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Sandee Cohen
Sandee Cohen
Legend
June 27, 2016
Question

When corporations have an "agenda"?

  • June 27, 2016
  • 1 reply
  • 1328 views

Yesterday was the Gay Pride March in NYC and the number of signs and banners in support of the victims of the Pulse massacre was staggering.

The other day we went to a NY Liberty basketball game where all the WNBA players were wearing shirts in support of Central Florida.

The massacre of 49 young people who were simply out dancing is hardly a thing to take sides over. But as soon as you add comments about terrorism, gun control, gun rights, etc. you've suddenly got a debate that has caused schisms in the US.

So how do you feel about a company flexing its corporate muscles to make statements about what seems benign but could be considered part of a left- or right-wing agenda.

Let's not use this topic as an excuse to take sides and blast each other. But let's look at the bigger picture. How do you feel about using Adobe products if Adobe has come out on positions that cleave people into two or more sections.

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    1 reply

    Szalam
    Community Expert
    SzalamCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 27, 2016

    It depends. If a company says, "We ask for more gun control," that's one thing. If a company says, "We stand with you against violence," that's another thing altogether.

    The horrific incident at the gay club in Orlando could be used to push gun control (people who want an outright ban on the AR-15) or gun rights (membership in the Pink Pistols - an LGBT gun club - is on the rise). People will use incidents to push their agendas and companies will too. However, what they should be saying first and foremost is, "We stand with you and against evil." Saying you stand with those affected by a tragedy doesn't mean you come down on either side of any issue.

    To be honest, I've found it very hard to explain to straight people just how devastating what happened at Pulse is to people in the LGBT community. If you've never been afraid to walk down the street holding hands with your significant other, it's hard to understand how horrifying it is to see a sanctuary shattered by violent hate. Nightclubs like Pulse are sometimes the only place someone feels safe to let down their guard and just be. Just when things in the United States were beginning to change (the right to marry was extended to all, a majority of people have positive images of the LGBT community, etc.) and people started feeling like they could relax a bit, the idea of safety was broken two weeks ago in atrocious fashion.

    Some of us will never feel safe again.

      Sandee Cohen
      Sandee CohenAuthor
      Legend
      June 27, 2016

      So what you're saying is that the wording of a corporate message needs to make sure it doesn't try to attached their feelings onto their customers.

      Now, in regards to not feeling safe, I remember the terror I felt walking down a side street with my girlfriend as we passed three tough guys.

      Not more than 10 feet away I heard the unmistaken "chick-uhhh" of a bullet being chambered into a rifle. The guys laughed and laughed as we ducked behind parked cars and sprinted to make our way to the main street.

      Was it because we are gay? Or women? Or privileged? Or they just didn't like us?

      Doesn't matter.

      Szalam
      Community Expert
      SzalamCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 28, 2016

      Sandee Cohen Ban the Spam wrote:

      So what you're saying is that the wording of a corporate message needs to make sure it doesn't try to attached their feelings onto their customers.

      I was just saying my opinion of their message would change.

      A corporation should be free to attach their feelings as much as they want; it's their company. If they want to appeal to the broadest market, they'll leave politics out.

      However, some companies feel like they can be an agent of change (agent of good, in their minds). Take all of the companies that produced It Gets Better videos that year when it was really popular. Some of them were very blatantly "pro-gay". They (briefly) alienated some of their user base with that kind of message. Was that good or bad? Depends on your point of view.

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