Prof. Lehrer's Blog is now being syndicated by Newstex/ACI Information Group

Did you ever think to yourself - Hey, Prof. Lehrer just said something interesting, and I'd like to share it?  Well now you can - legally.

I am pleased to announce that content from Prof. Lehrer's Blog is now available for licensing through Newstex/ACI Information Group.  

https://aci.info/

ACI Information Group is the world’s leading aggregator of editorially selected and curated social media and blog publications.  Their partners include CCC (Copyright Clearance Center), ProQuest, NewsEdge and LexisNexis among others.  

A search through these databases or those of ACI's other partners will allow you to locate content from Prof. Lehrer's blog dating back to its inception in 2009 and license it properly for use in your own websites/communications.

Enjoy!

Only insecure people harass others.

In my experience men who harass women do so because they are threatened by them.  In both cases, older men, who weren't used to women in the workplace, felt a need to put me down because they couldn't deal with the fact that a young woman was telling them what to do.  Their comments were sexual in order to belittle me and show me that all I was good for was having babies.  It was really quite extraordinary.

I confronted one on the spot and eventually had both fired because I am the most dreaded of people - an assertive woman.  Unfortunately not everyone is.

But we need to differentiate between behavior that is meant to demean and honest propositions.  I had no problem with the latter as long as the men who made them were willing to take no graciously - which they all did. 

Every woman can tell the difference between predatory behavior and a compliment, and so can every man.  So don't try to tell people it was a joke or accidental.  We see you and you will be held accountable.

The cost of washing machines is up by almost $100.

That's because a tariff is in fact a tax on consumers.  The Chinese aren't paying that extra $86 - $92.  You are.  And if you thought buying "American" would help, you are wrong.  Domestic machines went up by 5% - 17%, versus 12% for foreign brands.  (White, 2019)

It might not be just greed, because component parts for all machines have gone up thanks to President Trump's new taxes.  But, Whirpool CEO Marc Bitzer was one of the people who pushed for those tariffs in January 2018.  Just saying. 

So the question is how long can Trump keep sending out untruthful tweets like this one from Friday before people figure it out.

"Tariffs are NOW being paid to the United States by China of 25% on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods & products. These massive payments go directly to the Treasury of the U.S." — tweet Friday.

(2019)

After all, he is the master of miscommunication.  He tells his lies first and repeats them often.  Eventually people think what he is saying is true because they "have heard it somewhere."

But, I'd say the next time they buy a washing machine they are going to notice.  Maybe that's why category sales decreased by 9.7% in 1st quarter 2018.  (Statista, 2019)

You can fool some of the people, some of the time...

White, M. (2019, April 19)  Trump's washing machine tariffs are costing Americans almost $100 more per appliance. nbcnews.com.  Retrieved May 14, 2019, from https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/trump-s-washing-machine-tariffs-are-costing-americans-almost-100-n999461

(2019, May 13) Trump's trade talk is full of misinformation, experts say. cbsnews.com.  Retrieved May 14, 2019, from  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-china-trade-talk-misinformation-tweet-claim-review-2019-05-13/

Unit shipment of automatic washers in the U.S. from 1st quarter 2012 to 4th quarter 2019 (in 1,000's)  https://www.statista.com/statistics/221445/forecast-of-automatic-washer-shipments-in-the-us-by-quarter/

Just tell me what to do.

HBR did a story a while back discussing their observation that Millennials are less likely than previous generations to ask why they are being asked to do something, and simply want to be told what to do.

It's an interesting observation.  I imagine part of the reason for their behavior is the way that they have been raised.  A very articulate Millennial once said to me: "Imagine what it's like to have every moment of your life scheduled from the day you are born."  Sounds awful.  But you can start to see the problem.  They have been told exactly what to do from birth and have been encouraged not to ask questions.  Why change now?

The truth is that they are terrified of failure.  My Millennial spokesperson also pointed out that "they have been under pressure to succeed their entire lives - even having to compete to get into kindergarten."  Oh wow.  Now I am really feeling sorry for them. 

Their helicopter parents have made the situation worse by not allowing them to fail.  Not only does this short change their learning since you learn more from your failures than your successes, but it also overemphasizes their fear of failure.  And it doesn't allow them to learn how to bounce back from failure, and develop resilience, which is much more important in the scheme of things.

I'm not so sure that I believe that Millennials are less likely than previous generations to ask questions.  But if they are, I can certainly see why.  Can't you?

Are you supporting a boycott? Join the club

One out of three Millennials and Gen Xers have boycotted a brand in the past year. (Carufel, 2019)

The New York Times has a section online devoted to boycotts.  In April alone there were seven efforts covered.  Probably more were not.

https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/boycotts

While there is no doubt that activism is on the rise, I'm wondering if the increase in boycotts isn't more about the fact that all decisions are emotional.  Research shows that we decide emotionally and justify rationally.  It's not nearly as sad as it sounds.  The reason our decisions have to be made using emotions is that there are too many variables involved for them to be strictly rational.  Instead we listen to our guts.

Besides, buying a brand that supports a cause you care about can lift your self-esteem just as much, or perhaps more than buying one that is premium-priced.  So why wouldn't either criteria be equally valid?

Of course it's also true that our decision to join a boycott could be an extension of our desire to be part of the tribe.  While the need to belong has always been part of human nature one of the side effects of social media is that we see the perfect lives that others are living and long to join them.  And when we do, we follow their cues; which social media is only too happy to share with us.

78% of Americans participated in a boycott this year.  Were you one of them?  Why?

Carufel, R. (2019, February 7)  1 in 3 Millennials and Gen Xers have boycotted a brand in the past year.  agilitypr.com.  Retrieved May 1, 2019, from  https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/1-in-3-millennials-and-gen-xers-have-boycotted-a-brand-in-the-past-year/