The Front Page Test
In an era of intense pressure to succeed, we’re often faced with the dilemma to do well OR do good. Our ambitions for money, security, and recognition can drive us to make choices that enrich ourselves while hurting others. The news provides us an endless parade of Bernie Madoffs holding their heads in shame for prioritizing greed above all else.
While you’re probably not a crook, you likely face similar dilemmas on a subtler, yet consistent basis. Should you overbill your client just a tad to boost revenue? Should you make your co-worker look bad to make yourself look good? Should you deliver products or services that are profitable yet overall damaging to society?
Recently, I’ve been bothered by the lyrics of popular rap songs that my kids blast from the car radio. Jay-Z and Kanye West rap about luring young girls into bathroom stalls to “prove why they deserve to have it all.” And the popular rapper Tyga talks with incessant repetitiveness about throwing hundred dollars bills (“hunnits”) on naked strippers.
Now I’m no prude and I’m all for artistic expression. But peddling obnoxious trash to audiences in order to sell more records can’t be making the world a better place. Sure, these “artists” are scoring a bunch of cash. But at what cost?
A simple test you can use when facing a decision is to imagine that your actions will be covered in great detail on the front page of The New York Times the next morning. A big, tell-all feature explaining the choice you made for the whole world to see. Would you be proud of your actions or ashamed by them? Excited to share the story with your friends and family or overwhelmed by humiliation?
You could go one step further and ask yourself if someday your grandkids heard the story, how would you feel? Think Tyga and Kanye would be excited to share their primal lyrics with their 8-year-old granddaughters?
Take a good look in the mirror and examine your career, relationships, parenting style, leadership approach, and level of overall contribution. If that NY Times story was coming out tomorrow, which areas of your life would you wish you could have changed?
Some changes may need to be drastic, while others could be a slight pivot allowing you to contribute value rather than destroy it. Since it’s unlikely the Times will be publishing their story tomorrow, you have the gift of opportunity to make those changes now. So when that story is actually on display, you can beam with pride and know you’ve left a positive mark.
With a little creativity, it’s possible to do well AND do good. Challenge yourself to do the right thing instead of the easy thing, and the rewards will end up being tenfold.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll even enjoy the movie version.
Josh,
Great civilizations decline because they trend towards the mean/average, instead of excelling at the margin.
Michael
A grounded moral compass is an often under-valued characteristic I find in many successful individuals and business professionals. From hearing you speak and following your messages, I’m not surpised to learn this is one of your assets. Well done!
What a great perspective. I find myself having this conversation with my teenage kids frequently as society shifts from a desire for privacy to a much more public view through mediums like Facebook and other social media. An individuals ability to gain a public audience is getting easier each day and with that ease the level of garbage also seems to be rising. It would be great if there were some litmus test for people to evaluate the impact of what they do before they do it. I wonder if Jay-Z will find his lyrics inspirational for his new baby girl? Does he feel he is being a role model to her now?
Wow! I wasn’t expecting that, but what a great way of looking at our actions. I appreciate being spurred on to more noble things and if we all took more time to live virtueous lives, it could be a much different world. I will take this to heart for myself in the area of parenting and family life.
great point. Madonna spent a decade or so proving that women could be as sleazy and as trashy as they wanted, then moved to Britian when she had her daughter, because American culture was too debauched.
Josh,
Well done! I have had similar reactions to my daughters music. However the real “Front page” moment hit me when I was riding with her and one my favorite “classics from college” came on the radio. I was embarrassed about the message I was sending or listening to because of the songs lyrics. It is a classic, but the context changes when listening with children. Great message.
Thanks for this one Josh. You have my admiration and respect. Don’t worry about your kids. They will grow out of this rap stage and become a lot like you.
Interesting Topic. I agree wholehertedly. I have always been a fan of Rap and Hip-Hop and enjoy listening to it to this day. I cannot chare my appreciation for music with my children becasue there isnt one song out there that doesnt try to push the limits. Unfortunately, this is what sells, and I dont think there are people in the entertainment industry who care enough to put a stop to it….
Well said! There are so many people caught up in their own self gratification, they fail to realize that only what they do for others will last. Perhaps another question that many should ask themselves is “what will people say that I stood for when I’m gone?”
Very refreshing! It is about creativity at a higher standard. I see the lack of creativity in”artist” who take the lower road to make money. It is a pleasure to see wholesome and innovative creativity…all types and especially when it comes to relationships..in all arenas. Thanks for taking a Highter Step!!!
Josh – I’m a big fan of yours and a former Detroiter, but I’m on the other side of this one… as filmmaker who makes some bold choices in my work, I really take issue with your ideas here. I think what your saying has nothing to do with morality or justification on the scale of a feature on the NYT. People who make art don’t do it for it to be explained in the NYT. You don’t express yourself artistically by overbilling your clients and Jay Z, although widely received and very commercial, is a brilliant artist first, and then a brilliant marketer. I doubt he fears an unflattering expose in the NYT. What serious artist would? Mostly I would just take issue with the fact that you postulate that if Jay Z were to just get a little more creative, he would be able find a way to make his music and also be responsible. That’s a pretty impure way of approaching art. I’m sure their grandchildren will be exceedingly proud of their legacy. It takes an incredible amount of courage to do what he does. Take issue with what he said, certainly, that is our right as listeners but I’m here to tell you making music, art, film is not about morality, it’s about expression. About asking questions and pushing boundaries, not pandering to the status quo. Do not conflate business with art. Call the radio station and tell them not to play it or turn it off or turn on Spotify and play what you want.
I totally agree with this article. As a part-time musician myself, I believe in the power of how songs–with its melody and lyrics–can greatly affect a person’s life. Just look at how many people cried when Whitney Houston passed away.
The lyrics in the rap songs we hear today may seem subtle and harmless, but it may be a danger if it’s being heard by children especially in their developing stages. They might see these lyrics as “truths” and then live by it.
It seems really difficult to witness that we are now moving to a generation where a purpose of a “hit” song is to make tons of money and not to inspire and uplift a person’s life.
Kanye West certainly has distinguished himself…how many people have been singled out by the President of the United States as a Jackass?
Great article, thank you, your front page test and the increasing need for us to use such a dramatic response to our everyday actions, speaks to the greater need for values education to be put at the core of education systems around the world.