On occasion, I remark how the main tactic of the far left is to silence conservatives and people of conscious; not engage in the arena of ideas.  The MSM or old media have been exposed for their bias by insiders, websites and competition.  I cite examples everyday on my program as well check in with media analyst Seton Motley who provides the audience with outstanding commentary as well as updates on communication regulation often times breaking news. Last night, I saw how in the war of ideas people can make a difference by simply engaging in the debate.    

 The program Undercover Boss on CBS impressed me last week with the head of Roto Rooter going “undercover” and getting an internal perspective of his global enterprise.  It was great; he connected with his labor force while finding areas where the company had lost its vision.  However, it was tear jerker since he had to confront folks that were facing challenges which CEO’s of major corporations don’t have to deal with, like monetary issues.  He also helped an employee who was six years sober by having him speak to other locations across the country.  Rotor-Rooter benefited big time with what turned out to be an hour long infomercial on their service.  I was looking forward to last night’s broadcast until I saw that the undercover boss was featuring Hooters, but much to my surprise, after viewing the program I was actually heartened by elements of the broadcast. 

Undercover Boss Hooters did have the touching family story of a son taking over the family business and trying to forward his Father’s vision thereby seeking approval from his now deceased Dad.  The only problem was that the company was in the business of exploiting women with tight tops and short skirts; a step from a strip club if you ask me.  So how could there be something of value from this kind of promotion?             

In one of the jobs, the head hooter had to go out with two scantily clad employees to pass out flyers and engage the public about how “great” Hooters was.  Armed only with a chicken wing special and a camera crew, they engaged passersby with questions.  One of the questions was if people go or would go to the local Hooters? The answers were varied but the most substantive came from women who objected to their establishment.  Highlighting exploitation and sleaziness, critics politely explained why their business was offensive.  Their responses would have been laughable if they were not so sad.  If you ever hear someone defend porn; you get the picture.  The CEO came away seemingly embarrassed but then surmised that he needed to do a better job of informing the public of good Hooters does for the community.  I suspect the pathetic rationalization was obvious even for the most ardent supporters. You have heard them before - e.g. Gambling dollars help fun kid’s education.  The inclusion of the objections trumped the attempted sanitization which makes the point: people win by just entering the arena and speaking truth.