Wearing a bright red employee mandated Santa hat on her head and a small wooden crucifix on her neck, Mary Bogdan finished ringing up her final customer of the evening at her job with a large department store chain in southern California. Only a week before Christmas it was the store’s busiest and most profitable time of year. 

“Merry Christmas,” smiled Bogdan to her customer over the store music speaker blaring ‘Santa Baby’.

The shopper nodded with a smile as Bogdan turned off her open sign. That’s when her manager appeared, cleared his throat, and asked for ‘a word.’

The manager reminded the 22-year-old college student and part-time employee about the corporate policy to only say Happy Holidays and to not mention the ‘divisive’ word, Christmas. 

“But it is Christmas, sir,” puzzled the devout Orthodox Christian and recent immigrant from Romania.  

“Not to all of our customers. That’s why we wish them ‘Happy Holidays’. And don’t call me Sir. Gender pronouns also aren’t allowed.’”

Taking the Christ out of Christmas

Puzzled, Bogdan observed her workplace: Alicia Keys singing about her Santa sugar daddy, the ‘festive’ decorations’ adorning cash desks, isles and displays. But not a single actual reference to Christmas anywhere – with the exception of the many Christmas items for sale.

“I reminded him how he told us to say Happy Diwali last month to which he said that head office makes the rules. It’s called diversity, he told me,” Mary recounts in an emotional interview with GWU!

Bogdan needed this job to help pay her way through veterinarian school and send money home to Romania to support her widowed mother and little brother suffering from COVID-19 mRNA vaccine induced myocarditis.

In the tear-filled interview with GWU! she sobs that after being scolded by her supervisor she was anything but filled with the Christmas spirit. Bogdan felt confused, belittled and dehumanized.

“Yes, they are my employer. But surely they do not own my mind or my voice.”

Christmas Miracle

Shortly after speaking with GWU! Bogdan started to look for a new job and to her delight found that there are companies across America and even pockets of ultra left-wing Canada that have signed something called an anti-woke pledge.

“These companies promise they will not discriminate against their workers’ free speech rights and personal beliefs,” she enthused.  

Trial Balloon

The anti-woke workplace initiative is led by RedBalloon, a conservative-leaning job bank. The company, only a year old, has established an “Employee Bill of Rights” with the goal of protecting employees from woke ideology in the workplace. RedBalloon connects freedom minded employees with more than 2,000 companies that have similar values. 

A press release from RedBalloon founder Andrew Crapuchettes states that across the country, thousands of Americans have reported work discrimination because of their privately held beliefs. Some have even lost their jobs due to pressure from left wing activist colleagues or politically correct employers.

“There needs to be a massive pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training,” says Crapuchettes. He insists that the pursuit of these woke ideals has led to the long-term destruction of businesses and the crushing effect it has on millions of American workers. According to a report by business and economics research publisher McKinsey Institute at least $8 billion per year is being spent on DEI training in the US.

Overzealous HR department are also to blame he laments, for, “sapping the joy out of work” and of instilling woke thinking which causes a breakdown in teamwork in the workplace

“Why would I put my best effort in for a company that’s trying to tell me that I’m evil because I’m white or that I’m evil because I’m a conservative?”

The Season of Giving, And Receiving 

Bogdan triumphantly tells GWU! that since registering on RedBalloon she’s already had several high paying job offers from companies that either respect or directly align with her personal values.

“I think this will turn out to be a Merry Christmas after all,” smiles the now in-demand worker. “And it looks like my New Year’s resolution is as simple as picking from my choices of employers who are not woke.”