One of the things I think everyone was told by their parents, whether young or old, is “Don’t talk politics or religion.” My father, bless him, still lectures me on this. That’s why I’m always surprised to see when bloggers who are, in some sense, writing about their business or something completely unrelated to politics declare outright their liberal or conservative beliefs. Hasn’t the idea always been that that could come back to haunt you in the future?
I usually keep quiet about my beliefs when I’m in new company and I almost certainly do online, but the idea of people throwing caution to the wind and letting it all flow out is rather intriguing to me. I’ve seen so many people declare their allegiance to a certain political candidate on their blog or make fun of another on Twitter lately that I’m starting to think I’m really old-fashioned.
Obviously this doesn’t have a whole lot to do with digital PR, but it’s definitely sparked my curiosity. I’d love some opinions on the matter. What is your stance on talking politics in the public domain?
4 February, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I don’t typically include much personal stuff in my blog, politics and religion included. I love a good debate, so it’s better for just to keep my hands off these issues on communityguy.com.
I posted the Obama post as much to show support as to talk about the “Social Media” nature of his candidacy (not from his campaign’s use of tools, but from the “spirit” of how he’s running).
Generally, I think very hard about what and how much I post and filter myself a great deal. At the same time, I am proud of my beliefs in a way that I don’t think that they will come back to haunt me. Sure, maybe Exxon will see my tweets and decline to do business with me, but in that case it would be hypocritical for me to accept their money anyway, so it’s a wash.
But I also have a bit more freedom than most as “the community guy”. People cut me more slack than most other business people. That’s certainly something to keep in mind before you start railing on politicians or religions! :)
4 February, 2008 at 10:14 pm
There are some risks involved. As an educator I try not to promote a particular candidate or party (although as an American I have the right). I think PR pros also risk alienating communities, clients, etc. by taking a public stance, but I suppose if they only want to work with people who already agree with them, it’s not a problem!
4 February, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I think this officially counts as Twitter-link baiting. I make snarky comments all of the time, regardless of political affiliation. I said that the Coke ad with Bill Frist should have featured Karl Rove instead — doesn’t mean I’m partial to the GOP, just an observation.
4 February, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Snarky comments? You? ;-P
I know sure as hell you’re not partial to the GOP, Dave. No worries. I just thought it was interesting people are so openly talking about politics online – regardless of who they’re making fun of.
5 February, 2008 at 4:46 am
Go Obama, Go Obama, Go Obama!
5 February, 2008 at 11:20 am
@teachingpr – you said: “I think PR pros also risk alienating communities, clients, etc. by taking a public stance”
That’s certainly a potential concern. In my case, I’m not as worried about that because a) I rarely do this, and b) I don’t talk much about the negative side of the discussions. But certainly there could be a chance of alienation on my twitter feed where I’m a bit more open.
@teachingpr also said: “but I suppose if they only want to work with people who already agree with them, it’s not a problem!”
That’s not fair. It’s not about who not doing business with people who don’t “agree with you”. It’s a question of whether rational people can rationally disagree yet still respect each other enough to value that person beyond their particular set of beliefs/positions/opinions. I’m not very religious, yet I don’t decline business if I know that a potential client goes to church regularly (any church) simply because of that fact. Now if they were going to the Church of White Supremacy, well, we’d have a different issue.
But saying that people who share some personal background about their beliefs/positions/opinions are therefore declining to do business with those who disagree is just silly.
5 February, 2008 at 11:35 am
@Jake,
Are you saying that someone extremely conservative on all issues wouldn’t decline to do business with a person who is extremely liberal on all issues if the latter was very vocal about it? I wish that were the case, but I’m not so sure it is. I don’t think people can separate it that easily.
I hardly think that if someone from a pro-life organization was searching for representation, he or she would employ someone who proclaimed on a blog pro-choice beliefs. But then again, would someone pro-choice even consider working someone pro-life?
At that point, it becomes a question of ethics, which is a whole other story (but one that seems to be inextricably tied to politics nowadays).
5 February, 2008 at 11:59 am
Well, anything taken to extremes is going to cause issues, certainly. The pro-life organization isn’t going to hire a pro-choice activist. Nor should the pro-choice activist accept work from the pro-life client… that’s the very definition of hypocrisy.
But I think the vast bulk of the scenarios don’t fall that black and white and it seem to me that the black and white are the real concern. So are we worrying about something that’s not a very sizable issue?
In some ways I kinda like the idea of getting things out on the table, seeing who we’re doing business with. It’s one thing to talk about equality and eliminating prejudice, etc. but it’s another to actually do it on a daily basis.
Maybe, just maybe, this increased openness will lead to a point where we see each other not just as “equal” but “acceptably different”. Maybe that’s just massive pipe dream, but a boy can hope, right? :)
8 February, 2008 at 9:57 am
Jake, I see your point. But I wasn’t suggesting a person would automatically reject a client or agency just because of their political (or religious) or other views — just saying you’re taking a chance when you put it out there that someone may strongly disagree with you, which could influence their decision-making. I don’t think that’s silly.
10 February, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I think talking politics in the public domain is just like talking about sports in the public domain. Yea, your political stance unveils the type of person you are and what you believe it, but the same could be said for the sports teams you follow. I just don’t sweat that stuff. If someone believes in something totally opposite of me politically I applaud it. It’s what fuels good ideas and constructive criticism. If everyone agreed all the time it would be a very boring world. Then again, their would be no wars or death either.
Maybe I should re-evaluate my stance. :)