off!’
It’s a heck of a marketing strategy!
If you don’t agree with our ridiculous stance on an obscure issue affecting hardly anyone, then we don’t want you as a customer.
And guess what? Angry customers inundated Halifax asking that their accounts be closed.
Blowback
The whole episode is already being called one of the greatest business blunders in UK history.
Former Doctor Who scriptwriter Gareth Roberts, a Halifax customer since 1988, told the bank:
“I’m a homosexual man. I’m appalled by your adoption of this homophobic, woman-hating claptrap, and by your attitude to customers making perfectly reasonable objections to it.”
Another who closed her account wrote:
This is a hostile act to women like me who view gender ideology as an encroachment on women’s rights. You wouldn’t permit another belief on a work badge — Jesus Saves, for instance. This is another belief and one that’s hostile to women.
I suspect even more costly than the money withdrawn from Halifax accounts will be the pounding their brand took on social media.
The memes were brutal. Here is a selection for your enjoyment…



False Compassion
Some argue that we should not get upset by people using their preferred pronouns. We should, instead, go along with Halifax and virtue signalling organisations like them since it’s no big deal.
After all, it’s kind to use people’s chosen pronouns.
The Left always wants to reduce everything to “kindness”, not because they care about kindness but because it’s the easiest way to manipulate a society that feels rather than thinks.
They suggest ridiculous ideas and then accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being “unkind”.
And so dangerous ideas become normalised while the majority of people keep quiet for fear of being thought rude.
Halifax Bank says that pronouns matter. No kidding! Imagine their surprise to learn that pronouns have mattered since the English language was first spoken!
Reality also matters!
No one has a problem with pronouns. But people who think with more than their emotions do have a problem with pronouns being twisted and contorted to pretend that biological sex does not exist.
And they especially have a problem with a business demanding that to use their services, you must play along.
So Halifax customers decided they would not humiliate themselves for the privilege of giving a science-denying financial institution their money.
___
Originally published at The James Macpherson Report.
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Finally even those on the left are beginning to see the light of God though they do not yet recognise Him .
To recognise that compelled speech is ludicrous even by the standard of those doing the compelling.
Thank you James.
PS. Have you seen the Australian documentary Humble Hope ? I am trying to understand why this award winning home grown move has almost no coverage.
Some people call me Vivienne but my preferred title is Princess Vivienne and I demand that you all call me that in full!