some stories that are not meant for social media consumption; tweets are included as well. truth, wisdom and free expression provided to the wrong audience is not a pretty sight. often it will be take the wrong way.
i struggled whether to share as a post a legendary childhood story. i have accepted that there will be individuals who will likely take it the wrong way and perhaps find it offensive. i told the story to my friend when we were one the way to visit my parents. she thought i made it up. upon reaching my parents’ house, she received unflinching verification from my mother that the story true.
while i shelve the story from the web, the debate over the decision to not publish, however, was a post worthy topic.
many of us, have an insatiable need to share. the need is so strong that criminals often will confess their crimes with others. why? we have a need for validation. sharing makes us feel special.
sometimes, items are shared in the wrong forum, ie social media. an example of a recent social media fail comes from peter schiff, was brutally taken down for his criticism of president zelenskyy’s attire when he addressed the united states congress. “schiff, who is the ceo of euro pacific capital bank tweeted: ‘i understand times are hard, but doesn’t the president of the #ukraine own a suit? ‘i don’t have much respect for current members of the u,s. congress either, but i still wouldn’t address them wearing a t-shirt. i wouldn’t want to disrespect the institution or the unites (sic) states.'” dailymail.com
twitter went nuts. they like president zelenskyy’s trademark khaki green t-shirt.
mr. schiff’s criticism, however, was spot on. had he shared it to his business staff, as a mentor, or a guest lecturer to a business school, it would have been well received. in the often fake and virtue signaling twitter world, is was destined to fail.
the reason for the fail is that president zelenskyy is a master brander. he has branded himself by his t-shirts. he reminds the world of steve jobs with his black turtleneck shirts. he reminds the world of bruce willis in the die hard movie fighting for survival with white t-shirt. president zelenskyy used his entertainment skills to craft an image. for him, wearing a suit for the address risks breaking the image he created. his branding, in this instance, weighed more heavily than wearing proper attire.
for those who have not branded themselves, wearing suits to meetings, events, and religious services important. for an individual to give the advice to do so is appreciated. personally, i have fond memories of when my uncle took me and bought me my law school interview suit. he took me to his suit shop and he taught me the ropes on buying a suit. is t in the first year of law school, law firms come to the campus for job interviews. some thirty two years later, i will occasionally still break it out to wear.
further, i always impress upon myself and children to dress up for religious services. after all, when presenting yourself to the master of the universe, wearing appropriately clothing is showing a sign of respect.
in sum, there is a time and a place for various expressions. likewise, there are times and places where, no matter how much you want to do it, are “no go” zones for certain commentary.
be well!!
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