‘These companies aren’t your friends’: Google draws social media fury for downplaying cultural events on Calendar
Google sparked backlash from all over social media after it seemingly deleted important cultural events from Google Calendar. This move from the tech giant coincides with the trend of conglomerates shifting away from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.
According to Newsweek, the Calendar team of Google manually inputted “a broader set of cultural events” from several countries. Other countries and their events were missing. By that logic, including every event in the world wouldn’t be sustainable. Google is opting not to highlight these celebrations, but they won’t be eliminated. Black History Month, Pride Month, Indigenous Peoples Month, Hispanic History Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day are the events that will be affected by this change.
The company wasn’t forced to make these changes. If other countries are forced to view American holidays on their app, then it’s time to make Google Calendar region-specific. In this way, everyone wins and sees important country-specific celebrations crop up. By doing so, Google can no longer make the excuse that catering to everyone won’t be sustainable. After all, there’s no denying that these month-long celebrations are crucial to several minority groups in the United States.
Regardless, social media users were outraged at Google’s decision. Many cursed at Google for downplaying the importance of these events. One frustrated X user accused Google of being performative. They wrote, “These companies aren’t your friends, they don’t support you. They just want you to use their product and earn money from you.” Another X user reminded Google that these holidays will continue to exist, regardless of Google’s support. “You can remove holidays all you want, it won’t make them go away.”
A cultural shift against DEI
Social media users associated Google’s move as pandering to President Trump’s war against DEI. Trump signed an executive order that will end federal DEI programs and hiring practices. But this wouldn’t have been triggered by Trump’s actions alone—many companies are starting to turn away from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts altogether. Additionally, anti-DEI activism is on the rise. They have been barking against pride parades in companies and calling for consumer boycotts for featuring queer people.
Meanwhile, companies are quick to crumble under pressure. Walmart, McDonald’s, and several other major companies have scaled back on their DEI efforts. The Overton window has clearly shifted to the right, and it seems that following a trend is a priority for these companies that once used rainbows for their own exploits.
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