The Fearless Blogger

Earlier today I read a post Nonprofits? Not a Recessionary Refuge for Job Seekers by Nancy Lublin (founder of Dress for Success and  CEO of the not-for-profit Do Something) in which she laments the number of requests she’s been receiving since the recession from people interested in “breaking into” the not-for-profit sector.

At best the piece was self-pitying and whiny; describing it as obnoxious and alienating would not be off-base.  I’m not sure what bothered me more, Lubin extolling  ”the goodness” of her “unnaturally large heart, which should be considered a handicap” or this nonsensical metaphor for those looking to work in the sector with prior non-profit experience limited to volunteering

I had braces, I brush my teeth every day, and (sometimes) I floss. This doesn’t mean I can perform root canals.

Instead of looking at the current economic climate as an opportunity to perhaps choose from a wider pool of candidates with a diverse range of experiences,  Lubin reminds anyone considering a career change that

News flash: We’re not a bunch of dummies in Birkenstocks who sit around watching Oprah all day. Your résumé’s expensive paper stock does not tell me anything about your office abilities. Your matchy-matchy suit and accessories don’t tell me that you understand our business model. Your Harvard MBA won’t make me drool. Twenty percent of my staff graduated from Ivies — and we’re not the smartest people on the team.

Pardon me while I hop onto my soapbox for a bit

While I respect everyone’s right to an opinion, as someone in the pool of people Lubin’s chastising, I frankly am offended by what she had to say.  I commented on the original post, and am sharing a slightly revised version below. read more

Last night I watched Tropic Thunder.  Spectacularly funny movie that pokes fun of Hollywood and spoofs the Vietnam War movie genre and makes it ok to be a Ben Stiller fan again.  I highly recommend it.

In the movie, Ben Stiller plays a Sylvester Stallone-esque actor whose attempt to branch out to more serious roles lands him in a movie called “Simple Jack” in which he plays a character with “intellectual disabilities”.

Of course the movie uses the less “politically correct” term “retard”.  

I remember reading that this led to boycotts of the movie when Tropic Thunder was first released.  So I was not entirely surprised that the DVD contains the following PSA

Still, I found this a bit of an insult to my intelligence.  Or at least to my  common sense and ability to distinguish what might be done for the sake of comedy versus what is considered acceptable, compassionate behavior in the real world. read more

I’ve been having a blast doing Inside the Bloggers Studio – hope you’ve been enjoying it too!

The next round of folks who’ll be stepping into the hot seat are an eclectic crew and I’m excited to share their answers with you.

Coming up over the next few weeks will be

• Lucretia Pruitt – Geek Mommy
• Johnny Truant – The Economy Isn’t Happening
• Tony Hsieh- Zappos
• Brandon J. Mendelson – The Brandon Show 
• Amber Naslund- Altitude Branding 
• Monica Hamburg 
• Ryan Five – Oktober5
• Rosemary Bystrak – sddialedin.com
• Ahmed Naguib – TechnRolla
• Susan Murphy – SuzeMuse
• Michael Carrasquillo

Who would YOU like to see on this list? 

I can’t guarantee they’ll be brave enough to step into the Studio – but I can always extend the invitation!

Chris Blake is an example of why I love sites like Twitter. 
I’m not sure how our tweets crossed paths, but I am glad they did.

95.5 KLOS-FM Battle of the Fans finalist Chris Blake writes passionate alternative pop/rock songs about relationships, the environment and life. His music and videos have been featured on VH1′s Best Week Ever, BoingBoing, Chris Brogan, Mothering, Huffington Post, GigaOm, Cosmopolitan, ShinyShiny and hundreds of other sites around the world.

Chris is a talented musician.  I love his music, but music reviews are not what I do best.  Instead, to give you an idea of why I <3 Chris, I’m “borrowing” from another TV institution.  Today’s installment of Inside the Bloggers Studio will be prefaced by my own “Top 10 List”. read more

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