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Interesting read on Unilever and how its "woke" credentials and virtue signalling, while the business is falling in value, is pissing off investors.
One of Britain's best known investors has attacked Unilever for its "ludicrous" focus on sustainability, in a sign of growing City frustration at blue chip companies championing fashionable causes. Terry Smith, manager of the £29bn Fundsmith Equity fund, said that the consumer goods behemoth has become "obsessed" with its public image and mocked its efforts to imbue brands such as Hellman's mayonnaise with a higher purpose. He said this overzealous focus on environmental and social issues has proved a distraction at a time when the £101bn maker of products from Vaseline to Marmite is struggling with a falling share price. In a letter to investors in his fund, Mr Smith said: “A company which feels it has to define the purpose of Hellmann’s mayonnaise has, in our view, clearly lost the plot. “The Hellmann’s brand has existed since 1913 so we would guess that by now consumers have figured out its purpose (spoiler alert – salads and sandwiches).” Mr Smith said “the most obvious manifestation” of this was how Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry’s ice cream refused to supply the West Bank. In July last year, Ben & Jerry’s said it was inconsistent with its values for the product to be sold in the "Occupied Palestinian Territory", sparking a backlash from the Israeli government. Environmental, social and governance – ESG – considerations are now a key part of the investment agenda, with fund managers falling over themselves to launch sustainable strategies and companies keen to promote their ethical credentials. Unilever in particular has long seen itself as a leader in this field. In 2019, its chief executive Alan Jope vowed that “in the future, every Unilever brand will be a brand with purpose” and said he would offload those that “are not able to stand for something more important than just making your hair shiny, your skin soft, your clothes whiter or your food tastier”. Mr Smith is not the only investor concerned about financial performance at a time when management attention might appear to be elsewhere In the past year, shares have fallen 9pc when the UK market has risen 11pc, while pre-tax profits have fallen for two consecutive years from €12.4bn (£10.3bn) in 2018 to €8bn in 2020. Profits were 4pc lower in the first half of 2021 than a year earlier, with the company blaming the drop on higher raw material costs and increased marketing spend. It said overall profit margins in 2021 would be similar to the previous year's. Mr Smith - the son of an East End lorry driver who rose to become one of the country's best-known stock-pickers - still owns Unilever shares, despite underwhelming returns.
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@victor-meldrew it's funny to me that someone thinks that it's not okay for a product just to be a product.
By all means source your resources "ethically" if that's an option but just make things that work.
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@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@victor-meldrew it's funny to me that someone thinks that it's not okay for a product just to be a product.
By all means source your resources "ethically" if that's an option but just make things that work.
Bloke in marketing agency tells bloke in Unilever that printing this sort of rubbish on a an Ice cream carton is really important
"“We believe that ice cream can change the world." “We seek in all we do, at every level of our business, to advance human rights and dignity, support social and economic justice for historically marginalised communities, and protect and restore the Earth’s natural systems.”
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Fascinating little situation going over here in PC world about Jimmy Carr.
For those who have seen his Dark Material Netflix special, one of his jokes has really kicked off the warriors. Politicians are kind of fucked either way on this though, as whatever they say when questioned, they are either against free speech or pro racism against Travellers. Here is the joke:
So it's in the first 30 seconds. And that's what's gone viral. The context added in the following 90 seconds of course nobody has heard ...
FWIW, I laughed my arse off when I heard it and realised immediately it made me a bad person. But it's a joke. Carr is right though, it was educational, I never knew that before then, I do now.
Still think Boyls is far worse when it comes to crossing PC lines myself. However, he does hold Owen Jones political views though, so it seems to make it ok ...
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the only thing that surprises me is this
how is this the first time the spotlight has gone on Jimmy?
I've watched all his specials, i fucking love his comedy. And every single one has a part where you can tell, from the look on his face "here's the bit where they'll come for me". He's told waaaaay edgier jokes than that.
Actually, the other bit that surprises me is they managed to find ANOTHER fucking awareness society to have a public whinge, this one about Travellers? fucking hell, why do these places exist? who the fuck funds them?
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@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
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@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
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@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
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@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
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@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
first line? uuummmm
second line? I don't get Twitter. I don't get why people still use it. Young people loooove to whine about their mental health, and yet cannot do the one thing that will instantly improve it, dumping that fucking program.
Now, freely admit i am coming from a position of ignorance as i do not have an account, but given all the evidence, i just don't understand why people continue to use this platform. It fucks with your mental health, hugely enhances divisions in society, and if you say the wrong thing, it will be used to fuck your life by assholes. -
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
first line? uuummmm
second line? I don't get Twitter. I don't get why people still use it. Young people loooove to whine about their mental health, and yet cannot do the one thing that will instantly improve it, dumping that fucking program.
Now, freely admit i am coming from a position of ignorance as i do not have an account, but given all the evidence, i just don't understand why people continue to use this platform. It fucks with your mental health, hugely enhances divisions in society, and if you say the wrong thing, it will be used to fuck your life by assholes.i suspect it isnt mainly young people on a whole that do use it, they love to whine agreed, but they do it via video hence they are all on tik tok
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@bayimports said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
first line? uuummmm
second line? I don't get Twitter. I don't get why people still use it. Young people loooove to whine about their mental health, and yet cannot do the one thing that will instantly improve it, dumping that fucking program.
Now, freely admit i am coming from a position of ignorance as i do not have an account, but given all the evidence, i just don't understand why people continue to use this platform. It fucks with your mental health, hugely enhances divisions in society, and if you say the wrong thing, it will be used to fuck your life by assholes.i suspect it isnt mainly young people on a whole that do use it, they love to whine agreed, but they do it via video hence they are all on tik tok
yeah, Tik Tok is fucked up. Just inane garbage for the most part (i've seen some genuinely funny shit though, same with Twitter).
People are the problem. God i fucking hate people.
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@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@bayimports said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
first line? uuummmm
second line? I don't get Twitter. I don't get why people still use it. Young people loooove to whine about their mental health, and yet cannot do the one thing that will instantly improve it, dumping that fucking program.
Now, freely admit i am coming from a position of ignorance as i do not have an account, but given all the evidence, i just don't understand why people continue to use this platform. It fucks with your mental health, hugely enhances divisions in society, and if you say the wrong thing, it will be used to fuck your life by assholes.i suspect it isnt mainly young people on a whole that do use it, they love to whine agreed, but they do it via video hence they are all on tik tok
yeah, Tik Tok is fucked up. Just inane garbage for the most part (i've seen some genuinely funny shit though, same with Twitter).
People are the problem. God i fucking hate people.
ha ha straight to the grumply old man thread with you, but so do I, I hate the premise of whinging about life, thinking they are creating new hacks while dancing in front of a video - yay tik tok
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@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
It must piss a lot of them off that one of them is Heavyweight champion of the world too.
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@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@bayimports said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Why? Because of the people I know? Not said anything about my own correct opinions.
Said it before & I'll say it again. Twitter will bring about the next war.
first line? uuummmm
second line? I don't get Twitter. I don't get why people still use it. Young people loooove to whine about their mental health, and yet cannot do the one thing that will instantly improve it, dumping that fucking program.
Now, freely admit i am coming from a position of ignorance as i do not have an account, but given all the evidence, i just don't understand why people continue to use this platform. It fucks with your mental health, hugely enhances divisions in society, and if you say the wrong thing, it will be used to fuck your life by assholes.i suspect it isnt mainly young people on a whole that do use it, they love to whine agreed, but they do it via video hence they are all on tik tok
yeah, Tik Tok is fucked up. Just inane garbage for the most part (i've seen some genuinely funny shit though, same with Twitter).
People are the problem. God i fucking hate people.
The hot chicks dancing videos on tik tok are good. So that's something
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@mariner4life said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@jc said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
@mariner4life To be fair, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy for your cause with the British public by white-knighting travellers.
Yeah, very few people have good experiences with Travellers. I know exactly zero people who have a single positive, or even neutral, thing to say about them.
you violent hateful bigoted racist
Yeah, when it comes to our travelling brethren, I guess we'll just have to own that
The irony is that the travellers I've had the misfortune to meet have been some of the most racist people I've ever known. And their violent tendencies are a given. But somehow we have to overlook that because they're a minority and therefore saintly innocents.
Anyway, this is where we were always going to end up once it became accepted that words were violence
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names are crimes against humanity.
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Travellers are fucking great for subtitled call-out videos on YouTube. Followed by a bare-knuckle boxing video
you can spend hours watching them
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@majorrage said in F off with the damn PC Brigade:
Fascinating little situation going over here in PC world about Jimmy Carr.
For those who have seen his Dark Material Netflix special, one of his jokes has really kicked off the warriors. Politicians are kind of fucked either way on this though, as whatever they say when questioned, they are either against free speech or pro racism against Travellers. Here is the joke:
So it's in the first 30 seconds. And that's what's gone viral. The context added in the following 90 seconds of course nobody has heard ...
FWIW, I laughed my arse off when I heard it and realised immediately it made me a bad person. But it's a joke. Carr is right though, it was educational, I never knew that before then, I do now.
Still think Boyls is far worse when it comes to crossing PC lines myself. However, he does hold Owen Jones political views though, so it seems to make it ok ...
Thanks for that... I'd seen all the headlines, but couldn't be arsed researching what it was all about.
And yeah, it was exactly as expected...- Funny
- Only offensive to people who have decided it should be
- And actually, in the wider context - contra-racist, or rather - contra... something. Fuck knows, I'm pissed - but raising awareness of the non-Jew portion of the Holocaust, which people seem to need to be reminded about.
Or something.
F off with the damn PC Brigade