A friend of mine recommended a book that I have put on my reading list. Creativity, Inc written by the guy who runs Pixar and Disney Animation, and subtitled: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. In it, he maintains candor, the willingness to be frank, open and sincere, is crucial to the creative process.
A quote:"Of course, there are sometimes legitimate reasons not to be candid. Politicians, for example, can pay a steep price for speaking too bluntly about contentious issues. CEO's can get dinged for being too open with the press or with shareholders and they certainly don't want competitors to know their plans. I will be less than candid at work if it means not embarrassing or offending someone or in any number of situations where choosing my words carefully feels like a smart strategy. But that's not to say lack of candor should be celebrated. A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that people feel free to share ideas, opinions and criticisms. Lack of candor, if unchecked, ultimately leads to dysfunctional environments."
You have to edit yourself all the time in this era of political correctness. It is fine to say "Hey I am going to say what I want and I don't give a shit." But that can have a lot of ramifications. For your business. For your friendships. For your family life. For every aspect of your life.
People who are in the business of rabble rousing and making controversy can get in trouble for candor. Look at Ann Coutler. She got more attacks for dissing the Jews than she ever did for admitting she likes a back door man. The Duck guy got in a bunch of trouble. Rush got in hot water for talking about black quarterbacks and lost a gig. It happens to professors and politicians all the time. Romney lost an election because he told the truth about the lazy shiftless 47%. Even pizza owners can lose their business if they don't kowtow to the gaystapo.
I spend a lot of time at a stupid little site called "Previously TV." It has threads about TV shows and the mindless fun that is reality tv. I love to post and snark there. I got my own thread sort of where I post my Marilyn's Diary entries. Sometimes I wander into a thread and I know I can't comment. Like the one for the View. You have a bunch of low information opinionated types spouting off political nonsense. I can't say what I think because there would be an explosion. It is not worth the aggravation because you can't argue with stupid. So candor doesn't play there. You need to walk on by and let it lie.
That is where we are today.
16 comments:
people who watch the View can write and have computers? Shocking.
It's Friday!
The political of personal and business relationships is a minefield that requires deft footing. It isn't so much about candor, but knowing when and when not to use it. Telling someone the straight scoop also requires the reasoning behind why they are wrong. You have to have the facts behind you to shatter their newly conceived notions or even their preconceived notions. But be prepared for backlash because it will come. Hopefully people who are smart and successful within your organization or want to work with it will understand the type of level of candor you employ.
They grafted Coulter's head on a beautiful body! That's not playing fair. Other than that I got nothin'.
Maybe Putin will wipe out ISIS (for reasons of his own) and save us from both ISIS and Obama. It ain't over....like Yogi said.
Romney lost an election because he told the truth about the lazy shiftless 47%.
You seriously agree that the military, the working poor, the elderly, etc. are "lazy shiftless"?
That's sad.
Americans are sick of being told that they're lazy. They're sick of being told that they're too politically incorrect all the time.
They're right.
Not everyone who doesn't get ahead no matter how hard they work is lazy just because they don't find a way to climb over everyone else.
Not everyone who has an offensive opinion is a threat to the country just because they didn't find the most elegant way of broaching their uncomfortable social observation.
This is why both Trump and Sanders are kicking the establishment's asses.
They're complementary phenomena. Both are true and both need to get out there. And both are only suppressed by the money and status of the powers that be.
And both are getting respect from the other side of the aisle/spectrum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-Q8-i-7hA
"How many fucking jews do they think there are" was entirely fake outrage, because the "fucking" is an intensifier that modifies "how many," not "jews."
Epithets make a convenience of grammar but do not function according to their placement.
How many fucking times to you have to learn English, for example.
Goffman says the epithet somehow modifies the entire statement in which it appears, but I think sometimes you can localize its effect.
The point is that the grammatical analysis does not work for epithets. It takes some other analysis.
She got more attacks for dissing the Jews than she ever did for admitting she likes a back door man.
First things first.
When did she say that, why would/should it have caused controversy, and where can I find the exact juicy quote? ;-)
The vatican now says the pope didn't even know who Kim Davis was (just gave her the rosary and she was on her way-she needs a makeover) but he specifically asked to meet the fags.
I am thinking about going to mass tomorrow-the Cambridge catholic church in Harvard Square has a rainbow flag flying.
Winter is here!
You got that right.
How many fucking Jews are there in the USA?
Vs.
How many Jews are there in the USA?
The 1st is much stronger and does a good job of emphasizing the important point. That's why Coulter makes millions.
She was just being candid. In her frustration that Jewish voters prefer the Democrats even though they have become the Anti-Semitic party. Even though they sold out Israel to Iran in lock step with their Muslim Loving President. So she said want she really thinks.
Big mistake.
Instant Candor is gonna get you.
Republicans have been trying to peel away Jewish votes and have reason to believe they can get enough to make a difference. Even going from 75+% to ~60% or less (which they've come closer and closer to doing) can make a difference in a close enough election. Not that it matters, though. That pandering is almost entirely for the sake of Evangelical Americans anyway, who wouldn't necessarily mind hastening Armageddon and care most about whether they're on the "right" side of whoever takes over by the end of the world.
Appealing to someone's interests is not "stealing" them away. The fact of the matter is that Democrats are increasingly Anti-Semitic. Especially black Democrats.
Any party that has Al "Diamond Merchants" Sharpton as the principal go to guy on civil rights should have a problem with Jewish voters.
Post a Comment