#MeTooMuch?
Have we hit peak #MeToo yet?
While any victims of sexual assault should indeed get their measure of justice for what they were forced to endure, one has to wonder what will come of those women seeking a cheap payout.
Latest example?
Aziz Ansari being accused of assault. For the time being, the case remains He Said-She Said.
Until those involved can produce more solid evidence of what really happened that night, Aziz is already paying a hefty price and is no doubt hemorrhaging both social and monetary points over what are still just allegations.
Here’s what’s completely wrong with this scenario:
This woman can publicly identify Aziz with allegations in a very public forum (Babe), yet gets to retain her anonymity.
There really should be a basic rule that if you’re ready to potentially destroy a man’s reputation and standing that you tag your own reputation.
If we look at Louis CK’s accusers, they came straight out into the open with their allegations, not holding back anything about their identities and Louis was quick to assert that what they said about him was true.
While any man who is found guilty of abuse should face harsh reprimands, the same should apply to any woman (or man) making false allegations in an attempt to score an easy payday.
The League of Narcissistic White Knights
The question of decency isn’t exclusive to Hollywood.
It has also penetrated the digital marketing world.
Several moons ago, marketing expert Neil Patel was openly assailed by Rand Fishkin via Twitter for using the following ad to promote his business:
Rand’s exact tweet:
“Hey @neilpatel, I don’t think this is how you want to portray yourself or our field.
Would love if you’d reconsider”
First aspect of that tweet I feel obligated to address is Rand’s use of “our field”.
What field are is Fishkin talking about here?
Whatever the case, he sure is giving the impression that he considers himself the digital marketing world’s hall monitor.
The fact anyone should choose to appoint themselves sheriff of an industry and attempt to force someone else’s hand is downright sad.
Worse yet, Rand sicked his former colleagues at inbound[dot]org to rally some ground support for his stance.
Why political correctness has zero place in marketing
If you see yourself as a serious entrepreneur, but you also think Rand might be right, here are three points you need to consider.
First – Humans now have attention spans shorter than goldfish:
In May, Time magazine covered a study that found humans can’t even boast of a 12-second attention span. We are now officially worse than goldfish.
With that kind of a barrier, we need to do what we can to snag our market’s attention, to get our foot in the door.
Second – People have been sick of collective conformity for a long time:
Ever since political correctness reared its ugly head, vast swaths of the population rejected it for its lack of sincerity.
So vile is political correctness, you can actually blame the rise of Mr. Shithole on PC sensitivity.
Speaking from the heart and being your true self is a guarantee that NOT everyone will like you, but those that do, love you.
Finally…People like Rand Fishkin can boost your business’ booty:
It’s a concept called “Line in the Sand” marketing.
When you do something the righteous left or right deem offensive, you’re setting yourself up for some heat…the good kind and bad kind.
Sure, you’ll have a few raging chest-thumpers barking at you about what a jerk/snowflake you are, however you’ll also get the ‘coalition forces’ who identify with what you’re doing and jump to your defense.
Who needs a marketing budget when your opponents are ready and willing to drive a ton of traffic your way at no cost?
Sometimes the smart marketing play is to seek the attention of your enemies before you seek out your allies.
A Brief Insight on Male Feminists:
Not really business related, but since Rand Fishkin decided to start this whole mess, we’ll finish what he started (even though this beef has long been laughed away into obscurity).
Sara Underwood is not weak, meek or delicate. She clearly knows what she wants and what she’s after. Hmmm…not exactly tell-tale signs of a victim, huh?
If anything, it’s Rand’s stance that is offensive and degrading to women:
Did he bother to contact Sara and inform her that she’s being ‘objectified’?
That tweet indicates he doesn’t believe a woman is capable of making her own choices.
Such is the irony of the ‘male feminist’ – so obsessed with winning the approval of women that…he stops listening to them altogether.
‘Member When They Said Chicks
Don’t Dig Narcissists?
Rand might want to check his white knight impulses.
While women can be fooled by surface-level intent, they tend to have far stronger instincts after initial emotional reactions than men do.
If this recent study on Dark Triad Facial Traits does indeed checkout and even the most inebriated beauty can’t be sold on a narcissist, Rand might want to keep in mind that he holds down at least 8 of the 15 traits of a narcissist listed here.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
– Oscar Wilde