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In the wake of Donald Trumps reelection as U.S. president, a growing chorus of voices is calling on liberals to toughen up and tone down the moral high ground. If the left wants to claw back power, they argue, its time to play dirty. Enter: dark woke. The term began circulating online soon after Trump was sworn in for his second term. A video of someone sprinting up to a Cybertruck and spraying its silver shell with spray paint? Dark woke. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling the new Republican government rapists and, in response, telling critics to cry more? Dark woke. #DarkWoke is rising. pic.twitter.com/2taP6TzHo2— Right Wing Cope (@RightWingCope) February 3, 2025 Even elected Democrats seem to be testing the waters. California Representative Robert Garcia recently claimed hes borrowing from House member Marjorie Taylor Greenes playbook by bringing a dick pica photo of Elon Muskto a Department of Government Efficiency subcommittee meeting. Its not just a terminally online trend. TikToker and self-described Regina George liberal Suzanne Lambert echoed the sentiment in a CBS interview, urging Democrats to be meaner. Her reasoning: You fight fire with fire: I want people to feel more comfortable fighting back, and I want them to see someone fighting for them. Its the latest evolution of what was once known, during Trumps first term, as the dirtbag lefta label for young progressives who ruthlessly mocked their political enemies. During the 2024 election, then-President Joe Bidens campaign also briefly embraced the Dark Brandon meme, which reimagined the 81-year-old Democratic nominee as a cooler internet alter-ego. I think the dark woke stuff had to happen eventually because the liberal side of the culture war has not been overtly cruel enough to fit into American politics, one X user mused last month. I think the dark woke stuff had to happen eventually because the liberal side of the culture war has not been overtly cruel enough to fit into American politics— Liv (@Liv_Agar) February 1, 2025 However, one interpretation of dark wokeism essentially boils down to slurs but said in a leftist way. On X, this is framed as a backlash against the namby-pamby language policing that no one likes in liberal politics. Most people think dark woke just means using slurs/adopting inherently regressive right wing positions, journalist Taylor Lorenz posted on X. Most dark woke types have just adopted conservatism but refuse to acknowledge that bc they are nominally against Trump or want to think of themselves as good ppl. Most people think dark woke just means using slurs/adopting inherently regressive right wing positions. Most dark woke types have just adopted conservatism but refuse to acknowledge that bc they are nominally against Trump or want to think of themselves as good ppl— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) February 2, 2025 This shift toward meaner, nastier politics isnt exactly surprising. Trumps risebuilt on a strategy of saying absolutely anything, no matter how offensive or plain wrongdidnt just win him a second term. It set the tone for global politics. For now, dark woke is more gallows humor than any kind of serious organizing force. Whether it becomes something more? That remains to be seen.
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E-Commerce
As society becomes increasingly aware of peoples diverse needs, accessible design has become the hot topic. Years ago at Michael Graves Design, our president Donald Strum, our chief design officer Rob Van Varick, and I were reviewing student portfolios. All the designs were about sustainability. Today, we see a lot of focus on accessibility. We love it. This makes sense, because gaining empathy for your products future users is at the core of product design. The design community is ready for accessibility. Our challenge today is proving that it makes great business sense. At Michael Graves Design, we have long embraced accessible design; our North Star is activities of daily living (ADLs), a term used to describe the fundamental skills required to successfully live independently. Guided by our “Delight for All” philosophy, and with the ADLs prioritizing the most impactful objects to design, were dedicated to designing products that people love and products that enhance lives, regardless of age or physical ability. To do that, we look for product opportunity gapsunmet consumer needsand fulfill them with new product designs. By definition, this is pioneering, creating solutions that previously have not existed. We embrace pioneering as a cherished value that we want to share. Our true mission has been to design everyday objects in a way that works for the widest audience possible. At the same time, the products should look great and make users love them because the products enhance their lives. Brands want to make emotional connections with consumers and helping someone do something that was previously a struggle is the best way to fall in love. We understand that expanding the addressable market size is fundamental to growth and that people always want a better mousetrap. Were designing products that give equal focus to style and safety. Democratization of design Michael Graves, an esteemed architect and designer, founded our firm with a visionary mission to shift design from abstract modernism to a human-centered approach that puts the person at the center of all design decisions. This philosophy brought color and art back into the built environment, and prioritized human comfort, understanding, and joy. This approach provides cognitive accessibility. Later, Michael Graves Designs partnership with Target defined America’s expectation that great design should be affordable to everyone. Design became a corporate strategy. The democratization of design was born, and our company delivered financial accessibility. Over his last decade, after becoming paralyzed, Michael discovered the indignities the built environment imposed on people, and he became a passionate advocate among the disabled. This moved our company to focus on physical accessibility, directing the power of design to improve lifestyles and healthcare experiences for every body. Michael transformed the role of the architect in society and left the world a better place than he found it. Delight for All Now, our mission is Delight for All, to create moments of joy through products that are visually appealing, full of character and purpose, and designed to enhance peoples lives. We take pride in being one of the most accessible design brands, creating functional, beautiful products for every body and encourage other companies and designers to do the same. Weve brought over 2,500 products to market, from our iconic teakettles to healthcare products that transform the acute care experience, to home products that prioritize universal accessibility and appeal. We create products with purpose and personality, safety, and style, so that no one has to choose between living with one or the otherthe concepts can coexist harmoniously. This approach is rooted in empathy and an understanding of how profoundly good design improves quality of life, making everyday environments more intuitive and enjoyable for everyone. Design for All led to good design becoming a cost of entry consideration for most companies. Our brand ethos is now pushing other companies and designers to consider physical accessibility from the onset of their design processes rather than as an afterthought. Once this reaches critical mass and competition is everywhere, the promise of universal design will be achieved and we want to get there together. How is this done? To design any product with a Delight for All vision, a rigorous ethnographic research process, known as Design With, is essential to the discovery of novel functional enhancements. We start each design project by generating insights based on the lives of real people. We conduct interviews and observations with a diverse range of potential users, including older adults and individuals with disabilities. By understanding the unique needs of these communities, we ensure that our products are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and empowering, making them suitable for every body. Human-focused ethos This human-focused ethos guided our recent collaboration with Pottery Barn, where consumer preference testing feedback informed the designs for our new products. By prioritizing user feedback, companies can create designs that blend safety with style, showing that accessibility is as essential to great furniture design as are aesthetic considerations. Design has the power to enrich all of our lives and this collaboration allows us to make beautiful and purposeful furniture available to everyone. We also focus on collaborating with design schools and advocacy groups to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility in design, ensuring this ethos spreads. Our goal is to set new consumer expectations with products that seamlessly blend safety with style, proving to the world that accessible design makes great business sense by broadening the total addressable market. We remain committed to redefining accessible design, ensuring that innovation and empathy continues to shape a more inclusive world and want to see more brands do so with us. Accessible design is part of our ongoing mission: to create functional, accessible, and beautiful products that enhance the lives of every body, paving the way for a more inclusive world. Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design.
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E-Commerce
On Wednesday, Utah became the first state in the country to pass legislation mandating that app stores verify users ages and get parental consent for certain activity on minors accounts. The controversial App Store Accountability Act, which will now head to the desk of Utah Governor Spencer Cox, has pitted app store giants Google and Apple against social media companies like Meta and is part of a wave of similar proposals that have been introduced in a number of states, including Texas and Alabama. The bill received broad support from the social media platforms that have borne the brunt of criticism for failing to protect children online. Those platforms have long argued that app stores themselves ought to take on more responsibility to shield kids from harmful apps. In a statement provided on behalf of Meta, Snap, and X, a Meta spokesperson applauded Utah for putting parents in charge with the passage of the law. “Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their childs age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way, the statement reads. The app store is the best place for it. App stores, of course, see things differently. Google declined Fast Companys request for comment, and Apple didnt respond. But Chamber of Progress, a tech advocacy group that represents both companies, has come out forcefully in opposition of the legislation. In public testimony and writing platforms, the group has accused the bill of infringing on the First Amendment rights of Utah’s citizens and violating their privacy by forcing app stores to collect sensitive data in order to verify ages. Chamber of Progress has argued the law would require companies to collect even more data than they already do. In a statement to Fast Company, Chamber of Progresss government relations senior director Robert Singleton suggested a legal battle would inevitably follow if the bill is signed into law. Indeed, another law in Utah that attempted to require social media platforms to verify users ages was blocked in court last year on First Amendment grounds. Similar social media age-verification laws in other states have also been blocked, but that has not deterred states, including Utah, from approaching the issue from a new angle. And yet, Singleton predicted, The same thing is likely to happen here. This bill invades everyones privacy and forces even adults to share sensitive data just to use their own devices. Utah state representative Jim Dunnigan, who sponsored the bill in the State House, says parent groups were a significant force in getting the legislation over the finish line. This is at least partly driven by parents who are concerned about the adult contacts that their children have available to them, he says. Parents arent always there, and their kids are curious. Were trying to protect them until they get older. One leading child advocacy group that has been circulating the bill across the country as model legislation is the Digital Childhood Alliance. In a statement, the alliances founding chair Melissa McKay said, The momentum behind this issue is growing, and todays victory is a testament to the urgent need for accountability from the platforms that shape the digital lives of children. In addition to requiring app stores to verify ages and get parental consent every time a child wants to download or purchase something on an app, the bill would require app stores to share age categories and consent data with developers. It would also enable minors or their parents who have been harmed to file a civil suit against app stores. Utahs governor was supportive of the social media age-verification law that was blocked, and according to Rep. Dunnigan, Governor Cox is expected to support this new bill as well. If that happens, it seems unlikely the app store giants will go down without a fight. A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed how Apples lobbying blitz in Louisiana helped kill a similar attempt to regulate the App Store. In the meantime, the company appears eager to send a message that its prepared to implement changes without regulation. Last week, in apparent anticipation of the laws passage, Apple announced a slew of new child-safety offerings, including giving parents the ability to share their childrens ages in the App Storeinformation that is then passed on to app developers. Thats a welcome step, says Rep. Dunnigan, but we need consistency across all platforms, and thats what this bill tries to accomplish.
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E-Commerce
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