Today, of course, is 10th anniversary of the Sept 11 attack. I like most, if not all, Americans remember exactly what they were doing when they witnessed or heard reports of the first plane hitting the Twin Tower. However, unlike, many Americans I cannot begin to imagine what loss that day truly signifies. So maybe I'm too far removed to make this judgement call, but I'll leave that for you to decide. Here is my point:
We turned on the television this afternoon to watch the start of the Bears game (no we're not exactly fans). We happened to turn the television on as the U.S. flag was being rolled out in honor of those fallen on Sept. 11, 2001. We watched and remembered like many others across the United States. Then it went to what we thought was a commercial, but we quickly realized that it was another 9/11 tribute. Or was it? I turned to my husband and said (yes, very cynically) , "watch this be some corporate sponsor acting like they care all the while promoting themselves." Sure enough, the ad was sponsored by Verizon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXOVP3Tk6Lw). To me, wouldn't the tribute truly honor people if you did it without any personal benefit. For example, the ad may have been better served if it were done anonymously? Maybe Verizon truly was doing it without wanting anything in return, but I've worked in Corporate America too long. Rarely have I seen companies do anything without the goal of generating more profit. For example, Fox, the network carrying the game, didn't care who bought the ad. Fox execs made money for their company, and nothing else really mattered. My thought is this: Couldn't this money have been spent better elsewhere if the true goal was to help/honor those who lost someone through the 9/11 tragedy? Just a thought...
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