Let Humanity Reign!
Published in Financial Times - Deutschland
(Germany) on 23 April 2009
by Martin Virtel (link to original)
Capitalism with a human face: Whether it’s Deutsche Telekom or in the United States, values are back in style.
Oh, isn’t it wonderful that good old-fashioned values are back in style? All of a sudden (and nearly simultaneously with water boarding’s demise) the cold-blooded hunt for profits is no longer “in.” Both practices were considered to be relentlessly effective, but when seen in the full light of day, their results often left a lot to be desired. People are once again treated like people - customers of the U.S. justice system, as well as the enemy combatants of capitalism.
Here in Germany, Deutsche Telekom [Trans. Note: Deutsche Telekom is the largest telecommunications company in Germany and the European Union] just took a giant step toward friendly relations by apologizing publicly for the recent failure of their cell phone network. One might ask what’s to apologize for, when 40 million customers were able to enjoy a whole afternoon of peace and quiet, but that’s a different matter. As compensation, and in keeping with the company’s newly discovered appreciation of human values, Telekom has invited all its customers to partake in absolutely free text messaging all day Sunday.
And because such gestures are now very popular globally, this example will certainly start a trend. Barack Obama’s administration is already considering a similar initiative in its own area of business. The Department of Justice is expected to begin sending out letters saying, “Dear Suspect: We’re deeply sorry for the temporary interruption you may have experienced in accessing your human rights. We wish to apologize and invite you to make full use of them during the upcoming month of June. Use June to take long walks, visit your favorite mosque, or just spend some quality time with your family.”
Oh, isn’t it wonderful that good old-fashioned values are back in style? All of a sudden (and nearly simultaneously with water boarding’s demise) the cold-blooded hunt for profits is no longer “in.” Both practices were considered to be relentlessly effective, but when seen in the full light of day, their results often left a lot to be desired. People are once again treated like people - customers of the U.S. justice system, as well as the enemy combatants of capitalism.
Here in Germany, Deutsche Telekom [Trans. Note: Deutsche Telekom is the largest telecommunications company in Germany and the European Union] just took a giant step toward friendly relations by apologizing publicly for the recent failure of their cell phone network. One might ask what’s to apologize for, when 40 million customers were able to enjoy a whole afternoon of peace and quiet, but that’s a different matter. As compensation, and in keeping with the company’s newly discovered appreciation of human values, Telekom has invited all its customers to partake in absolutely free text messaging all day Sunday.
And because such gestures are now very popular globally, this example will certainly start a trend. Barack Obama’s administration is already considering a similar initiative in its own area of business. The Department of Justice is expected to begin sending out letters saying, “Dear Suspect: We’re deeply sorry for the temporary interruption you may have experienced in accessing your human rights. We wish to apologize and invite you to make full use of them during the upcoming month of June. Use June to take long walks, visit your favorite mosque, or just spend some quality time with your family.”