We Don’t Care

We Don’t Care

I was at a potential client’s board room a couple of week ago, when I realized from their branding that they were responsible for an advertisement running in Kenya, asking men and women to use condoms when they cheat on their spouses. When I questioned the social impact of such mass communication efforts, their response was that social communication works by way of attracting attention irrespective of the social, economic and political impact. 

I continued to prod much to their now growing annoyance, about the role played by the organizations funding their efforts in the so called revolutions around the world like the Arab Spring and the tensions in Ukraine. The response was quickly spat at me, ‘we don’t care!’ I was asked to recall the advertisement in question which I promptly did. There were smiles across the room, ‘you see since you remember the advertisement, this means we have successfully gotten your attention’ a lady quipped at me. All smug, content and clearly proud of that which allows them to finance their mortgage, I knew I was on a dead end street … rather a dead end to reason.

Four Legs Good

Now I have nothing against condoms, far be it from me to be against that which you can sell to poor folk for ten shillings, then drive off to a five star hotel for a back patting cocktail priced at fifty thousand shillings, but I wonder, does sweetening the poison allow one to evade death? I guess I could also bury my head in the sand and sell clients software riddled with bugs and defective code, then thump my chest in childish defiance and declare, ‘I don’t care!’ You know come to think of it we can have a team of urinating revolutionaries … yes we’ll call the organization UR, and take to the streets, urinating on the walls of corporations doing that which we deem wrong in whatever capacity. Never mind the moral and sanitation concerns but who can forget a line of fifty grown men urinating in public? Not only will we not care, we will also have successfully captured the attention of fellow Kenyans. Success will be ours! (insert evil laugh) 

Live and Let Die

I guess if the cliff is inevitable, then one would rather sojourn towards it in a limousine then as a slave. More and more I see wisdom in drawing a very small and tight circle of people around me and truth be told, not giving a damn about those outside it. I mean every social gathering of my peers is filled with horror stories of undercutting, theft of ideas, formation of cartels, trading of flesh and all those niceties you encounter in the real world once you are gifted for your wasted youth of cramming and regurgitating facts and figures, with a fancy piece of paper called a diploma. Shortly after this certain people get real antsy with your continued presence in their homes and lack of the almighty job. Therefore friends, what is one to do? Perhaps not caring is the wise choice after all and all those we deem selfish and greedy are the enlightened ones. Sad but by the gods I hope not true.