Archive for Current Affairs
New Golden Rule: See something? SAY SOMETHING.
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Recent events have led me to believe that the world is populated by blind people. Or at least people who are easily sold on crazy.
One of those recent developments is the unfolding drama at Penn State, where icons of college sports – both the college and the coach – have been revealed to have been, if not active perpetrators, at least willing-to-look-the-other-way co-conspirators in child sexual abuse.
I use the image on the right because (a) it’s one of my favorite ad posters ever and (b) what happened at Penn State happened in a washroom.
If you see something, SAY SOMETHING. Even if you don’t/can’t/won’t DO something, at least speak up. And don’t take “it’s just [insert utterly unacceptable excuse here], don’t worry, I’ll take care of it” as an adequate response.
SAY something to someone who can/will DO something. Not the bishop that the pedophile priest works for. Not the coach who’s the supervisor of the guy who’s raping a child in the shower.
SAY SOMETHING to the cops.
“If you see something, say something” is the tag-line for a current Dept. of Homeland Security awareness campaign, aimed at stopping terrorist activity before it becomes an actual attack.
If rape isn’t terrorism, I don’t know what is. All crimes against persons – assault, rape, mugging, et al – is terrorism on a small scale, leaving marks as deep as surviving a bus bombing. In some ways, these very personal attacks leave deeper marks, because an entire community doesn’t share the victim’s experience. The person is left to deal with the aftermath alone. Just as the Penn State victim – he’s been dealing with the aftermath since 2002, essentially alone. And now the whole world is watching.
If you see something – someone hitting a child, slapping their spouse, raping a child in a freakin’ locker room – SAY SOMETHING. If you see it in your house. If you see it on your street. If you see it in the office. If you see it at your school.
See bullying? Say something. See domestic violence? Say something. See a theft, or an assault? Say something.
Find someone with a badge and a gun – and not just a university/school cop, either – and report what you saw. Keep talking until they listen.
If you see someone with a badge or a gun perpetrating a crime, call the FBI. Use your cellphone camera, and take it to the media.
See something? SAY SOMETHING.
All that it takes for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing. That’s always true, and never more true than in the situation where both the Catholic church and Penn State find themselves. An institution that’s trusted with the care and education of children has no excuse: if you see something, say something. Otherwise you’re approving the act.
It’s that simple.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it …
Tabloids, Noise, and Handcuffs. Film at 11.
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I started my career in network news around the same time the space shuttle Columbia made its first trip into low-earth orbit.
Also around that same time, CNN (acronym for Cable News Network, was referred to as Chicken Noodle News by those of us in “establishment” TV news at the time) brought the 24-hour TV news cycle to life. That was, I think, one of the first strikes on the first nail in the coffin where the body of real news ultimately got buried.
As my grandmother used to exclaim, “saints preserve us!”
That 24-hour spin cycle has now delivered the most meta of screaming headlines. A media shark frenzy is now chowing down on media itself: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and its burgeoning phone hacking scandal has, so far, brought us the heads of Rebekah Brooks, chief of News International and the last editor of The News of the World (I so will not miss that rag) and Sir Paul Stephenson, who was the chief of Scotland Yard until his career got hacked by hiring former NotW editors as Scotland Yard PR flacks.
The wind sown on the day that 24-hour spin cycle started – April 1, 1980 – is now reaping the whirlwind, and taking down an entire profession. Both Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner have a lot to answer for – I’m wondering how wide a net might ultimately be cast as the feeding frenzy keeps bloodying the news-business water.
I’m no longer working directly for any news organization, haven’t been for five years. Part of that decision was driven by the writing I saw on the interwebs wall. The web was eating the lunch of mainstream media, and combined with “the internet wants content to be free!”-ocracy that developed in the first decade of the 21st century, it all meant that making any kind of a living in media was going to be problematic at best, impossible at worst.
But what really drove my decision was my utter disgust at what had happened to a profession in the 20+ years I had been in it. I was passionate about news, about that first draft of history that is the news business, about the feel of newspapers in my hands, about covering stories that I thought were important, exciting, and informative.
Democracy only fully works when an educated citizenry has access to unbiased information about what their overall society is up to, going through, exploring, learning, or pissed off about. By “unbiased” I mean that the reporter isn’t inserting his/her own opinions into their reportage.
Calls ‘em like they sees ‘em – those should be the rules of the game.
Unfortunately, the advent of a 24/7/365 “feed me!” mindset, along with the rise of info-tainment – which dictates that everything from how Tiger Wood’s wife deploys his 3-wood, to whether or not some celebutante is or is not wearing underpants, to which loser gets a rose from some other loser on some “reality” show that’s about as real as Pam Anderson’s rack – as “news” has brought us here.
At first blush, the crew who was phone-hacking might seem to be just the lower-than-pond-scum Brit tabloid jerks. However, the investigation has crossed the pond, and the FBI is now looking into allegations that Murdoch’s minions were hacking the families of 9/11 victims, seeking headline-worthy dirt.
So, the next time you pick up a People magazine or a supermarket tabloid, watch Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood, read TMZ or Perez Hilton, you must understand that you’re supporting the lack of real information available to move our society, our culture, and our world in a positive direction.
Yep, I’m talkin’ to you.
Stop the insanity.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it…
Freedom (of Responsiblity) on the Fourth of July
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Independence Day marks the birth of the United States of America, originating on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia when the Founding Fathers stopped arguing long enough to sign the Declaration of Independence.
As a nation, we’ve been arguing ever since.
About what “freedom” means – am I free to shoot my neighbor’s dog because it’s barking 24/7? Am I free to shackle my rebellious teenager to a radiator? Am I free to make my employees work without pay? (Note: the answer to each of those questions is “no,” but that doesn’t mean folks won’t fight for their right to do any/all of them.)
About what “rights” are (the original Founding Arguers discovered they needed to revisit the “rights” question in 1789, when James Madison introduced what became the Bill of Rights as a set of legislative articles; that argument continued until the Bill of Rights was signed into law in 1791), about who has rights (black people, even if they weren’t enslaved, had limited rights until the 20th century; women couldn’t vote until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920), and about what kind of rights immigrants have until they become US citizens (they are granted the same Constitutional rights as citizens, no matter what talk radio might lead you to believe; they can’t vote, they can’t work without a work permit, but they have the same right of habeus corpus, Miranda rights, etc.)
As our quadrennial Silly Season starts to ramp up in preparation for 2012 federal elections, let’s remember that with rights come responsibilities. Here is my suggested Bill of Responsibilities:
- All citizens have the right to their opinions. They have the responsibility to share them without resorting to verbal, or physical, violence. Yes, Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olberman, I’m talking to you.
- All citizens have the right to bear arms – but not against their fellow citizens, unless said fellow citizens are storming their front porch with malicious intent, i.e., they’re armed, too. Armed citizens have the responsibility to demonstrate restraint around gunpowder. Yes, Wayne LaPierre, I’m talking to you.
- Citizens shall not be forced to attend church as a mark of their American-ness. Yes, Pat Robertson, I’m talking to you. And to the Grahams. And the Falwells. And fundamentalists of all stripes: Christian, Judaism, Islam. The Founding Arguers were not a majority of religious men; Thomas Jefferson was an anti-cleric and most emphatically not a supporter of organized religion – witness the Jefferson Bible, in which Jefferson stripped all supernatural incidents, like raising-from-the-dead and angelic visitations, from his text. Freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. Citizens have the responsibility to respect the religious beliefs, or lack thereof, of their fellow citizens. Including the freedom to run screaming from an onslaught of proselytizing (look it up, fool).
- No citizen shall be forced to show papers, unless they’re re-entering the US at an international border. Yes, Arizona, I’m talking to you. Citizens have the responsibility to apply for a passport, to keep said passport current, and not whine if they’re held up at a US border for failing to possess that proof of citizenship.
- Citizens do not have to bear witness against themselves. However, if captured on video knocking over a liquor store, dragging someone into an alley against their will, or bashing someone over the head with a 5 iron, they have the responsibility to admit they’re idiots and take their punishment. Really. Oh, and if you’re caught on Twitter sharing pix of your privates, admit it immediately and move on. PLEASE. Yes, Anthony, I’m talkin’ to you.
OK, so it’s only (5), not an exact equivalent to the (10) in the Bill of Rights, but I think that if this Bill of Responsibilities got some traction, we might see a little less “brainless” and a bit more “think-before-acting” among our citizenry.
Which could only be a good thing in this very vocal, contentious, free, messy, wonderful US of A.
Happy Independence Day, everyone – now let’s start acting like we’ve read the Constitution & the Bill of Rights, and assume the responsibilities that come with freedom.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.
Failure to Study History Leads to Lather, Rinse…Repeat
Posted by: | CommentsThe 24-hour news cycle guarantees that the old truism “Don’t [expletive deleted] up on a slow news day” remains evergreen. Just ask Gilbert Gottfried – or, on second thought, don’t ask him, so we don’t have to hear that nails-on-blackboard voice.
Aflac got an “F” in history by not studying Mr. Gottfried’s history – particularly in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when he gave a live demo of what “too soon” means – to learn that they were hiring a loose beak as their spokes-duck. They weren’t wrong to fire him, my question is why they hired him in the first place. Surely he isn’t the only barely-employed voice talent that can make the word “Aflac” sound like a duck on steroids.
Now, in addition to having to find a new voice for their duck, Aflac needs to smooth the feathers of Japanese customers – 25% of all households, according to Aflac CEO Daniel Amos – who are left to question why the corporate voice thought making jokes at their expense after the worst natural disaster in recorded history was a good idea.
Another “F” in history goes to supporters of Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, who’s proud of breaking the back of public employee collective bargaining. Oh, except for police and fire unions - they’re heroes, they should still be able to negotiate salary and working conditions issues, right?
The history lesson is this: if you’re on a payroll, and work 40 hours a week, you owe a debt to the labor movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This Friday (March 25, 2011) marks the centennial of what was, until Sept. 11, 2001, the worst workplace disaster in US history: the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which 129 women and 17 men either burned to death, died of smoke inhalation, or leaped out of 9th floor windows to their deaths.
That disaster led to significant workplace reforms, led by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), the NYC Fire Department, and the New York State Legislature.
In the ensuing century, unions have mismanaged themselves into anachronism. Human systems will always include greed if they include money – just ask Jimmy Hoffa. No, not THAT Jimmy Hoffa – his son, James P. Hoffa, who’s the current Teamsters Union president. However, not allowing workers to band together to ask for better wages, or better working conditions, flies in the face of a central tenet of American life: self-determination.
Scott Walker’s efforts would be less visibly political if he had NOT exempted police and fire unions from his anti-collective-bargaining approach. He may have saved a few budget dollars, but I wonder how many of those dollars will remain after the next round of negotiations on a cop or firefighter contract.
My point? Never assume you’re operating in a vacuum, whether you’re in a corporate marketing meeting or a state legislature. Study the past, if for no other reason than to avoid repeating it. The scrap-heap of historical cautionary tales is already piled pretty high.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.
We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (not)
Posted by: | CommentsIn a piece on NPR’s All Things Considered on Valentine’s Day (irony is our favorite thing at Mighty Casey Media), it was revealed that women still lag behind men in pay equity, often leaving $1M or more on the table over an entire career due to their inability to negotiate pay raises.
A complicating factor there is that, when women use the same negotiating tactics used by men in the same situation, they’re seen as “overly aggressive” – ouch. I admit to being both more in-your-face than most women, and to hearing accusations of “you’re too assertive” over the years as I navigate my own career, but are we still stuck in gender-norming territory?
It seems that we are. When you’re looking for a job, or pitching business for your company, are you winding up in a pink ghetto? The only way to tell is to look at your win category: raises successfully won, business pitched and landed. If women are to get out of the girl ghetto, what’s the fast-track to getting what we deserve?
There are some great suggestions in the story. First, bartender Trudie Olsen-Curtis did get what she wanted: a raise. She did her research, and then made her pitch in a way that kept the conversation, and the negotiation, on track. Second, experts advise that the strongest negotiation tactic is…silence. Clearly state your case, and then look across the table. Nature, and negotiation conversations, abhor a vacuum – you’ll get a response. And then the game is on.
Like all good stories, the piece saved the best for last – the Girl Scouts have created a new badge called Win/Win, and it’s all about negotiating for what you want: a raise in allowance, money for a school trip, a later curfew, et al. It’s simple and effective, and gives me lots of hope for the next generation of women in business.
If you run a company or are in HR, ask yourself honestly if you’re using different criteria for men & women when negotiating raises or contracts. Think about your attitudes and expectations, about what your reactions would be to the same pitch from a man and from a woman. Make an effort to learn from that internal inventory, and to teach others the same lesson.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it…
Raising Cain … then lowering him. 3 tips to avoid that mistake.
Posted by: Mighty Casey | Comments (0)photo credit: Toby Harnden|Daily Telegraph
The quadrennial silly season known as the US Presidential race has been in full cry on the Republican side for about six months now, with some highly entertaining spectacle already on display. Unfortunately, a popular favorite, Herman Cain, who had built up quite a head of steam as a leading contender, has been somewhat sidelined by accusations that have put his campaign in PR-crisis-management mode.
First, let me make it clear that I have no dog in this fight. I’m still waiting for the Logic Party to form, and meanwhile am a member of the No Labels movement – in other words, I’m apolitical outside the voting booth. Inside the voting booth, I hold my nose and do the best I can under the circumstances.
My purpose here is to point out the three simple, yet critical, steps Cain and his campaign communications team should have taken to, if not 100% avoid this epic mud-fest, at least keep it at small-mud-puddle level.
I feel for the guy. I covered every Presidential race from 1980 to 2004. As I put it in my bio: I covered wars, Presidential campaigns, and Presidential campaigns that turned into wars. Politics is a rough, nasty, no-holds-barred business – the higher the office, the sharper the knives and the bigger the guns you’ll be up against.
Failing to recognize that, and failing to get in front of any negative information in your past by revealing it yourself first, guarantees painful war wounds.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it …