The PR schism: Divided we fall

It’s not just the political landscape that seems hopelessly divided these days. Our profession (whatever you want to call it: communications, public relations, marketing, social media) is mired in several debates. We are becoming just as splintered as the Republican Party and are pointing fingers and spreading blame faster than the Democrats. Meanwhile, PR’s overall reputation is failing fast.

Here are a few debates I’ve noticed:

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve added my own two cents to many of these debates and have probably prolonged my share of them. In my experience, a healthy debate is almost always a good thing.

But what is starting to concern me is the vituperative nature of the discourse. Maybe it’s because you can convey only so much in 140 characters. Or that we’ve gotten so used to news personalities ranting and raving, we think that’s the way all people should behave. But while we’re immersed in these debates, it would behoove us to get our heads up out of sandbox and pay attention to what the rest of the world thinks of us.