Google This.........

First thanks to so many of you who sent me birthday greetings.  For those of you who "forgot"  no worries I am terrible at remembering birthdays and most likely failed to remember all of you most of the time.  Anyway, with so many automated systems these days even my Insurance Agent, Dentist and Doctor all sent me a birthday email as well!  Of course even my "Google Search" page had a birthday cake glowing on my day!  

First up if any of you use the CNBC Site for business (or other news) you may have seen that June 6th was the day of the Google (Alphabet) Shareholders  meeting.  On that day a number of employees tried to get the Google Board to adopt more stringent "Diversity and Inclusive" hiring protocols.  The proposal was voted down.

So now let's look at an "unsolicited" email "Google Assistant" sent me on Tuesday night...which I opened on my Birthday Morning.  I have copied and pasted it below (my commentary continues after the paste):

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Your Google Assistant <assistant-noreply@google.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 5, 2018, 8:49 PM
Subject: Get inspired by the pride and joy around you
To: <jcr0652@gmail.com>

Celebrate unity and courage alongside the LGBTQ community with help from your Google Assistant. Just start with, "Hey Google" Play the Pride Classics playlist on Spotify  Tell me a Pride story  Do you have a chosen family?  Ready to help, across many devices. Stand with brave voices, James Learn more about LGBTQ history and culture with podcasts and Netflix* on your weekend morning. Set a 5-minute timer for coffee Give me a fact about Pride Listen to the Making Gay History podcast What time is the New York City Pride Parade? Watch Queer Eye on Netflix WAS THIS USEFUL? Try this on your phone Capture memories in a flash when you ask your Assistant to snap a photo for you. Learn more » Take a selfie WAS THIS USEFUL? Discover more with your Assistant Shop with your Assistant this summer Buy the things you need with just your voice. Learn more » How do I shop? Order sunscreen New: Pay friends back in seconds Make your Assistant handle the cash when you send or request money through Google Pay. Learn more » Send Sam $10 for lunch  WAS THIS USEFUL? In the spotlight Your Assistant, now on tablets Get help on your tablet anytime by setting reminders, controlling smart home devices,and more. WAS THIS USEFUL? See what else your Assistant can do » *Netflix subscription required. Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 This message was sent to ​j​c​r​0​6​5​2​@​g​m​a​i​l​.​c​o​m​ because you asked us to keep you up to date with the latest news and features related to the Google Assistant. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please unsubscribe here.

Now I wonder, why on earth do I need an unsolicited Email from Google to be told to:

Play a "Pride Playlist on Spotify (it does have 395,000 followers already.)  The first song was Lady Gaga "Born this Way"

Ask my Assistant to "Tell me a Pride Story"

Tell Google about my "Chosen Family"

Certainly the Google employees who send these helpful hints have not been persecuted for their views.  In fact I hazard to guess that Google strongly supports the Pride Movement.  

I have my own thoughts on why Google has had issues with recruiting more women and or Gay/Transgendered individuals but lack of "effort" is extremely unlikely.

But let me cut to the chase on this post.

I like millions (or even billions globally) have embedded my life with Google. My android phone is used to summon my assistant to turn on the lights and unlock the door.  I use it for directions and as mentioned in a prior post to keep a "timeline" .  Chrome is my search engine of choice.  Heck this blog is a Google Product.  I selected Google as my email provider almost 20 years ago.  Evidently now Google is trying to "guide" my thinking into furthering their own corporate objectives.  However, I did manage to shrug it off and in fact it inspired this post.  I find it  useful to illustrate a point.

In trying to increase my understanding as to  why our country is so politically divided I recently read a fascinating book. It covered the massive shift in  the rural/blue collar counties in the key rust belt and rural communities in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa in the 2016 election. The author went to these communities and interviewed hundreds of voters in depth, focusing on Counties that  that voted overwhelmingly for Obama in the prior two elections, that now voted for Trump.  Let me give you a hint it was not racially motivated.  In essence for millions the general perception was (and is) that both parties, driven by East and West Coast Elites, along with major corporations (especially companies like Google) and major news outlets have consistently bludgeoned them with group think, and belittled what they see are their values.  This was coupled with a general failure to see what was actually happening to their communities.  Assuming that "Google Assistant" email went countrywide I suspect it will only serve to reinforce that perception among those who feel that way.  

Generally every social upheaval has people who perceive themeselves as  winners and losers.  Heck The Protestant Reformation was a hundred years of bloodshed, before society settled into a truce on Religious Freedom.  That religious upheaval was flamed  not by Google, Facebook or Fox News but by a guy nailing a Thesis on a church door.  

The things we as individuals and communities value as Haidt points out are powerful emotions which can cloud all of our views.  They are not easily changed  nor do they generally "go softly in the night".  I remain convinced that understanding each other and reaching some kind of truce remains our best hope for the future.  Unfortunately I fear that will take a  heck of a lot more than my little Blog.

Until then 

Adieu 

PS the Book I mentioned:  The Great Revolt By Salena Zito (of CNN) and Brad Todd (A Republican Strategist)