More scrutiny today over Wikipedia, this time from the Wharton School. For the few faults it has—marginally more than the Britannica—it remains a pretty accurate reference, but only as good as the people who contribute to it. And therein lies the rub: if the pessimists are right, and society is declining, so will Wikipedia, which necessarily reflects the integrity of the public.
   For all the things we write here, there are longer-term reasons. If we’re setting a bad example for young people, then of course they will rebel. And with everything pointing to greed (reality TV), deceit (finance) and dishonesty (politics), then the moves to rectify can either be smooth (we manage to transform our societal structures, globally) or bumpy (revolution).
   This also brings up a related topic. I recall 30 years ago, a TV show called Hudson & Halls started in New Zealand. Pretty good entertainment. The prime-time cooking show lasted 10 years and some of the strongest memories I have of the show is the on-screen banter (and sometimes downright tiffs) between Peter Hudson and David Hall.
   We think of ourselves as more tolerant today, but I no longer see two gay men host a prime-time television show where their sexuality was not mentioned—either because they were simply too busy entertaining the nation, or because they thought we’d be upset. Today, we seem to spend a bit more time marginalizing minorities. Are we actually more tolerant by making sure, at least in New Zealand, very late-night slots for the likes of The L Word and Queer Nation? If Hudson and Hall were still alive and popped by to pitch a show, would it be turned into Queer Eye for the Straight Diner?
   I hope in some ways we are improving; and certainly the gay community needs no help from a ‘het’ (as one friend labels us) when it can more than ably look after itself. Race relations have improved here for the most part, and there is an awareness and even an appreciation of other nations—with the occasional slip-up when a race is made into an election issue. And if there is an upward swing on some aspects of society, maybe we can clean up business.
   And as this blog maintains, that cleaning-up can be done through branding, the interface between organization and audience, the most obvious sign the public has about a company’s authenticity. Maybe we can evolve to a higher state in business so that we don’t suffer another dramatic collapse. posted by Jack Yan, 4:03 AM  permalink