Jesse Ratner的貼文

About a year ago, I came across a LinkedIn post that left me both angry and deeply troubled. A marketing executive praised a salesperson for using Tupac's lyrics from "Changes" in a sales email, with the lyrics revised to suit their pitch. "I see no changes, wake up in the morning and I ask myself, if I want something done should I just do it myself?/I'm tired of being ignored, and even worse we're getting hit with a DDoS attack/My stomach hurts, so I'm looking for a new tech stack.” I wish I were making this up. It’s a pretty cringy example of cultural appropriation in the service of profit-making, and of all things to appropriate, they used a song about the persistence of racism and oppression. The responses to the post were just as concerning as the marketing leader's decision to share it. Dozens of positive reactions and comments like 💯 and LOVE IT! It made me think: In a world so beholden to the market, are we willing to sacrifice our intelligence and integrity for a paycheck? Are we conforming and toeing the party line just to eat — or are we speaking from our hearts? I empathize with those who liked the post. It's a reasonable response when you're perhaps a paycheck or two away from missing the rent. Or maybe you just really love Tupac. But I struggle with the cowardice and hypocrisy that seem to pervade a lot of what I read on LinkedIn and see in today's corporations. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I’m overreacting. But I believe we have a choice. We can live in the deadening columns of conformity, or we can stand up for what we believe in — even if the risks are real. In a world where honesty and free expression feel increasingly rare, I choose to speak from my heart. I choose to express as much as possible, even if some strange part of me is drawn to the shallows in this place. What do you choose? And why?