Sara Wedeman notes, in response to my quotation of Brett Glass asking why the companies that vociferously demand that we trust them are themselves the least trustworthy, observes
[B]ecause they are the only ones stupid enough (in the world of ‘emotional intelligence’) to believe that trust is a commodity that can be bought and sold; that trustworthiness is a pose to strike in the service of competitive advantage rather than a stance in life. In this construction, trust is a ‘product feature’ that encourages customers to do what you want them to do in spite of their better judgement or economic self-interest. Paradoxically, in urging us to trust them, they reveal an utter of understanding of the concept. This, in turn, lets us know they are entirely untrustworthy. Quite perfect in its symmetry, if you think about it.I couldn’t agree more. Posted by AKMA at October 10, 2002 05:43 PM | TrackBack