Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Insider's inside: I’m a wading alien and addict for cold revenge

The experience economy is prompting businesses to reconsider how they engage with not just consumers but also their greatest asset, their employees, to ensure they develop a true connection with their place of work.
Volkswagen is one business that is at the forefront of this shift. Jason Bradshaw, Volkswagen’s chief customer marketing officer, says taking this approach to optimising an employee's experiences of work has real business benefits.

How CEOs, Experts and Philosophers See the World’s Biggest Risks Differently


After all, the best revenge is a life well lived.



The whole thing lasted less than a minute. Was it all just good-natured ribbing? Was it an inexcusable lack of professionalism and respect? Was it one big misunderstanding?
Whatever it was, it has turned into a viral clip that once again has President Donald Trump and his supporters squaring off against CNN.
This actually happened on Don Lemon’s show last Saturday, but it didn’t gain traction until Trump commented on it just after midnight early Tuesday morning. It was a segment in which, in an attempt to be funny, a panel of Lemon, New York Times columnist and CNN contributor Wajahat Ali, and ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson laughed at and mocked Trump and then his supporters with fake Southern accents that obviously were meant to question their intelligence.
The conversation was about the dustup between NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over questions about Ukraine. Wilson said, “(Pompeo) also knows deep within his heart that Donald Trump couldn't find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter U and a picture of an actual physical crane next to it.”
That set Lemon into an over-the-top laughing fit as Wilson and Ali started talking in Southern accents as if they were imitating those who support Trump.
“‘Donald Trump’s the smart one — and y’all elitists are dumb!’” Wilson said.
Ali joined in, saying, “‘You elitists with your geography and your maps — and your spelling!’”
“‘Your math and your reading!’” Wilson added. “‘All those lines on the map!’”
The two kept going as they all laughed, including Lemon, who wiped tears from his eyes.
Trump later retweeted the segment and called Lemon the “dumbest man in America.” The clip then went viral on Tuesday with Trump supporters outraged.
Lemon, however, said Tuesday night that he was only laughing at Wilson’s original joke about Trump and Ukraine on a map, and not Wilson and Ali mocking Trump supporters.
“This is personally important to me to address this,” Lemon said during his opening monologue on Tuesday night’s show. “Ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you I don’t believe in belittling people, belittling anyone for who they are, what they believe or where they’re from. During an interview on Saturday night one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And in the moment I found that joke humorous, and I didn’t catch everything that was said. Just to make this perfectly clear, I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people.”
Lemon seemed sincere, but the damage had already been done. 
Now it’s not likely that anyone who might have been offended even watches Lemon, who is consistently critical of the president. Still, this is CNN. This a professional news broadcast, not some late-night talk show or buddies yukking it up over drinks. And moments like this only lend credence to those who believe CNN is not an objective news organization. Fairly or unfairly, this does damage to the entire network.
Ivanka Trump tweeted, “You consistently make fun of half the country and then complain that it is divided.”
But Wilson wasn’t having any of that, calling the whole thing “fake outrage.” He tweeted, “The MAGA world wants the freedom to attack, insult, demean, and abuse anyone who doesn’t aggressively worship Donald Trump. They can’t stand anyone who punches back, and hope they can intimidate or shame me.”
Ali tweeted, “I refuse to be intimidated & bullied by bad faith actors who cry fake victimhood, whining about a harmless, silly 30 second clip while endorsing Trump, a cruel vulgarian who debases everyone.”
Still, this goes back to Lemon. Wilson and Ali were brought on as guests and, while they are the ones who said it, the responsibility is on Lemon to maintain some level of control, respect and professionalism. Bending over and laughing until you cry while being oblivious to what your guests are doing was not a good look for Lemon. It was an even worse look for CNN.
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