Right-wing bloviators spewing bile and calling it “news” have been a fixture on the political scene for quite a few years now. And they’ve had influence far beyond the numbers of “true believers.” While it’s hard to understand why anyone would pay attention to these mouthy masters of misrepresentation (take that, Spiro Agnew!), we see [...]
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Tags: acorn·commentators·shirley sherrod·van jones
“I’ve been beating myself up for not challenging your racism when you expressed it. So today, I’m going to stop beating myself up and tell you that I didn’t appreciate your put downs of those who look different from you, and I’ll not have you cut my hair again.” Then stand still and listen for dialogue. It may be quite vitriolic, but you may be able to go deeper. And you owe him that much.
You do this, not for his soul, but for yours. But there may be a side benefit of reaching his, too (maybe not right away).
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Tags: confronting racism·ken mcarthur·racist speech
Note From Shel Horowitz, Owner of this Blog: I’m posting this not because I agree with everything Jim says, but because I don’t. I’m not going to tell you which parts I agree with and which I’d argue with, at least not yet. I’d like you to have your say first, and when I return [...]
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Tags: Jim Kukral·marketing techniques·sales letters·scammy marketing
My friend Paul Krupin of Direct Contact PR sent me this memo from the Deepwater Horizon recovery team. Even if the Gulf of Mexico weren’t drowning in BP’s oil–a situation in which you’d expect the form letters would at least act grateful for the advice–this is one of the worst examples of corporate messaging I’ve [...]
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Tags: bp company memo·Carl-Henric Svanberg·deepwater horizon·gulf oil spill·Tony Hayward
In the Great Advertising Debate, branding vs. direct response, I’ve always come down on the side of direct response. Every marketing message (not just ads) should have a call to action, a way of moving the reader/viewer/listener forward. With the Internet making it very easy to remove material from its original context and share it, [...]
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Tags: branding·direct response advertising·oil extraction·oil shale tar sands·rainforest action network·royal bank of canada
This is not about politics; it’s about communication style, using a politician as an example. My wife teaches business communication (with a heavy focus on international dos and don’ts), and she and I both give Barack Obama high marks for his sensitivity to other cultures. Two quick examples among many: For his state dinner last [...]
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Tags: barack obama·cultural differences·india·international communication
One of my pet peeves is professional communicators who can’t communicate. Today I followed a link to an interesting-sounding article about why businesses could benefit from managing multiple Twitter accounts for different purposes. As a social media strategist (among other hats I wear), I figured I could get some fresh perspective. What I got instead [...]
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“Are you tough enough to wear pink?” This was the campaign they ran this year – everyone who bought a pink western shirt (yes – for the guys) was donating a percentage of the shirt price to breast cancer research.
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And to me, that means seeing the family as inclusive. I am not concerned about whether a family has two parents, whether it has different genders or where/how/if that family chooses to worship–and much more concerned that a family be a place of peace, love, support, and very deep connection.
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Tags: barack obama·family values·fatherhood·fathers day·harry potter·Michelle Obama·sasha and malia
One Small Victory Against Ulgtraright Hatemongering
July 22nd, 2010 · View Comments · Diversity, Ethics in Government, Media Ethics, Politics, language, propaganda
Right-wing bloviators spewing bile and calling it “news” have been a fixture on the political scene for quite a few years now. And they’ve had influence far beyond the numbers of “true believers.” While it’s hard to understand why anyone would pay attention to these mouthy masters of misrepresentation (take that, Spiro Agnew!), we see [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: acorn·commentators·shirley sherrod·van jones