Author: Kelly Swanson
Me to My Husband, Bill: Bill – look! My phone is blowing UP with all these stories about people getting this flesh-eating bacteria from getting into the ocean! Bill: You’re kidding. (Not even breaking stride in his email checking) Me: It’s true! It’s right here. A man who’s about to lose his arm. A 12-year old who is about […]
Me to My Husband, Bill: Bill – look! My phone is blowing UP with all these stories about people getting this flesh-eating bacteria from getting into the ocean!
Bill: You’re kidding. (Not even breaking stride in his email checking)
Me: It’s true! It’s right here. A man who’s about to lose his arm. A 12-year old who is about to die. And here’s a woman whose face is disappearing as we speak! This is crazy. It’s like an epidemic. Maybe we should cancel our trip to the beach. I can’t be a speaker with only half a face!
Bill: Hhhhmmmm. (Translated: I’m not even listening. This is the sound I make when I’m answering an email and you are saying something to me. This is a good time to tell me about that $200 dress you just bought.)
Me: Are you kidding me? You’re not the least bit concerned that our son could lose his leg? Oh my heavens, here are two more! This is unbelievable. Somebody needs to DO something about this. I’m going to share this RIGHT NOW on Facebook. To raise awareness. Somebody should plan a parade. What color would the arm bands be? Flesh-colored?
Bill: Honey. The odds of us catching a flesh-eating bacteria are very slim. Better chance you’ll be hit by a car. (It’s his favorite go-to phrase.)
Me: Tell that to @HoneyDue in Memphis whose feet look like she put them in a blender. Do you want ME to have feet like that when I wear sandals? I can’t BELIEVE Congress isn’t talking about this. They didn’t even bring it up on Grey’s Anatomy! This is a travesty (Note to self: Look up “travesty” to make sure I’m using it right.)
And you don’t even seem to care. Sitting over there in your ivory tower. (Note to self: Look up “ivory tower.”)
Bill: (Extremely audible sigh). Let me see your phone.
Kelly: Seriously? You don’t even believe it when I’m reading it directly from the flipping news itself? Well, let me just call the Associated Press. “I’m sorry, please delete your news reports. Bill in North Carolina doesn’t believe you.”
Bill: (No comment. Just that look he gives me when he’s sure he’s about to be right. He motions for me to hand him my phone.)
Me: Well, see for yourself, big shot. Maybe THIS will wake you up to the state our world is in.
Bill: (After two seconds of scrolling he stops and looks at me over the top of his glasses with his “I’m trying to be patient” look, which I hate.).
Yes, honey, these articles do seem to be legitimate. (Stand down Associated Press, Bill Swanson believes you. You can proceed.)
But there’s one heading here that I think you overlooked.
Me: Oh, that’s just an ad for Viagra.
Bill: No. THIS heading. (He calls me over and points to my phone where there in huge betraying letters are these words.)
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE
Me: (Silence)
Bill: This one happened in 1927. And this one, in 1935. And this one in 1952. In fact, there hasn’t been a case of this reported in this country in over a year – among millions of people. I think we’re safe.
Me: Well, I’m still not getting in the water.
++++++++
Yep. He was right again. Apparently, when I clicked on one story of a man who got a flesh-eating bacteria, my phone arbitrarily decided to pull up every other flesh-eating story ever written since Adam. And in minutes, one story became an epidemic.
That is the power of the world’s storytellers – choosing what stories we see, when see them, and in what order. And, in essence, helping to dictate what we care about.
That is the power of how one strategically placed story and a buried heading can create the impression of an epidemic.
That is the power of our own mind to take the story we see and create a bigger one we don’t.
What’s the point? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just a warning to be careful of flesh-eating bacteria.
I do think there’s a deeper lesson here, but I don’t have time to figure it out. I just saw an article about an 800-pound shark off the coast of New Jersey. We are definitely cancelling our trip to the beach.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Almost every industry today is undergoing a radical reimagining and a Transformation story about leadership. Yet simple catchphrases’ like ‘strategic pivot’ and ‘disruptive innovation’ do little leadership to encapsulate the complex challenges that organizations face in the accelerated world unleashed by the pandemic. The problem is particularly acute for technology companies. When decision-makers are inundated […]
Having left a secure executive position with IBM for the insecurity of starting my own business, I sometimes struggled Working From Home before expanding into ‘real’ commercial office space to accommodate staff and here are my Tips for Working From Home-or in your Own Business. Now, like many others, I find myself back working from […]
The old saying, “What got you here won’t get you there,” applies as a Skill You Need to Master to your professional life today. The world is quickly changing as well as the competitive landscape. Whether you are running a business or trying to increase your career equity, ramping up your skill set is important. […]
Drink more water! About 60-70% of the body is made of water, so drinking enough of it helps maintain the body’s fluid balance. This assists in transporting the relevant nutrients throughout the body, helps to regulate body temperature, and is a vital ingredient in good digestion. Besides flushing out toxins and maintaining regular bowel habits, […]
One of the attractions of Work-At-Home schedule is the vision of freedom it invokes — no time clock, no time sheets, and no one to account for how you spend your time. Yes, it is an attractive proposition, but like so many attractive propositions there is a heavy downside — you are likely wasting a […]
Ways to Use Authenticity is so much more than “being yourself”, and how you can use it as your new career playbook. It was a teeny bit embarrassing. I had just kicked off one of the most important negotiations of my career. I was brand new in the COO role for my company, and one […]
WHAT MAKES A WINNING TEAM: 4 key lessons from the lion pride and the victorious 2019 RWC Springbok rugby team It was an exceptional result that captivated a nation. One year ago this November South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks, lifted the Webb-Ellis trophy into the Yokohama sky, winners of the 2019 Rugby World […]
GUIDE TO A TURBULENT WORLD from Economist and best-selling author Dr Dambisa Moyo (St Antony’s, 1997) discusses the world we’re in and how to negotiate it. Economist Dr Moyo (St Antony’s, 1997) was drawn to St Antony’s for its international, graduate student body and expertise in ‘macroeconomics and geo-politics’ as she puts it. She completed […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
