© Twitter / @Hugh_Son
The CEO of JPMorgan Chase was photographed taking a knee in front of a large bank vault on Friday, sparking speculation that he was expressing support for anti-racism protests that have spread across the United States.
His bank declined to confirm whether there was a deeper meaning behind the photograph, but Dimon had previously voiced sympathy for the demonstrations, stating that Chase was "committed to fighting against racism and discrimination wherever and however it exists."
For social media, the possibility that uber-wealthy Dimon had engaged in some rather transparent virtue signaling was too much to bear.
"You don't have to be broke to be woke," joked one unimpressed Twitter user.
Others pointed out that Dimon's powerful bank has been accused of racism and discrimination in the past. JPMorgan Chase was also blamed for purposefully targeting black neighborhoods with subprime loans, and even gave millions of dollars to the NYPD.
If Dimon was in fact trying to show his solidarity with protesters, he likely did so out of fear rather than genuine support, noted one commenter.
During the mayhem last week, rioters set fire to a Chase bank in La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego. Other banks and ATMs have also been targeted by protesters. The kneeling phenomenon has split public opinion, with some arguing that it is a form of submission, while others have applauded the gesture as a show of solidarity with the black community. Photographs showing police officers and even national guardsmen taking a knee have further polarized the debate.
Comment: This is simply boilerplate morality: all appearance, no substance. Virtue isn't virtue if you parade it around like some trendy new haircut. If you want to be a conformist, mindless automaton, by all means, join the latest virtue signalling fad. Just know it's meaningless, and tools like Jamie Dimon and Justin Trudeau aren't demonstrating a shred of actual character: they're just copying other people who are copying other people to show they're all on the ideologically correct side of the fence. The fact that such blatant mindlessness and conformity is mistaken as an expression of some kind of heightened moral development says a lot. This is the lowest form of virtue possible.
Another example:
This idiocy is going on everywhere, like any strong social contagion:
This guy knows what's going on. If you don't watch anything else, watch this heartfelt message from man who seems to have real character: