Googles corporate motto is "Don't be evil."
I think that's a dumb-ass motto. Anyone who understands a bit about language knows what I mean.
It's like saying don't think for one minute about a blue elephant. Can you? Just one minute without thinking about a blue elephant?!
Did you see a mental picture of a blue elephant even for one sec.?! Yes you did...c'mon admit it..
The evil reason why we have to imagine a evil blue elephant is because our evil unconscious can't ( it's ironic ) process evil negations like no, don't, won't, can't etc...
What happens is that we have to make a mental image of a blue elephant in order to understand what we shouldn't do ( that's how our mind processes language).
All this happens unconsciously.
So saying don't do this, don't do that, causes our mind to focus on exactly what you want to avoid.
Anyway...enough about linguistics...back to the topic:
Googles motto isn't total bullshit. It isn't total idiotic. It just sucks ;)
I thought that "Be good" would be a better google motto. But after seeing an evil interview with Sergey Brin admitting that their motto isn't really good and saying that "Be good" would have been a better evil motto I thought about it for a evil minute and changed my evil mind.
Damn. "Be good" sucks as well. Although it sucks less than "Don't be evil".
So what's a better...eh...a good motto? How about "Do Good"?
Yeahh! "Do good" would be the perfect motto for a company that wants to DO exactly that: GOOD! I love google and admire what they have done so far. No doubt that they actually changed the world ( instead of bitching about negations like me ;) ).
But in the end, it's what a company does, not what the company is that distinguishes good from evil. And google has done some real good stuff so far!
Hmm...well since it's too late for them...maybe we should take "Do good" as the motto for our Supercool School. What do you think?
Google`s motto should be "Don`t try to be evil with us". ;-)
SCS motto ? If you think to chamge what I belive is the motto, then say
Good or best, just do it !
Btw, I can`t stop thinking to blue elephants, not even for a minute. Coz they have red eyes. That`s to be able to hide in cherry trees.
You didn`t see no blue elephant hidden in cherry trees ? Is coz they hide very well ...
mwuahahahahaha(ha)
Posted by: Valentin | July 18, 2007 at 12:57 PM
Steli I think this post isn´t very good. I´m so evil bro :P
Posted by: Halil | July 18, 2007 at 02:44 PM
Valentin: sorry but only the E-V-I-L blue elephants have red eyes. The G-O-O-D blue elephants don't need to hide ;)
Halil: bro, you're one of the best people on this planet! Lovya!
Posted by: Steli Efti | July 18, 2007 at 09:53 PM
Be a good girl or Be a good boy...what is that supposed to mean?
Posted by: lansy | July 18, 2007 at 11:20 PM
J-A-C-K-P-O-T!!! cling, cling, cling...
now that's a damn G-O-O-D ( sorry but I couldn't resist) question lansy!
Well, I don't think that there is a true answer for everyone regarding this question. But trying to find an answer fo yourself seems to be worth the effort...
Anyone who wants to contribue his/her personal definition of good and evil?
Posted by: Steli Efti | July 19, 2007 at 12:44 AM
Slogans for Supercoolschool - "Developing the Greatness Within All"
Why do I have the urge to watch Dumbo?
Posted by: Adam Donkus | July 19, 2007 at 05:51 AM
@lansy
That suposed to be that the one who say that is SURE that the otherone (the boy or the girl) will NOT be and have no intention to ever think to be good ..
mwuahaha(ha)
@Steli
Man ! The
O
N
L
Y
good blue elephant is ME. All others are hidden in cherry trees.
..
Dephinition ( :-) ) of Good :
- that when I receive more than i give.
Dephinition ( (-: ) of Evil :
- that when I do not receive enough, even if is more than I give.
Posted by: Valentin | July 19, 2007 at 07:37 AM
Adam, Dumbo was my favorite movie as a kid...damn! Now I feel the urge to watch it again too ;)
Valentin: Dude, you're totally crazy!
Posted by: Steli Efti | July 19, 2007 at 09:23 AM
"Do good" does sound good, should work well... except - how can it? It shares the same problem of any guideline: the broader it is the more open to such a broad range of individualisation that it can even be used as justification for what might appears its opposite; the narrower it is the harder to follow, less relevant it becomes. How often is 'doing good' the self-perception or justification of narrow-moralled shallow-cultured interfering busy-bodies?
'Don't do evil' is no worse or better as a moral than 'do good' - unless whoever chooses it as a moral defines what constitutes good or evil it means nothing.
Posted by: everythingcounter | July 19, 2007 at 04:01 PM
@everythingcounter: good point! Language will always be open for intepretation as long as we don't use it in a very specific manner. The problem with such specific guidelines and rules are that nobody reads them. From a corporate point of view, a motto or a slogan, mantra, vision or mission statement is crucial for the DNA of the whole organization. But it's totally useless to inforce positive action and to define them in detail.
A motto is a starting point - not the end.
Much power to you!
Posted by: Steli Efti | July 20, 2007 at 10:29 PM
It's better to do evil than be evil.
Check out who said that.
Posted by: Steve | August 06, 2007 at 04:18 AM