differences.

ok, so this blog should have been written a very long time ago. I feel like it has been a while since I talked to Ryan in our class. I was so glad we did that exercise. Maybe I am naive, but I never really notice my differences with people until I get to know them. And even then, I typically don't let the differences bother me that much. There were the obvious differences between Ryan and myself: he is a boy, and I am a girl; he has brown hair, and I have blonde; etc. All surface differences. Had I not had to sit down with him to talk about ourselves, I would have never found out that he is 29, divorced, from Florida and other things that are the exact opposite of myself.
I feel like in doing that exercise, I learned to not just look at someone and see similarities or differences, but to see an open opportunity to really get to know someone. Here is Ryan who has been in my class all semester, and I knew nothing about him. Now, when I see him, we have actual conversations that are meaningful or just a simple "Hey, how are you?" but that has a deeper respect.
That is the beginning of cosmopolitanism for me.

everything enron, but mostly moronic.

Enron's Skilling was finally convicted last week, and any decent human being is relieved that he finally got what was coming to him....24 years in prison! Holy Cow! He was convicted on 19 accounts of fraud, conspiracy and insider trading.
Since having watched the video in class about what all went on during the scandals and reading BBC news report that Skilling plans to appeal the convictions, I have realized that this is not just a case where a good person makes a bad call, but that he is genuinely an unethical person.
According to BBC news, Skilling made this comment:
"In terms of remorse your honour, I can't imagine more remorse," Skilling told the court before he was sentenced. "That being said your honour, I am innocent of these charges."
What in the world is he saying? Unlike the Martha Stewart case, he still believes he is innocent. At least Martha Stewart had the decency to accept her errors, fulfill her punishment and regain socital standing. Her humility made her tangible, and she is now viewed as a good person who made a few mistakes. This cannot be said for Skilling who continually proves himself to be a rat.
Although the sentencing doesn't pay back the millions of dollars lost in California due to the rolling blackouts and in Texas due to the company's closure, justice is being served to those who were in charge. What a relief that an unethical person is being removed from business. Hopefully, others will learn from this case for the future.

Makes me hope my peers nor myself ever have to work for a person like him.

Just say no.

So, porn in hotels. Huh. Well, this is an interesting topic to occur in a PR ethics class, or any class for that matter.

Well, to start, I grew up the youngest in a very conservative home where TV in general was a tight issue. Our household was one that watched "TGIF", saturday morning cartoons and nothing of "The Simpsons", "Married with Children" or "Bevis and Butthead." Not saying that these shows have any real correlation to porn, but this is the kind of conservatism I grew up with.

So, to think that anyone would watch porn, be it in a hotel or at home, is appauling to me.

But before I get on a soapbox, let's focus on the ethics-side of the situation at hand. There are a lot of people in the US who view or are in the industry of pornography, but there are probably more people who are opposed to it. And although to view it, you have to be a certain age and pay for it in hotels does not mean that it should be there. Any kid could stumble into the menu of the hotel TV and accidentally charge porn to the hotel room. For this reason, it is appauling that any hotel would sell pornography on the chance that someone could order it without wanting it.

I am turning into my mother. I can hear her now saying, "Just because they have the rights and freedom to sell porn, does that make it right?!" That phrase, although cliche' and too much like my mother, is what I really feel about the situation. And in answer, no, it doesn't. Although it has been happening for a while, I feel like if this topic remains in the media spotlight for too long, the hotel industry will recieve some backlash. Or at least I hope they do.

Hotels need to be aware that it is not always about the money they could make, it's about the right decisions that could be made.

Decisions, decisions.

Oh, T.O.

This past week of news coverage concerning TO of the Dallas Cowboys has really gotten me to take a closer look at the world of PR. There are so many issues to ponder with this case. TO has been an issue before he was even a Cowboy. The optimistic PR practitioner would say that "no publicity is bad publicity," but in this instance, TO is not just the talk of the town because he's arrogant and pushy. He may in fact be detrimental to himself and the reputation of his team.

Yes, in the media's eyes, this is a he-said-she-said situation where no one really knows what really happened, however, to me and my peers it should be a who talked or didn't talk or a what did they really say situation. If there are restrictions on what the police can or cannot say about suicide attempts, why would the Police call a press conference to then only say they know nothing? Smart. I also have to agree with Jean-Jacques Taylor's article, in that, the right people weren't talking. Parcells, Jerry Jones or anyone involved with the on-goings of the Cowboys should have said more or anything, really.

Unity. Singular messages. It's what we as practitioners learn to preach and practice in our organizations. How many times are we going to see organizations let their PR department slide? Cowboys. Disney. Cowboys and T.O. could have used someone who actually knows PR, not just a friend who's covering their back. Some days, seeing these cases go wrong is what keeps me going. But that's a whole other blog. Maybe next time.

phew!

i did it. i actually created a....a.....a.....blooooog! i think this will be a new and exciting way to have class, though! thanks jackie!