And We Thought Newsweek Screwed The Pooch

Somehow, this missed my eye until today. Of course, it’s only been in the news for 24 hours, but PowerLine is a blog I visit on a daily basis; usually two or three times in a day. But they picked this up, and ran with it. They received the following report from a student at Columbia’s business school.
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010478.php

At yesterday's recognition ceremony for newly minted Columbia Business School MBAs, we had the president/CFO of PepsiCo as our distinguished guest speaker. After beginning her speech with words of praise and recognition for the graduates and their families, Ms. Indra Nooyi began to make the political statement du jour. After talking of her childhood back in India, Ms. Nooyi began to compare the world and its five major continents (excl. Antarctica and Australia) to the human hand. First was Africa - the pinky finger - small and somewhat insignificant but when hurt, the entire hand hurt with it. Next was Asia - the thumb - strong and powerful, yearning to become a bigger player on the world stage. Third was Europe - the index finger - pointing the way. Fourth was South America - the ring finger - the finger which symbolizes love and sensualness. Finally, the US (not Canada mind you) - yes, you guessed it - the middle finger. She then launched into a diatribe about how the US is seen as the middle finger to the rest of the world. The rest of the world sees us as an overbearing, insensitive and disrespectful nation that gives the middle finger to the rest of the world. According to Ms. Nooyi, we cause the other finger nations to cower under our presence. But it is our responsibility, she continues, to change the current state of world opinion of the US. It is our responsibility to make the other fingers rise in unison with us as we move forward. She then goes on to give a personal anecdote about some disrespectful US business women in an Asian country and how that is typical of Americans overseas. No talk of what the US has done for the world throughout its history. No discussion about the ills that have been cured and the rights that have been wronged by the US. Just how wrong we are for the way we are perceived and how right they are in their own perceptions of the United States.

You can go to PowerLine and read up on their follow-ups with PepsiCo. Now there are a few things I have to say about this. I’m not big on "boycotts". The reason is the inevitable one; if I boycott anything and everyone who disagrees with me, I’ll never buy anything or talk to another person again. However, I fully endorse such moves when they’re warranted. And when the CFO of PepsiCo compares the US to the middle finger I think such a call is warranted.

And yes, I realize almost every product that PepsiCo is connected with. I am fully aware of what I am about to do. But I will not support a company that allows their chief executives to go out and give a political statements, when that wasn’t why they were there. Ms. Nooyi was speaking to Columbia’s business school. She was not addressing a political conference, nor was she "teaching" a history class. The speech should have stuck to business, and not diverted to a political statement.

And, I’m equally appalled that a woman from another country (she hails from Madras, India) that had come here to attend school, and reap the benefits here would have the audacity to make such a statement. Now, in fairness, she did respond to the criticism.

I recently had the privilege of speaking to the 2005 graduating class of Columbia University’s Business School in New York City.

Recognizing that these talented new leaders will influence both America and the world, I tried to provide some advice as they embark on their careers. I chose to speak about the powerful role that America, and we as Americans, hold in the world today. I hoped to encourage these graduates to be sure they make a positive and personal difference as representatives of our great country.

In my comments, I used the analogy of a human hand to illustrate that people in countries around the globe need to join together to make the world work in harmony – just as all the fingers of a hand work together. It is an illustration that I learned when I was a student, and that I have shared with others on many different occasions.

As part of this illustration, I assigned five of the world’s continents to the different fingers and thumb. I refer to North America and particularly the U.S. as the middle finger because it is the longest and anchors every function the hand performs. The middle finger also is key to all the fingers working together effectively. That is how I view America’s place of importance in the world.

The point of my analogy was to emphasize America’s leadership position. Equally critical is the need for each of us as citizens to take a constructive role in whatever we choose to do in life to ensure the U.S. continues as the world’s "helping hand."Unfortunately, my remarks at Columbia University were misconstrued and depicted in a different context as unpatriotic. Although nothing could be further from the truth, I regret any confusion or concern that I may have inadvertently created. As I shared with the audience at Columbia, this country that I am proud and honored to call home is a "promised land" that I love dearly. I would never say or do anything to detract from our great nation and its people who have done so much for so many, including myself.

Thank you for your understanding and allowing me to set the record straight.Indra K. Nooyi
President & CFO, PepsiCo

I'd like to post up the link to the PDF, but it seems that PepsiCo has taken it down.

You decide whether she's right, or the bloggers are. This speech, in my opinion, was wrong. The main thrust of her speech was that political statement. Yes, overall, she is talking about "global business", but to divert from the idea of business, to interject a political statement, and then attempt to connect the two is bad enough. But then to play it off as a bunch of people making hay about "misconstrued" comments is just plain stupid. Stand up, and make a formal apology to the nation. Better yet, fire yourself before the heat gets too great on this.

Right now, this story is already at swarm capacity; according to Technorati.com, over 60 entries have been made on blogs about this. According to Hugh Hewitt, his E-mail is overflowing from bloggers that have jumped on this. Ms. Nooyi, at this point, is facing a storm that she might want to avoid. (While we're at it, can we please remind Ms. Nooyi that the middle finger is not the key digit of the hand; that's reserved for the opposable thumb.)

Publius II

UPDATE:

Hugh Hewitt has posted this up on his site.

http://hughhewitt.com/

"Thank you again for contacting us about Indra Nooyi's recent commencement speech at Columbia University, which has created a difficult situation.

Overriding everything else, please know how sorry we are for disappointing you - and how much we appreciate your input. Feedback such as yours has been shared directly with Indra, and she clearly regrets the reaction that this unfortunate episode has caused. With that in mind, Indra has asked us to share this statement with you:

"Following my remarks to the graduating class of Columbia University's Business School in New York City, I have come to realize that my words and examples about America unintentionally depicted our country negatively and hurt people. I appreciate the honest comments that have been shared with me since then, and am deeply sorry for offending anyone. I love America unshakably - without hesitation - and am extremely grateful for the opportunities and support our great nation has always provided me.

"Over the years I've witnessed and advised others how a thoughtless gesture or comment can hurt good, caring people. Regrettably, I've proven my own point. I made a mistake and, again, I'm very sorry."

Indra Nooyi

Thanks once more for taking the time to contact us here at PepsiCo. We truly value your very conscientious point of view, and promise to work just as diligently at regaining your trust and confidence.

Sincerely,
Christine Jones, Vice President, Consumer Relations

This is a dodge, not an apology. America is not the world's middle finger. We've been it's backbone for decades because no one else will step up and do it. When an emergency occurs, America is the first one to jump in, and help those affected. Remember tsunami relief? How about the millions we spend to fight AIDS in Africa? And lest the world forget, we did help stop Nazism, fascism, imperialism, and totalitarianism. Don't forget the fifty million people that took part in the first free elections of their lives recently.

No, I'm sorry, this doesn't cut it. Apologize now--sincerely--or I'm going to call for her ouster. I'm willing to give her and them one more chance to make amends.