24 Hour Fitness, a relatively recent entry into the gym wars, issued this memo to its staff about appropriate attire:
You can’t possibly read that, so here is the good stuff in the May 2023 internal document:
“We’ve committed to creating a more inclusive environment at 24 Hour Fitness, recognizing that we have work to do to become stronger allies in support of those who are impacted by systemic oppression and inequality…
…Currently approved movements and/or social causes, along with approved expressions are:
- “Black Lives Matter”/”BLM” (words)
- “Pride” and or pride rainbow logo
- Juneteenth logo symbol, or date – on Juneteenth (June 19th)
- Flag or United States logo – on holidays such as Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Veteran’s Day, Patriots Day, etc.
Now various organizations are calling for the chain to be boycotted. It asked for this. The place is managed by morons.
Businesses that have nothing to do with politics should keep politics out of their business, advertising and workplace policies. This is especially true if those running the business have only rudimentary understanding of basic principles of democracy and the English language. You cannot tell employees what “movements” are “approved” and claim to be “inclusive.” Having “approved expressions” is also offensive to democratic principles and values.
Worst of all is the head-exploding policy of approving symbols promoting anointed sexual orientations and a racist, Marxist scam year’ round, but limiting attire sporting the American flag to holidays. Hey, can I whistle “God Bless America” while I’m doing curls if it isn’t the Fourth of July, or only “Lift Every Voice and Sing”?
And The Great Stupid rolls on…..
Ethics Alarms 
Did you read the fine print on the one about the flag? “Consult management”.
so Im guessing you can wear the flag, as long as it’s rainbow-colored. It must be like “Office Space”; the restaurant where you need to wear a minimum of 15 pieces of “flair”.
I did, and I should have highlighted it.
Actually, that’s a separate paragraph and not another bullet point. I would read the intent there as saying if you have personal expressions that aren’t included in our four company approved expressions, contact HR and we’ll let you know if you are allowed to have those kind of thoughts.
Now given the tone of the whole statement, my feeling is that people asking permission to think their own thoughts are also just asking to get fired…
We want freedom of expression as long as it is the right expressions. We may have to silence you in order to protect your free speech.
$10 says the American flag was an afterthought, and BLM and Pride were really what it was all about.
Oh, you could risk more than 10 bucks on that bet.
Frankly, I’m shocked they’re getting any pushback on this. I’m going to assume they’re headquartered in California?
A few years ago I was asked to leave the fitness center where I’m a member because I was wearing a tee shirt bearing the slogan, “You can’t comply your way out of tyranny.” I was told that the shirt would be offensive to people who hated Donald Trump, or something.Unsurprisingly, I did not comply.
That’s not even a partisan or political statement! It’s like “You can’t dig your way out of a hole.” I would have immediately changed into my “Bite me!” T-shirt.
I’ll gladly lend you my “Armed Infidel, keep back 200 feet” shirt.
If the corporate value is to “ serve ALL communities why do they single out only a few that are approved. Do they not believe there is a white heterosexual Judeo-Christian conservative community or are they just marginalizing us?
One of my hobby horses, CM: “Community” is only used by and applied to allegedly “oppressed and marginalized” groups. It’s entirely passive/aggressive. Any time I see “community,” it’s clearly going to refer to a group seeking power. Any time you see a community coming at you, run away.
I’d also hazard to guess the term “community” only came into this meaning in the last twenty years or so with the dawning of “advocacy groups.” (Which, back in the ‘sixties, my mother used to refer to as “pressure groups.”) “Community” used to mean just a locale and its inhabitants, as in the French “commune.” It’s been hijacked by professional “advocacy groups.” It gives me the creeps.
Also, when people now talk about “having a sense of community,” they mean a group of people who, together and with each other, wallow in their being, or at least feeling or imagining they are, oppressed and marginalized.
It is just paradoxical to make a list of approved social groups to support because of marginalization and then marginalize other groups.
If the goal is to fight against systemic oppression and marginalization I would think they would also include grossly overweight people and ban outfits worn by the young and slender that make the obese feel bad about themselves.
Please change my email from rdupell@cox.net to roin.dupell@gmail.com I much enjoy your articles….. Thank you for being a voice of reason. Ron Dupell, Papillion, Nebraska
Ron, I don’t handle that, or know how to do it. You have to click on the WordPress link.
Go down the right hand side of the page & look for the field to subscribe, enter the new address, and voilá.
(ps Jack, I hope you’re able to remove the post with the private info.)