[ SHOWGSD-L ] A Calming word... maybe
- From: "David Fritsche" <d_fritsche@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:42:21 -0800
> This morning I received an appalling word that in some regional
> clubs, some
> members are divided on this Hunte issue and members are angry with
> each other.
> Tearing ourselves apart can't be the answer. > Stormy Hope
Of course - I am with Stormy here, or is it Stormy hope!
Let's assume for a minute that we are wrong. This is always a valuable
exercise in forming opinions and in developing an argument. Try it
often is my recommendation. But let's, for the of argument, assume
that we are wrong.....
Let's say that the puppy mills got bad press and cleaned up their act
and that the reports we hear of sick puppies are the rare exception
and are less frequent than our own breeding programs. Let's assume
that they have cleaned up their records, their kennels, their
transportation and the stores they sell to. Let's assume that we do
not have a legitimate leg to stand on for being against the puppy mill
industry, except past facts and conditions and present rumors.
The fact is, whither they have cleaned up their act or not, their
reputation and image is still there. And, we are right now
experiencing it. It is not just our club but breed clubs all over the
dog landscape that are reacting to us. He who has become a dominate
factor in that tainted picture of perception has joined us and we are
experiencing the fall out of "sleeping with the enemy!" Reputations
are funny things. They do not require facts and truth, all they need
is perception. In my own life I have chosen to disregard the
perceptions of others at times when I am faced with a right/wrong
decision. But in this case: It is not my problem!
That's right! It is not my problem. I did not create the reputation of
the puppy mill industry and I did not join them for tea. They are not
my world, therefore I cannot clear up the perceptions that exist about
them.
Let me broaden the application of that level of responsibility. Our
Board is not responsible for that perception either. They did not
create the puppy mill 'reality' and they can't fix it. But I suspect
that good people, faced with the decision of what is right or wrong
did not look beyond the surface issues of the presentation to the
ramifications that were to come. They felt responsible to handle a
difficult decision based on the facts that they had at the time. But
now, here we are, facing the ramifications of that decision and the
fall out of conflicting realities and differing perceptions. The
important thing is to understand that we are not dealing with an evil
board, but with an unforeseen reaction because we did not see how
powerful and entrenched the image of the puppy mill industry is.
Here's what I suggest. Let no board member feel that we are against
them and that we do not support them. Let them simply realize that the
perceptions are far bigger than they realized and it is best for the
club, our reputation, our future and our relationship with other breed
clubs, to not hold the course. That is not a slap at anyone nor is it
a rebellion against the authority of the board. DO NOT QUIT! We need
each of our board members to hold steady and not over react to this
time of conflict. People feel very strongly about this issue and it is
because the puppy mills and the entire industry has created an image
and a perception that is not going to die easily. It is their fault
and there responsibility to clean up their own act and to change their
own image and to alter the perceptions that the dog fancy has of them.
That is why I say, it is not my responsibility and it is not the
boards responsibility. I would urge a presentation to Mr. Hunte that
says exactly that: You've caused too many reactions and are disrupting
the effectiveness of the board and the fancy. You may not have known
what problems this would have created, nor did we who voted for your
membership. But it did. Now, go out there and not just clean up the
trucks and the kennels and the stores and the incinerator (Uck!), but
create an image and a perception of your industry that is worthy of a
relationship to the GSDCA. We cannot do it for you. You are
responsible.
In that regard, we need to stand together, members and board to see
that the responsibility for the perceptions that exist do not tear us
apart. The members did not create those perceptions, nor did the
board. We are caught in a vortex of conflict because of an outside
perceptual reality that neither of us are in favor of and which no one
in the GSDCA created.
In a certain sense, it is not a matter of kicking a person out, but of
'releasing them' to the task that is theirs alone. When it is
complete, we will know and we will be as open to him as to anyone -
although it may take a life time to complete. So be it. It is a worthy
task.
Thanks for listening,
Dave
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