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February 27, 2006
With the ports mess, what goes around has finally come around
The tone deafness of the Bush Administration in approving Dubai Ports World's purchase of the Peninsular & Oriental company is astonishing. But to many who have seen Bush's cynical political use of the terrorism card, the irony is juicy.
This is one area in which perceptions matter as much or more than reality. I'm not qualified to say whether having a United Arab Emirates-owned company managing U.S. ports poses a security risk. It's true that two of the 19 9/11 hijackers came from there.
To Americans, and to politicians running for reelection, all Arabs look alike, and they're scary. That's much to our discredit because it's racist. Te Bush administration didn't see this flap coming. They distinguish between "good" Arab states, like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the undemocratic state that regards women as second-class, and rogue Arab states like Iraq, Iran and Syria. They haven't taught Americans how to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones on their list.
The Bushies have cynically used terrorism, as Karl Rove did in the 2002 mid-term elections to maintain control of Congress. But now they are forlorn when xenophobia is deployed against them. As my dad used to say, "What goes around comes around." Finally.
Posted by Ken Eudy at 06:48 AM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2006
Oh, Lord, deliver us from hubris
Only the blindest of loyalists, Mary Matalin, excuses the ham-fistedness with which Dick Cheney and the White House have handled the shooting episode. And that, apparently, is because she participated in the debacle from the beginning. No wonder she's trying to justify Veep's non-response.
In a shameful column in Monday's New York Times, Elizabeth Bumiller gives full acccess to Matalin's propagandized apologia -- the veep was so focused on Harry's well-being that he was oblivious to anything else. Please. Veeps must be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
So, what is the lesson for public relations professionals? I believe the answer is simple. But not easy. It's not a neat list of 10 do's and don'ts. PR practitioners must dissuade the leaders of an organization from possessing hubris. The dictionary defines hubris as "exaggerated pride or self-confidence often resulting in retribution." Bingo.
Matalin can blame the White House press corps for hyperventilating, but it is the result of the veep's dismissive attitude toward reprobates who dare to ask questions about his program. This is not a criticism of his program. It is a commentary on his purity. There are consequences when the "pure" slip up, as Veep did with his shotgun.
Those charged with tending to the reputation of an organization must find ways -- without being nags -- to remind their leaders to be humble. To recognize that sooner or later, they, too, will slip up. And while the media will do their job, it should be the communicator's hope that journalists take no special glee in vivisecting the leader who has made an honest mistake.
That won't happen if the leader's life is marked by hubris.
Posted by Ken Eudy at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
What is David Virtue afraid of?
Bishop Gene Robinson told his diocese in New Hampshire this week that he's taking 28 days to enter a program to recover from alocholism.
Robinson became an Episcopol bishop three years ago after a hard-fought church battle because Robinson is gay and in a monogomous relationship with a man.
In response to Bishop Robinson's disclosure, a person who fought Robinson's election as bishop, a guy who calls himself David Virtue, wrote in his blog, virtueonline, a post called, "See, I Told You So."
Mr. Virtue's writing is so vile, so mean-spirited, so vituperative that it almost seems like it must be a send-up, a joke.
When I read in the New York Times about Mr. Virtue, I thought, "Oh, no, he thinks alcoholism is a sin, not a disease."
It's actually more twisted than that. Mr. Virtue cites studies showing that gay men are between 30% and 50% more likely to report alcohol or drug abuse problems. He concludes that this is because they are unhappy with their gay lifestyle. Or that they want to blame their sinful lifestyle on substance abuse -- "The demon rum made me do it."
What kind of person goes out of his way to lead this kind of crude crusade against gay people? Why does Mr. Virtue spend so much energy attacking what he calls The Episcopol Left? Mr. Virtue's web site is awash with anti-gay vitriol. In some ways, I pity Mr. Virtue. What is he afraid of?
Posted by Ken Eudy at 06:34 AM | Comments (0)