Archive for December 8th, 2008

I have a friend who’s a deputy sheriff in the Panhandle. He told us (when I took my classwork for my concealed carry permit) that if you should ever get into a conflict that requires police intervention (say, a self-defense shooting), the first person to call in is, by default, considered the victim, while the second person is the perp. In other words, it matters little who started it – if you’re not the first one on the phone with 911, you’re going to be answering to the cops as if you’re the bad guy.

In marketing, being first to the microphones can make a difference, but there’s considerably more nuance involved, than there is in a 911 call. In a police emergency, the police have several responsibilities – first to make sure the situation is no longer dangerous to anyone (themselves included), next to determine what happened, and third to detain and/or arrest any guilty parties. In a dispute that requires marketing, you’re usually trying to spin things so that your side looks righteous, and the other guy looks guilty as sin.

Case in point, the labor sit-in, where the window factory suddenly closed up shop, leaving their workers without earned vacation and severance pay. Read the rest of this entry »