Politics Are Not for the Savvy

It mustn’t be, given some of the less than brilliant stuff that came out just this week.

First case in point: a politician from Tennessee, facing a difficult time in the November election, because of the large African-American population in his district, thought it would be a smart move to pass a resolution that apologizes, yet again, for slavery. Really? That’s the best you can do? Picking at a scab that’s been trying to heal for over 100 years.

If you truly want to show your support for the African-American community, do something that works to build that community. Invest in their health, family services, education. Do something more than apologize.

Second case in point: McCain’s newest commercial compares Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Sour grapes and jealousy should never be the driving force behind a promotional concept. If that’s the best he can do or the most he can say, he’s desperate. Of course, I guess it’s better than him just coming right out and saying “Vote for me! I’m just like most of middle America. I’m white, old, and I have no clue about Mid-East geography.”

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You Still Have to Earn It

I’m finally starting to catch up on some of my magazine reading. I have the May 2008 issue of The Atlantic right now. In it is a piece titled “This Is How We Lost to the White Man”. It’s about Bill Cosby’s quasi-crusade to change the attitudes and behaviors of many of the nation’s African Americans. In doing so, he is preaching accountability and self-reliance, earning the trust and respect of those around you.

I applaud his efforts. Not simply because he is speaking directly to African Americans, but because it is a lesson we must all understand. No matter who you are, how you were raised, what education or skill or talent you have, in the end, you still have to earn people’s respect and trust. If you are fortunate to enter a situation where that respect and trust for you already exists, you must demonstrate repeatedly that it is warranted.

This reminds of a class my freshman year of college. We were in Dr. Marcus Smith’s Modern Epic Literature class, and the discussion turned toward equality. I don’t quite remember how we got off on that tangent, but Dr. Smith asked one of the female students what it is she really wanted. She started talking about being given equal pay and equality in the workplace. Admirable and which I heavily support. His comment back to her, though, carried more weight than I would have realized.

He said, simply, “Who the f*** is going to give it to you?” She had no answer for that other than the infamous “they”. His point, though, was that no one is going to just give it (OK maybe some will, but they are few and far between). She had to earn it.

What are you doing to earn trust and respect? What are you doing that is destroying it? What can you do better? What are the things that you can and cannot control?

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You Said It

Last week, the big news on the campaign trail was Jesse Jackson’s remarks on The O’Reilly Factor. Well, the remarks were during a commercial break when he though the microphones were off. Oh, and he didn’t really mean them. And he certainly didn’t want to bring any harm to the campaign.

And we’re all supposed to accept that.

I’m sorry Reverend Jackson, but you said, quite clearly, that you wanted to “cut his nuts off.” Is there some meaning in there that the rest of us just don’t get? I’m pretty good with context and giving people the benefit of the doubt when things may be out of context.

Wanting to cut someone’s nuts off is pretty clear. And it would be a stretch to come up with something, anything, that might be positive or even neutral in some way.

Good luck with that.

I wonder how many more votes Sen. Obama will get because of it.

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Misguided Crusaders

This week, a coworker received calls from some of our customers concerned about a report they had seen on the news. Apparently, according to the report, certain products posed a moderate hazard. So, I did some investigating.

What I found frustrated, annoyed, and generally sickened me.

You see, a non-profit agency proposing to protect our children from harmful chemicals uses that platform for their own crusade, no matter how misguided it may be. They rail against the FDA for not imposing strict enough regulations, and issue black marks against companies that use products that the U.S. government fails to regulate. The reasoning behind this is that other countries, most notably Japan and the European Union do regulate these types of ingredients.

The problem is that this group has created several databases to deal with these ingredients individually, without respect for how they are used or the testing behind the final product. In other words, products approved for use in the EU, because they are safe, are disregarded in this study. Why? Because they don’t match up with the intended purpose. They need a reason to exist. So instead of being responsible in their analysis, they decide to take a more common, politically motivated route that focuses on fear.

Oddly, this particular organization felt it fine to attack numerous groups for their regulatory failings, while avoiding those governmental agencies dealing with crackpots spouting inaccuracies about any number of issues.

Here’s what most organizations relying on this type of tactic don’t realize: at some point it’s useless. No matter how loud you yell, people will stop listening because they are tired of hearing your dire warnings with no consequences.

Kind of like the boy who cried wolf. Instead, deal with the real issues we are facing. Not just the ones that fit into your database.

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