Big Business is Tired of Being the Only One Singing on Gun Reform
Corporate leaders have been vocal about gun control for years, but after the latest mass shooting in Nashville, many are noticeably quiet. What's behind this sudden silence from America's biggest CEOs? According to Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who has a direct line to major executives, they're frustrated.
Their previous efforts haven't done much to push the needle on gun control legislation and without more backing, they don't know what else they can do at the moment. They've joined causes with valor and nobility, but they can't just take cause after cause as if there's nobody else in society. The social change that happened in the 1960s wasn't led primarily by CEOs; it was led by clergy, students, and activists.
The CEOs are still active on various issues, including voting rights and sustainability, but they're waiting for others to join them. They don't need to restate something they've already stated. They've jumped into the pool where CEOs take a stand, but who's jumping in beside them? The nation's CEOs are waiting for everybody else to join them.
So what led to this complacency amongst Americans and the growing reliance on CEOs to advocate on our behalf? Well, it turns out that many big businesses have taken a strong stance on gun control, going further than the general public. However, their actions in the streets aren't matching their words. They're frustrated because they want social capital – public trust – but need the rest of civil society to join them.
And is this silence due to CEOs holding the purse strings? Nope, that's just a common misconception. Since the 2020 elections, much less campaign contributions have come from big business. In fact, many companies have either put an official moratorium on giving to politicians or given mere pennies.
Corporate leaders have been vocal about gun control for years, but after the latest mass shooting in Nashville, many are noticeably quiet. What's behind this sudden silence from America's biggest CEOs? According to Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who has a direct line to major executives, they're frustrated.
Their previous efforts haven't done much to push the needle on gun control legislation and without more backing, they don't know what else they can do at the moment. They've joined causes with valor and nobility, but they can't just take cause after cause as if there's nobody else in society. The social change that happened in the 1960s wasn't led primarily by CEOs; it was led by clergy, students, and activists.
The CEOs are still active on various issues, including voting rights and sustainability, but they're waiting for others to join them. They don't need to restate something they've already stated. They've jumped into the pool where CEOs take a stand, but who's jumping in beside them? The nation's CEOs are waiting for everybody else to join them.
So what led to this complacency amongst Americans and the growing reliance on CEOs to advocate on our behalf? Well, it turns out that many big businesses have taken a strong stance on gun control, going further than the general public. However, their actions in the streets aren't matching their words. They're frustrated because they want social capital – public trust – but need the rest of civil society to join them.
And is this silence due to CEOs holding the purse strings? Nope, that's just a common misconception. Since the 2020 elections, much less campaign contributions have come from big business. In fact, many companies have either put an official moratorium on giving to politicians or given mere pennies.
. corporations think they're doin' us a solid by speakin' out on gun reform, but really they're just lookin' for a pat on the back from the public. newsflash: it's not workin'. all these big names jumpin' on the bandwagon after a mass shooting, only to fall silent when no one else is followin' suit... it's like they think they're the ones who got shot here 
. and don't even get me started on how they're waitin' for "everybody else" to join them. what about all the little guys doin' somethin' already? are we just supposed to sit back and let the CEOs hold our hands through this 
CEOs are literally tired of being the only ones talking about gun reform lol they're frustrated cuz their efforts haven't gotten much traction and now they're like "hey guys join us, let's do this together" but like, where r all the ppl? 
i feel u prof though - corporate leaders have been vocal 4 years but nothing's really changed 
& btw did u know most big biz are giving way less to politicians now? 
idk what's goin on, but it feels like we need more voices than just the ones in boardrooms 
, but shouldn't they be using their influence to push for real change instead of just waiting for everyone else to join them? It's like they're saying "Hey, we care about gun control... but only because we feel bad about it, not because we actually believe in changing the system" 
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, but can't CEOs see that they've got a massive platform to amplify those voices now? It's not like they're going to let social justice movements fade away just because they don't want to be the only ones taking a stand 
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I think it's time we had a chat about corporate responsibility 
It's about accountability and leadership. If they want to be seen as champions of social justice, then they need to put their actions where their mouth is. No more just tweeting about it (although, let's be real, that's still better than nothing 
). The silence from these CEOs is deafening – or should I say, it's being drowned out by the rest of us who are actually making a difference? 
. If CEOs are frustrated because nobody else is jumping in, doesn't that mean we've lost faith in our leaders? Like, what does it say about us as a society when we rely so heavily on one group of people to take action on our behalf? And if they're not getting the social capital they want, maybe it's because we need them to join a bigger movement than just "gun control" 
. It's like, how much do you really trust your leaders when they only speak up on the issues that get them attention? 
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I'm kinda surprised by this silence from big business. I mean, we all know they've been vocal about gun control in the past, so it's weird that they're just... quiet now 
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. So, what's really going on here? Is it a lack of coordination among businesses or some other factor entirely? I'm curious to see how this plays out 
They've been vocal for years, but it's like they're waiting for some sort of validation from us, the general public.
I mean, I've seen some big companies doing great work on sustainability and voting rights, but it's just not enough. They need us to join them and make some noise too.
. and yeah, maybe they're frustrated, but its not because the public isn't on board, it's more like they're expecting the rest of society to be as vocal as they are 
. newsflash, CEOs: social change isnt just about you jumping into a pool, its about creating a wave with everyone else 
just because their efforts didn't lead to change... it's like they're expecting the rest of us to take up the cause too! what's going on is that people are expecting way too much from companies, thinking that one company jumping into a social issue automatically fixes everything 
... meanwhile the rest of us are still waiting for some real action from our leaders 