China:
Oh China, where do I even begin? In the first ever Foush triple whammy, China is not in my good books this week.
Some of the fireworks viewed in the television footage were computer generated images. The thought behind this move was that the real fireworks (that did go off live) wouldn’t translate appropriately on camera so the Chinese government took the liberty of “enhancing” our video experience.
It was also discovered that the little girl singing the above song in the Opening Ceremonies was actually lipsynching to the voice of another little girl who was deemed by a Chinese official as not having the “right look.” Her cheeks were too chubby and her teeth were too crooked, so she was replaced at the last minute by a cuter little girl. This is really awful. I thought they were both cute, and did not approve of the superficiality of that stupid decision. That poor little girl. I wonder what she’s going to happen to her self-image when she’s old enough (if she isn’t already) to realize that she didn’t have “the look.” Or the message that move sends to the millions of other little girls that don’t have that “right look” either. In an era where women are already hyper-aware of their image, this decision could have some sad consequences.
As mentioned in my previous post, Noneck, a video blogger was deported from the country after capturing a protest in Tienanmen square.
Am I the only one really disturbed by these events? I know China is under tremendous pressure and scrutiny from the world especially in regards to their human rights record, but honestly, faking it/sweeping it under the rug only serves to highlight the issue. Even small incidents can hugely detract from other positive efforts. The internet is a place of transparency and openness. It’s not as easy to fool people anymore, and with all eyes on you, you can bet someone is going to notice if you’re up to no good.
Coke
Coke employees fired for following management’s instructions
Shel Holtz recently shed light on a really bizarre situation happening over at Coke, not to mention hugely questionable management decisions.
I quote:
According to workers who got the ax, they had been asked by management to participate in the ”My Coke Rewards” promotion, that lets registered consumers exchange points for merchandise. The outreach to employees was designed to boost a disappointing number of visits to the promotion’s website. More visits would lead to higher search visibility and more attention. Frank Grant, an 11-year employee, said the request came about six months after the program was launched, when employees were expressly told not to take part in it.
When the company changed its mind and asked employees to help boost site traffic, nobody bothered to point out the fine print, which said employees were not allowed to accumulate more than 2,000 points in a year. When Grant became aware of the limit—which he had exceeded—he offered to return the merchandise he’d acquired or pay the company its value. Instead, he was offered the choice to resign or get fired.
If you’re scratching your head, you’re not the only one. You read it right: Coke asked employees to participate in a contest, employees unknowingly accumulated too many points, they offered to give them back since they were following management orders in the first place, and were told to either resign or get fired. Once again, Coke has spectacularly demonstrated it’s lack of understanding of not only social media, but of treating its workers (some of whom have been with the company for over a decade) with respect and dignity.
