Remain Relevant in Changing Times

Should Michael Richards be forgiven?

Several people have asked me if I planned to write about the Michael Richards debacle, so here goes. My take, in a nutshell is this: he did a really stupid thing and has (and will continue to) suffer the consequences. But, people, let's move on already. He's a minor celebrity whose ignorance and lack of stand up savvy collided like a freight train. Now everyone wants to survey the wreckage and pontificate on whether this train can ever get back on track. Maybe it's time we get in our cars and go home.

He said he's sorry. He hired a publicist. He's seeking psychiatric treatment. He went on Letterman. He has repeatedly offered apologies to the people who provoked him. What more do we expect?

We have ways of "punishing" him, so if you feel you must, then don't see his shows (if get gets any more). Don't buy the Sienfeld DVD box set that, unfortunately, hit the shelves just as this was going down. Don't watch anything Richards appears in. In other words, vote with your wallet and you'll be amazed at how quickly the psyciatric treatment works. Problem is, when you see him arm in arm with Jesse and Al, you'll never know whether he has really changed his ways or is just having a successful PR campaign. It's all about what you CHOOSE to believe.

I think it's far more interesting to consider HOW this all happened. Remember that the video we've seen on the Internet and on national television was generated using a cell phone. Bloggers were among the first to go after Richards and before we knew it, the story grew longer legs than a supermodel. Wow. That's pretty powerful, huh? Talk about consumer-generated media!

Well, guess what? None of us is immune from having our own faces or companies splashed across the news based on a single moment in time captured by someone in close proximity using equipment that costs maybe a couple hundred bucks. There are potentially millions of Michael Moores in the world, some lucky and others just savvy enough to capture an intriguing event and market the hell out of it. Provocation doesn't even matter.

What does this mean for us? There's no such thing as "it's just this small, private group so I can be more me." Gone are the days when speaking off the cuff was largely harmless. Smart people don't take chances. They think about what they want to say, figure out how to say it (often with the help of PR experts, no doubt) then they just shut up when it's time to do so.

Michael Richards didn't have enough sense to just shut up. And believe me, it'll cost him plenty. Will he ever be forgiven? Sure, by some at least. But for better or worse, he'll never be the same.

Your outrage is really working!

Just moments ago, CNN announced that the interview between Judith Regan and O.J. Simpson has been canceled. Moreoever, O.J.'s book won't be published either.

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that his has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

I can't tell you how delighted I am to hear that this show and book won't see the light of day. It tells us that we consumers have power. Outrage still works. We all need to keep that in mind. One of the great things about viral campaigns and blogs is that those of us who don't have bully pulpits in the traditional sense still get to affect change by giving voice to our convictions and opinions in a forum that doesn't rely on editors and producers to determine what makes the cut. I want to encourage you to turn to the blogosphere, e-mail and other online tools to garner support for what you believe in.

Thanks for all your notes of encouragement and your willingness to join me in my personal protest. We matter. And hopefully Fox won't forget that (at least until next November sweeps time)!

An open letter to publisher Judith Regan, O.J.'s pimp

Dear Judith Regan,

You've really done it this time. You've sunk lower than a snake's belly to publish O.J. Simpson's  controversial new book. I won't even give you the satisfaction of linking to you or O.J., nor for that matter will I even call the disgusting tome by name. I saw your pathetic "explanation" - an eight page statement in which you claim you published this book because you thought the money was going to his children, you've been the victim of domestic violence and you hoped to get a confession from this presumed killer.

Gimme a break, Judith. You have a reputation for publishing controversial books. For you, it's all about the publicity and you're getting it in spades. It sickens me that the main stream media is being suckered into covering this non-story. I don't believe for a nanosecond that you brought this crap to life for any reason other than your own selfish need to be the center of attention. You and O.J. deserve one another. This book doesn't offer anything of historic value. O.J. isn't introspective enough nor smart enough nor honest enough to provide insight. In short, this is the perfect example of what is truly IRRELEVANT.

The only thing more smarmy or irrelevant than you so-called publishing coup is the fact that a  national TV network plans to  air an interview with O.J. Sadly, it's likely that millions will watch the show. I plan to Tivo it for one reason: so I can later zip through the show and see who supported such dispicable programming with advertising. I'll document each advertiser and then refuse to ever buy a product from them. Will they notice? WIll it make a difference to anyone other than me? Probably not. But activism starts at home. I would love for the readers of this blog to join me in this protest.

I can hear your argument now: national TV programming has long included interviews with child molestors, death row inmates and any number of other dysfunctional people. The difference, in my opinion, is that those shows also present the consequences of this dysfunction and usually are instructive in some way. In this case, O.J. is simply getting air time to promote a book, which you published because you're greedy, selfish, myopic and totally, completely irrelevant.

You seem to think this new controversy will somehow make you relevant. I've got news for you, Judith. Being in the news doesn't make you relevant. Making a contribution to the world somehow does.

Please just go away and take O.J. with you.

Plane and simple: Apple scores again with iPods in the air

Anyone looking to learn a lesson in how to remain relevant needn't go any further than this week's announcement by Apple that it struck a deal to have iPod jacks installed on planes at six different airlines.

According to the Wall Street Journal on November 15, Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM, and United have agreed to offer passengers a way to connect their iPods to their seats so they can use them in flight or at least charge them while soaring thousands of feet in the air. What's more, video iPod owners will be able to view their videos on the screens embedded into the back of the seats. I guess this is Apple's way of saying "Take THAT!" to Microsoft's new Zune, which also launched this week.

What an ingenious plan to find yet another way to make the iPod relevant to people who love it most: those who travel. I just can't wait to experience this new arrangement when it becomes available in mid-2007. Do you suppose customizing my seat even further will make me forget - or at least forgive - the fact that I'm usually cramped into a space intended for someone or something the size of an average house cat?

Apple's quest to constantly find new ways to make the iPod a part of our lives is working. When I bought my new Lexus last spring, it was the iPod jack I looked for first, not whether it had a CD changer. I'm hooked. I've even come to expect hotels to provide a clock/radio combination that accommodates my iPod. Next, I'll want a waterproof iPod system in my shower. And why not? I can buy shoes and athletic clothes with built-in  pockets for  an iPod. Mind you, I wouldn't do that because it might give someone the impression that  I actually would do something that requires athletic apparel. (I wouldn't dare: all I exercise is caution).

We could all learn from Apple's example. They're not only making the iPod ubiquitous, they're positioning it as a way for other companies to remain relevant. This time next year you may find yourself rocking out in 21D, completely unaware that  you haven't been fed, your luggage is lost and drink prices have gone up. And then the next time you book your airline ticket, you'll  first check to see if the plane has iPod jacks.