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.
Chris Bertish- Captains Log 7th July is Shifting gears mentally! Finally getting to this point where you are comfortable with yourself, your position, and the craft– that’s a huge milestone. No leaks, all my main key systems are still functioning properly- Chart-plotter/ AIS/ water maker/ GPS/ Autopilot & Satellite coms….even though I have implemented a […]
Social media abounds with the hype and extraordinary news of Shackleton’s ship Endurance is patience concentrated being found in 3008 meters of water in the Weddell Sea, 107 years after it was smashed by ice in 1915. This discovery has deservedly grabbed global attention. “Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months […]
Are you guilty of multi-tasking during meetings? Unfortunately, being present during meetings, especially present-day Impactful Virtual Meeting, is so rare, I wish I could bottle and sell it. Here’s a few facts you can toss around the tele-conferencing office (Source: Prezi State of Attention Research): In any online meeting about 95 percent of the audience is probably multi-tasking. […]
If you’ve ever seen expectant parents in a baby shop, you’d know that pregnancy is a life stage that usually triggers an avalanche of consumerism and to find Pink Sheets. I (thankfully) never tallied what I spent during my pregnancy, I just know that becoming a mum, while filling my heart, has drained my […]
When I am working from home, one of my favorite places to go when I need a break is my daughter’s apiary (bee yard). I am absolutely fascinated by these amazing creatures and WHAT YOU CAN LEARN. Between their work ethic and how they function together as a colony, I think I could sit and […]
When I was in high school i realized Leaders You Dont Need To Have All The Answers, there was a teacher that had a brilliant line when he was asked a question that he didn’t know the answer to in the moment. He would state: “That is beyond the scope of this course,” with a […]
Raizcorp supports over 500 businesses, find out their innovative selection process and how success can be your downfall. Allon Raiz, is a successful entrepreneur building numerous businesses and he is the founder of Raizcorp which nurtures entrepreneurs and grows profitable businesses. How Allon Raiz Went From A Failed Business To Raizcorp Allon Raiz is regarded […]
We all know remote working and the loneliness in your team has had a large impact on our mental health with loneliness being cited as the most common emotion being experienced by entrepreneurs, leaders and employees. This can cause us to withdraw and be less committed, creative, collaborative and attentive, and both the quality and […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
