Deconstructing with Della: You are one
February 27, 2017 |
| PR executive fired over racist tweet in 2013. Her tweet went viral by the time her flight from New York landed in South Africa. |
When I heard organizers of the Festival of Hope defend Rev. Franklin Graham's "personal" comments as being irrelevant to his gospel message, it made me laugh. I cannot believe anyone in this day and age still believes it is possible to separate out parts of themselves this way.
If you have not heard about this little West Coast controversy, check out this interview on CBC. In a nutshell, Rev. Franklin has made some polarizing comments about homosexuals, Muslims and Islam. Some of the local clergy find those comments contrary to their mission with the Festival and don't want him to attend. While the controversy will be interesting to follow, the big take away for me is that some people believe you can speak personally and professionally and the two can be distinct.
Those days ended with social media. The only way to truly keep separate identities is to have a nom de plume or anonymous front. I still chuckle when I see people note their comments are their own and not representing their organization. That might be fine if you are talking about knitting or some other benign topic but once you start chatting about politics, social issues and causes, people look at what you do for a living and it has an impact. Everyone has a right to free speech but you can expect employers, potential employers, employees, friends, associates and interested parties to take what you say personally into account when dealing with you professionally.
Every recruiter I know does a social media search on candidates and I have witnessed potential CEOs get nixed based on their online presence. You might not like it, but it is reality. To deconstruct, think about how easy it is to find out about people today. If you are into online dating, expect to be Googled, at minimum. If you are going to a meeting with people you have not met, for sure you check them out on LinkedIn. I might look through your Twitter feed if you are presenting at a conference. Based on your privacy settings (or lack thereof) I may take a look through your Facebook and Instagram accounts to get a sense of your personality - before or after I meet you. And, so on.
With this current controversy, it got me thinking about my meeting with Rev. Billy Graham (father of Franklin) many years ago. I was managing the press conference for his Vancouver revival (yes, I know that is a shocker for some of you who know me), where one of the media questioned the famous preacher about how he could justify his pricey convention crusade when people two blocks away were homeless. He promptly went on a tour of the Downtown Eastside with the reporter and asked crusade attendees to bring food for the food bank. This man seemed to personify his messages of Christianity. It did not convert me to his religion but I was impressed. He appeared to walk the talk. However, a quick Google search brings up a taped anti-Semitic conversation from 1972 with then President Richard Nixon. He has since claimed no recollection of saying any of it, apologized and proclaimed his love for Jewish people.
How we communicate online, in person, at a party, in the privacy of our home or at work all get lumped together. Something to remember as we communicate via so many avenues. We all make mistakes but thinking we can divvy up our opinions to suit the situation is, at best, misguided.
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