Undercover Boss? What are they really up to?
02/25/2010 - 3:52pm
On Saturday's program Rick will be talking to Pepi Leistyna Professor of Applied Linguistics Graduate Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston about the undercover messages embedded in Undercover Boss. His film Class Dismissed can be seen on You Tube and is well worth the time. For too long media has made working people out to be uneducated, lazy, stupid, bumbling characters to be laughed at and ridiculed. During the past several weeks I have been talking to people who have watched the CBS CEO infomercial to get their reactions. To my surprise most people view this pro-paganda-gram as entertainment or feel good "reality" eye candy. Fortunately, when presented with sane, rational questions, virtually everyone began to critically review what they had seen, and, began to question for themselves if what they saw was "real" or just another well cast, focused tested, polling approved campaign to make CEO's one of the gang. Keep watching, keep questioning, Keep talking. Tune into the Rick Smith Show every Saturday and Sunday noon-2pm with your questions, ideas, and observations.
Another Undercover Boss, Another Steaming Pile
02/15/2010 - 4:06pm
Hooters, like many businesses, spends a considerable amount of time and effort getting blood from the male brain to flow south of the belt line. Why you may ask? It appears men are in capable of closing their wallets once the blood has left the brain, and places like Hooters understand this basic fact. The food at Hooters is mediocre at best. The alcohol can be found anywhere. What Hooters does have are pretty girls. Pretty girls in tight tee shirts and tight shorts. Tight short, shorts. In my opinion, Hooters is a step up from your local strip joint. For the CEO to act surprised that anyone would think women were being exploited is laughable. To act surprised that people would hesitate bringing their children to Hooters is just plain ridiculous.
The Undercover Boss pro(paganda)gram brought a number of interesting images to light. First, Dumbo, I mean Jimbo, the manager, and his “reindeer game” coercing the waitresses to eat beans off a plate like animals made me think setup. In the board meeting at the end the pro(paganda)gram the board members asked, “how can we save his career.” Nonsense! Any board member worth their salt would have asked two questions. 1) How do we cover out behinds and not get sued, and 2) Who are we going to replace him with? I loved the “mounds” sign in the boardroom, the duct tape on “Scooter’s” soda can, and how inept he was.
I keep thinking this is a great pro(paganda)gram. Very well cast. Focus tested. Polling approved. As I talked about this past weekend, I do not think the CEO or the workers are faking. I believe they are being very skillfully manipulated by seasoned professionals who know how to create situations to get the responses they want. The companies involved in this pro(paganda)gram understand, and trust CBS will paint them, the CEO’s in the best possible light. I am still waiting for these CEO’s to explain how they understand what their workers go through day in and day out making millions of dollars a year while their workers toil for a mere pittance.
Undercover CEO
02/08/2010 - 4:35pm
After the “Big Game” (formerly called the Sup*r B*wl) CBS aired a program called, Undercover Boss. As I watched the program, I spotted numerous situations that made me think setup. Let me ask a question. Having had numerous jobs in my life, and, remembering those first days on the new job being filled with trepidation and uncertainty, I cannot remember a single time where my trainer/superior ever asked me to dinner with their family. I worked on a garbage truck for several summer breaks from college and I never remember anyone ever hugging me or reading me a poem. I do remember peeing in can though. Did you want to smack “Randy” for never questioning where his employees went to the bathroom while on their route? Duh! It’s not like the people whose trash you are hauling away are going even answer the door when you knock let alone let you in, give me a break. My favorite scene was the super secret hush-hush meeting in the abandoned parking lot to make sure "Randy" can look like the good guy after his "spontaneous" dinner with Jaclyn's family.
Super Saturday and the snow day it was.
02/07/2010 - 11:49pm
Sunday recordings from the 2010 Progressive Summit
01/31/2010 - 7:17pm
January 30 2009 live from the 2010 PA Progressive SUmmit
01/31/2010 - 8:34am
YOU CAN HELP
01/23/2010 - 9:34am
This is America's Spiritual Leader? Are you kidding me?
01/16/2010 - 9:19am
No words need to be said.
12/30/2009 - 8:42pm
As the final hours of 2009 tick away, so do the fate and livelihoods of more than 30,000 Teamster members employed by the fallen giant YRC. Never heard of YRC? You, and their customers, have something in common. YRC is the nation’s largest Less than Truck Load (LTL) with revenues falling to $5 billion. The workers at YRC may soon join the millions of recession victims whose companies buried themselves under massive amounts of debt and had nothing to show for it. Currently YRC is working to convince a number of its bondholders to swap the outstanding bonds for equity in the company and preferred stock. The problem is these bonds are insured, and those holding the 8.5% bonds have apparently decided their investment is best served by collecting the insurance and forcing YRC into bankruptcy. This is but one more in a long line of stories where Wall Street’s investor class wins and workers and their families lose.
12/29/2009 - 4:38pm
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) says the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 is really the fault of TSA union employees, and justifies his hold on the TSA director nominee as such. Seriously.
The post remains vacant because Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has held up President Barack Obama’s nominee in opposition to the prospect of TSA workers joining a labor union.
DeMint said in a statement that the attempted attack “is a perfect example of why the Obama administration should not unionize the TSA.” He wants Southers to clarify his stand on unionizing the TSA, a shift that Democrats support.
