Purposeful activity; role, function; a usually commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood; a commercial or sometimes industrial enterprise; dealings or transactions especially of an economic nature
There are a few more but in relation to the topic directly at hand and the overall mental association of the word business to the world of economics, marketing, enterprise, etc, the above serves a more than complete purpose. So, just what is this topic which brings me to start my quandary du jour? To quote a certain industrial giant of corporate conglomeration:
“Making friends is our business.”
Which brings me to the definition of friend:
One attached to another by affection or esteem; one that is not hostile, one that is of the same nation, party, or group; one that favors or promotes something; a favored companion
For many, myself included, friendship is as sacred as family, a deeply ingrained trust which cannot be bought, sold, won, connived, bribed, blackmailed, or marketed. Friendship is earned equally and shared equally and when in need, selflessly and selfishly. Friendship is a bond, a union of honesty and respect. For myself and I am sure innumerable others, friendship has no price. Friendship is most certainly not a business.
And so I would like to ask of Anheuser Busch/InBev just how is that “making friends is our business?” It can’t. It won’t. It shouldn’t. It isn’t. Friendship isn’t business; friendship is human social interaction without a commercial or mercantile activity to provide a monetary livelihood (for one). Maybe that is why in the world of Anheuser Busch/InBev, business and cold hard cash is the only friendship they care about. You and I? We’re just statistics to be analyzed, catalogued, and if deemed profitable in their self-interests, even if only for a while, a friendship worth their business. You could easily substitute the word friendship in this case with the much more applicable word: pawn.
I do not know if/when/ever “making friends is our business” will change, for that would mean a philosophical change at the very tippytop down to the very bottom, a change that would leave no corner, nook, cranny, and deep dark dank secret of their business world untouched and unaired. Somehow, I don’t see this happening, and so those silly boys and girls on high will continue to live in their Escher-esque world of fuckwittery, a delusion so grand to have become, at least in their own sad little lonely world, reality.
Or is it even sadder that everyday normal rational (hopefully) human beings of decent intelligence have so woefully chosen to neglect their little gray cells, instead offering them up willingly to these grand jesters of fuckwittery so as to sacrifice our independence of thought and pride of self-reliance.
At least in my own little world, significant or insignificant it may be, friends are friends and the little gray cells are exercised regularly.
(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)
(thanks to Merriam-Webster for the use of their online dictionary)
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While it sounds like a friendly and catchy slogan on the surface it doesn't hold water given the highly impersonal nature of Anheuser Busch as a corporate entity standing behind what is just a family name. Some companies have followers, supporters and collaborators based on their reputations and product. They don't need to be in "the business" of making friends when their reputations and word of mouth about their product are enough to attract customer loyalty.
ReplyDeleteAB is a giant entity selling an inferior product experience. They also seem to be bent on obliterating smaller niche markets that their core business has nothing to do with in the first place. They can be anything but your "friend" when the way they want to win that friendship is by eliminating as many better alternatives as they can.
Of course... there are always the right people to call or other establishments that know the right way gain customer loyalty: good product and good business. They go hand in hand and travel far.
Craig (Livejournal has some issue with their login window at the time I posted this...)