Comment by seiji | Hacker News Reader

Comment by seiji | Hacker News Reader

This is the same issue we see with vanity metrics: companies are giving the appearance of sharing information while actually engaging in spin or outright deception.

I call it the CEO voice.

====== Normal conversation:

How was your weekend?

I dislocated a toe, slipped, then cut off a finger. It sucked spending the weekend in the hospital.

====== CEO conversation:

How was your weekend?

It was great! I had a new experience, got to meet some excellent doctors, and saw the inside of a state-of-the-art hospital too! I think we can do some cross promotional revshare with them. Just think about it -- every time you get sick, the hospital gives you a virtual item! We'll call it the Get Sick For Pixels campaign.

Every interaction isn't required to be happy, bubbly, and falsely sincere. Sometimes you can be honest and show a little humanity. (Blame it on thoughts like http://twitter.com/foundersatwork/status/22661724100)

If I had a tenth of cent for every time someone in business used the word 'exciting' to describe something that really isn't, I'd be a googolilionaire.

Honestly, wtf are MBA schools teaching these days, how to use the most generic, overused to the point of meaningless language to inaccurately express your thoughts in the interest of expediency and/or buzzword compliance, even after you finish writing your resume? They should assign some Melville and Hemingway in their marketing and leadership courses.

"It was great! I had a new experience, got to meet some excellent doctors, and saw the inside of a state-of-the-art hospital too!"

this is interesting, if we leave out the company/marketing context - for an individual seems like a very optimistic way to look at undesired events that come by in everyone's life.

You just switched on a eureka bulb in me. Thank you!. I am going to do this at every 'opportunity' I face.

As Malcolm Gladwell states in (what the dog says):

'Self-conciousness' is the enemy of 'interestingness'

(Yeah, I'm aware that Gladwell uses a lot of anecdotal evidence, still in this case I believe it's correct and exactly what the op says)

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