CULTURE

Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

In the aftermath of Trump and his tsunami of disinformation and lies, small business owners in America are learning the very real cost of demonizing their customers.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Since humans first formed social units that relied on one another for food and safety, shame has been an effective tool to keep members of the group in line. The threat of expulsion had deadly consequences, so staying in the good graces of the tribe was in your own self-interest. As cultures evolved and we developed more complex systems of government and law enforcement, shame remained a way to bolster social guard rails. It might not have been a matter for the courts, but that didn’t mean there weren’t rules that you had to follow or suffer dire consequences.

Here in America, at the start of the 21st century, we are having a moment. A moment where we believe that personal freedom is the zenith of all human endeavors. We champion free speech as if it were the sword of truth itself, but all too often we fall victim to believing that personal opinion, even if factually and demonstrably false, has some inherent value. It does not. It’s like they say, along with assholes, everyone has one, and they’re mostly full of shit.