Chicken Scratchings

Archive for the ‘USA’ Category

What is there about business that allows people do terrible things to one another and justify it with, “It isn’t personal, it’s just business?’ Those same people in all other areas of their lives are caring, concerned, and helpful — with the possible exception of driving cars. There’s something about getting behind the wheel of an automobile that turns nice folks into competitive savages.

It has been said that we all have the capacity for good and evil inside of us. I suppose that is true because as a child I found myself doing something mean for no particular reason. I’d like to believe that I’ve outgrown that, and have risen above my mean streak. Mature people learn to replace hostility with nobility of character. Don’t they?

Therefore I was deeply shocked and disturbed when a person I’ve known for many years, and know to have the highest moral values, insisted I stop discussing the immorality of buying book printing from China, because it created feelings of guilt. Huh? Moral people don’t feel guilt if there is nothing wrong and there is something really wrong with Chinese printing competition — wrong, and dangerous to us and the American way of life.

I won’t expound on the China problem in this post, but please go to my post Chinese Printers Play Dirty In Stealing US Customers for more explanation.

Did you ever see one of those signs that said, “Don’t Walk on the Grass!”? If one person or a dozen, walks on the grass it won’t cause any real harm, will it? No, of course not, but if hundreds, or thousands, or if one person crosses that same place thousands of times will it injure the grass? Absolutely.

If one self-publisher, or one traditional publisher, sends a book title to China to be printed will it cause damage? No, but if printing goes overseas as the same rate of other US manufacturing jobs, we are surely on the path to becoming a third world nation. Again see my post for further detail. Is that an outrageous claim on my part? It sure sounds outrageous, even I will admit that. How could it happen? This is America after all, the land of the free.  If it costs too much to buy from this country don’t we have the right to buy from another? Oh yes, we have the right but is it the right thing to do? If our actions today, create a third world economy in the United States, who will be looking out for the disadvantaged in the world? Will China, Iran, or Venezuela step up and set the moral standard? Think about it. What will happen to the world if the United States of America is no longer in a position to help right the wrongs?

The congress and the business moguls have been selling us out for many, many years. Our cities are emptying because manufacturing jobs have been going off-shore. Who benefits from the reduced costs multinational corporations enjoy from cheap labor? Is it the US workers? No, it is the greedy tyrants at the top of the pyramid insisting that, “It isn’t personal, it’s just business.” The same in China. The workers suffer and the elite prosper.

There is only one way to defend ourselves and our way of life, stop buying products made in China. My wife and I are on a diet. I saw an offer for a diabetic cookbook promoted by Publisher’s Clearinghouse that looked promising, so I ordered it. My wife noticed the label on the back saying it was made in China. We returned it.

We went to Costco. They were selling women’s clothing made in the USA. The skirts and tops were more than what we could have bought from stores featuring off-shore goods, but the USA tag sold us.

The two of us are walking on the grass, or in this case, the noxious weeds. We know we can’t have much impact. Alone we won’t stop the ruination of America, but we will do what we can and we invite everyone who loves America to do the same.  Stomp, stomp, stomp.

A good friend bought my lunch (isn’t that the definition of a good friend one who buys your lunch?) and over pasta he mentioned the book TRIBES by Seth Godin. It’s a small book with a big message. It addresses the changing social and business constructs and envisions a future already here and now, where power and influence are shifting from traditional hierarchies to groups united by common beliefs. The development of the Internet has facilitated this shift in a big way. Leadership is more defined by passion and faith than by wallet. For example in the last US presidential election Barack Obama raised almost 25% more in campaign contributions than Hillary Clinton, and John McCain combined and it flooded in from the Internet. Who would have thought that a relatively new face in Washington could pull together more financing than those two warhorses, an ex-president’s wife and a revered war hero? Why? Because of passion. Because of belief. The people wanted change and were willing to follow a leader who appeared able to create the change.

I’ve written a lot in my blogs about changes. The changes I’ve addressed mostly concern the printing industry, but change is happening on every front, in every field of endeavor. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines of the publishing business, observing, and occasionally commenting. Now, it appears, that I’ve been given the opportunity to lead a tribe of self-publishing authors. That was what the lunch was all about. Self-publishing, in my opinion, is on the verge of eclipsing traditional publishing. And with my background in writing, marketing, and printing I am the logical choice to contribute to this movement. I didn’t choose it, but by my preparation, it chose me. That’s another point that Seth makes is that Tribe leaders generally don’t go looking for leadership, instead they see a need and are compelled to fill it. It’s the leader’s faith and passion that attracts their followers.

Mr. Godin discusses the old factory model. Factory workers were hired by owners, who paid them to do a job. The jobs were generally routine and required bosses to make sure everyone stayed in line and did things exactly the way the boss wanted them done. Much like slaves on a galley ship. In this new world run by tribes, we join, or create tribes, because we are drawn to the ideal. We want to make a difference. We think that the purpose of the tribe is valuable, important, and worth giving of our time and effort. The tribe causes the change to happen. If this occurred on the factory floor it would be chaotic. The smooth production of products would be interrupted. Participating workers would be disciplined and might be in danger of forfeiting their jobs.

I have another friend who is fond of quoting Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see [in the world].” The most monumental changes always begin with one person, one person with a vision.

Again the concept isn’t really new. The founding fathers of the United States of America were drawn together because of a mutual belief in freedom and self-rule. The leaders stepped forward and the people followed. What’s new is the Internet. Tribes can be formed at lightening speed. Twitter, for example, provides a platform for a succinct idea of 140 words or less, to potentially reach millions of readers within seconds. Can you imagine what Paul Revere would have thought? Riding through the countryside, by horseback, required a commitment of hours and days. Too bad he didn’t have a laptop computer or even a cell phone.

What? You say that you don’t like this new world? You think that 140 character messages lack depth? Too bad for you. The Tribes rule and will only get stronger. Get on board or be left behind.

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