What is SPIN? It is the art of marketing and molding information to "sell" a product, idea or person to the target audience. I hear this term so much on the news where they are used to people trying to promote a cause or maybe just themselves.
So here is the question: Can marketing/advertising or "spin" be generous? Now, we probably should make a distinction. You can say "TV is becoming more generous with the time the allot to marketing." I don't mean generosity as it relates to quantity. I am trying to define whether a person's efforts to convince me of the value of a product or a person's efforts to convince me to vote for a particular candidate are generous.
Do they fit into the concept of the Generous Mind? As I have asked myself this question, I am leaning towards "NO." The main reason for my strong reaction is that generosity is selfless and is most interested in the person who will benefit. Spin is selfish. It is trying to convince (sometimes through honest means and sometimes not) you that my agenda is right and should be followed. Sometimes that convincing leads to money spent, allegiance given, time allocated . . .
How can spin be generous? If we are looking at how to share the knowledge that we have been given, we have to watch out for the tendancy to move that generous practice into the commercial realm. That isn't hard - its called spin.
So here is the question: Can marketing/advertising or "spin" be generous? Now, we probably should make a distinction. You can say "TV is becoming more generous with the time the allot to marketing." I don't mean generosity as it relates to quantity. I am trying to define whether a person's efforts to convince me of the value of a product or a person's efforts to convince me to vote for a particular candidate are generous.
Do they fit into the concept of the Generous Mind? As I have asked myself this question, I am leaning towards "NO." The main reason for my strong reaction is that generosity is selfless and is most interested in the person who will benefit. Spin is selfish. It is trying to convince (sometimes through honest means and sometimes not) you that my agenda is right and should be followed. Sometimes that convincing leads to money spent, allegiance given, time allocated . . .
How can spin be generous? If we are looking at how to share the knowledge that we have been given, we have to watch out for the tendancy to move that generous practice into the commercial realm. That isn't hard - its called spin.
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