A fascinating write up today on the shifting tide and thought regarding gay marriage. Now, bear with me…this is not a post in support of or against the idea. That’s not the point. What I find fascinating about this is how public opinion has changed over time, and how that change came about. I believe it has implications for our own business practices today.
First, let’s take a look at the statistic:
When Gallup first asked about legal recognition for same-sex unions, in 1996, only 27 percent of Americans said they were supportive of gay marriage. This May, that number was 55 percent. The stories we tell about how this happened usually minimize politicians and campaigns, preferring the logic of the natural evolution of public opinion: People realize they know gays and lesbians, grow comfortable around them, and come to accept their political demands in human terms.
That is a sharp and steady climb. How do we account for it? Well, as the above statement summarizes, it can be accounted by putting a human face to the debate. What does this mean? In the years since 1996, more and more people have been exposed to gay couples as neighbors, business partners, acquaintances.
What has happened is that an actual face has been put to the idea…it’s been made human. So much so, that the idea or concept is neither, anymore. Rather, it is human. What we are talking about are people we know. And when we know them, have relationship with them, put a face on them…well, then they are no longer an idea on a piece of paper.
So how does this touch on our business practices? In many ways, it goes the same for us today. Is our business simply a business on paper or a site on the internet? Or are we working hard at putting a face to the name in our local community, and building up that name via this same community?
In other words, put a human face on your business and watch it grow.
[sc:mbtc]
