OK. We’ve got two new shootings in the books, and, surprise, surprise, leftist politicians and activists are rushing to blame President Trump and conservatives. Conservatives, who are saddled with the worst marketing department in the history of marketing, are going in a different direction, targeting mental illness. But I think they’re both wrong. To me, the answer is obvious: it’s our declining culture. For the last 50 years (give or take), our culture has been devaluing life, making fun of our moral codes, running the Ten Commandments out of town, and inundating our kids with sex, violence, and anything…
The toxicity of holding a grudge
I’m not one for inspirational or helpful quotes, but I heard one the other day that really resonated. “Holding on to anger against another is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies.” I’m not sure who said it (though a little research suggests it’s part of Alcoholics Anonymous teaching), but it paints a very vivid picture of how toxic holding a grudge against another can be. Well said, and great advice. Life is too short. Let it go. Chances are, the other person doesn’t even know (or care) that you’re angry, anyway.
White supremacy is to climate change what racism is to global warming
When left-leaning politicians and activists saw that the phrase “global warming” was running into the wall of truth that was a 10 year cooling cycle, the vernacular was changed to “climate change.” Who can argue with “climate change?” The climate, by its very nature, is always changing. So you get to be always right. Meanwhile, after decades of calling conservatives “racist,” it has finally begun to ring hollow. The facts just don’t match the claim. So, as with “global warming,” the marketing machine spun up a new phrase for it: “white supremacy.” We can look forward to hearing this…
The worst marketing department in the world
Watching the Republican Party for the past 30+ years, I have been dumbfounded, shocked, and amazed (and sometimes impressed) with how bad of a job they do with their marketing. They simply have the worst (or no) messaging strategy in the history of marketing departments. This may sound a bit like hyperbole, but factor in that not only do they miss or blow every opportunity they are given to get their message out, tell their story, or correct the record, but they are also working with the greatest, and easiest product, to market in the history of the world:…
Move over for pedestrians
Coming from the Midwest, running in the Pacific Northwest has always been a frustrating experience. Running in Seattle, I’m always amazed at how lockstep the entire population is in not budging an inch in their cars when passing me when I’m running. There are no sidewalks where I run, so if I want to stay on the road, I have very little room to work with that isn’t into the driving lane. Yet I’m constantly amazed at how every driver who passes refuses to give me an inch. They all stay in their lane. I was reminded of this…
Marvel reflects reality, sadly…
Word on the street is that Marvel Studios is seeking a transgender actress to play a role in the Marvel Universe, making Marvel more reflective of society. They’re not reflective in that transgender people will finally get represented. They’re reflective in that they feel some obligation to pander to a small group of people who often don’t identify as people, but a subset of people. (The way being white is a subset of people, just to be clear.) What I wonder is where the pandering truly lies: Is it Marvel singling out a small minority to illustrate how inclusive…
The sweet irony of racism
Over the weekend, I looked at the news and saw this: My first reaction wasn’t to automatically assume President Trump let fire a racist tweet. My first reaction was what everyone’s should be: to read the tweets and see what they really said. So I looked and found this: He didn’t mention race. But every news outlet did. Every single news site I saw, CNN, Salon, Vox, New York Magazine, MSNBC, etc. referred either to a “racist tweet,” or Elijah Cummings as a “black Congressman.” But why stop at “black Congressman.” Why not add “tall,” or “bald,” or “68-year-old?”…
The death of the greatest hits record?
The way music is enjoyed now, individual songs heard on Spotify or downloaded from iTunes, is much different than it used to be. I just received an email today announcing the release of Spoon’s greatest hits album: Everything Hits At Once. I’d never even thought of it before, but I couldn’t believe someone has released a greatest hits album. Very few people are going to the record store anymore to browse new albums, and even fewer would pick up a greatest hits album. Not when it’s so easy to just hear the songs you know and like. Who’s even…
Confrontation: the real, and rare, key to great management
LinkedIn is full of little pithy sayings about how to be a great manager. With the sheer volume of people posting little tips about the importance of appreciating employees, empowering employees, being a good listener, etc., you’d think there are great managers all over the place. Unfortunately, based on my own experience in more than 10 companies, and years of listening to others talk about their managers, great managers seem to be much more of a rarity. And however much people talk about how they want to be treated, there is really one core reason why there’s only a…
It’s not racism, it’s culturalism
The charge of “racism” has been a liberal defense when losing an argument for years. Nothing new there. And the Republican Marketing Department, the worst marketing organization in the history of marketing, always rolls over and hopes it will go away. Nothing new there, either. But President Trump, a “Republican” (kind of), is doing something different and going on offense. He’s pointing out something I’ve been saying for years: Blaming anything on racism is just lazy thinking. At this point, racism is rare and hard to come by. We’ve simply just gotten too far away from it. Around 50…