Memorial Day is a holiday that may be easier to recognize for the number of promotions sent out by brands looking to drum up business and present themselves as advocates for veterans everywhere. It’s a day off from school, an opportunity to unofficially kick off the summer with a barbecue, and a chance to connect with loved ones whether or not they actually served in the military. These aren’t inherently bad things — there’s never a bad time to connect with loved ones — but it does represent a disconnect from what the day was supposed to represent.
My circle has quite a few veterans in it, and it strikes me that there’s often a fine line between authentically supporting veterans publicly and posturing for the sake of branding. Marketers and sales people have a well established history of doing this; ask anyone in the industry about “green washing” and you will get plenty of reasons why you can slap a label on something as a technicality, but the root of it is simply that people want to present their organizations — or even themselves — as advocates of a cause without doing any of the actual work to justify it. Celebrating the sacrifices that veterans make on Memorial Day with a discount that disappears after the three-day weekend might be a nice gesture, but it’s hardly something that justifies being seen as a supporter of the people who defend the U.S.
Memorial Day is a day of mourning, and offers an opportunity to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives for a variety of reasons. Some people believed in the institutions that the U.S. has established here and abroad while others believed in the role democracy plays in the world, even if the path towards it isn’t always straight or easy. Some who lost their lives weren’t thinking about high-minded ideals at all, but about their families at home who they wanted to make proud or protect from potential threats.
There is no one way to pay respects to those who lost their lives while serving. The sales are timely, the barbecues an opportunity to celebrate some of what was granted by their loss, but it’s also worth remembering that those who made the ultimate sacrifice were people, whose loss left holes in the lives of families because they believed in making the world a better place.
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A Feel Good Place
Kitchenware and a Culinary Experience
Sur La Table is one of those brands that I had only ever noticed while strolling the aisles of my local warehouse store until a couple of years ago when I did a little research on cooking classes in the area. Despite enjoying cooking, I still didn’t take steps to actually sign up until good friends of mine gave me and my wife the opportunity in the form of a gift.
The class itself was thoroughly enjoyable, but it also gave me a chance to see what the brand was really about. In a world where shopping on Amazon and looking through ecommerce reviews is the norm, it seemed a little odd to me that anyone would want to go shopping for something as expensive as good kitchenware in-person when everyone knew that brick-and-mortar stores mark up their prices to help make a profit. Yet, Sur La Table was able to combine its curated inventory with a great experience and actual chefs on hand to help guide the buying process, which made it worthwhile to invest in good tools, even if I hadn’t planned on buying something in the first place.
Many people talk about using storytelling, creating experiences for customers, or leveraging expertise to create educational content, but few know how to do it well. If you’re curious to read the full story, check out the link below.
Something Read
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN BY CORMAC MCCARTHY
Llewelyn Moss is a welder who stumbles on a briefcase full of money at the scene of a drug deal gone bad. Taking the money and fleeing the scene, Moss soon learns that the drug dealers whose money he took have sent a psychopathic fixer named Anton Chigurh after him to recover it. The bodies soon start to pile up and Moss realizes that he may have gotten in over his head, hoping to protect everything he loves from the rampage Chigurh rains down on him.
For Casual Readers: The book will likely appeal to anyone who’s an existing fan of McCarthy’s work, and have a preference for books that look at the hard realities of the world without dressing it up. The story is a crime drama, but it doesn’t come with any frills that soften how difficult such situations can be, so it would appeal to those who like the realism of such stories.
For Writers: The book offers a great example of how to build tension and fear among characters without using the traditional mechanisms for doing so. McCarthy’s ability to do that while remaining understated is a great way of understanding the process if someone wanted to incorporate it into their own work.
What Comes Next
Enjoyed this issue? Here’s what you can expect from the next newsletter:
Some notes about the role culture plays in the economy
A lovely spot in the Wissahickon to enjoy a night out or host an event.
A review of a novel whose stakes involve setting up a coffee shop, but offers a great way to relax if you don’t mind a world filled with DnD characters.
As always, while this project may be a space where I share some of the things I have been thinking of, I also want to make sure it delivers value for you. So if you have feedback on what you would like to see, let me know and your recommendation may make it into the next issue.
