Years ago, when I was getting out into the world, I belonged to a community of idealistic people that was sure to change the world. Armed with an inherent knowledge of our righteousness; driven by the words of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and other well-known mystics and fueled by psychotropic substances, we set out on a "Magical Mystery tour" of self discovery and change. We courted and joined with mystics from the East, we marched for civil rights, and we were elevated by Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech; we challenged fashion and were thus, fashionably challenged. A Collective Voice
We raised a collective voice and protested against an unjust war and an unreasonable draft as we lived in communes and supported women's rights as well as César Chávez and the United Farm Workers. We gave free concerts and read books by Hermann Hesse and Carlos Casteneda. We listened to lectures by Allen Ginsberg and read Remember Be Here Now author Baba Ram Dass. We formed underground newspapers and wrote underground commix that expressed a new way of seeing the world around us. We formed food co-ops, went to be-ins and partied with the Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters as we practiced Yoga, Tai Chi and Transcendental Meditation. Somewhere along the way "Woodstock" happened and the collective "We" had justification that we, the counter culture – a small community of like-minded souls – had changed the world forever, and for the better.
Judging from the amazing congress of Woodstock Nation, we were convinced that heaven on earth was closer than even we had all imagined. We reveled in the high stemming from a miraculous few days of "Peace, Love and Music"; a high that lasted for exactly six months until December of 1969, when Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones were upstaged by The Hells Angels at the Altamont Festival. The magnetic pull of the negative succeeded in bringing us back to our mundane surroundings, and, much to our chagrin, revealed not only our illusory vision, but our hubris as well. We had changed the world, but it was not enough, and with a chorus of "I told you so" coming at us from all sides, we dragged our manic butts into a new decade of self indulgence where we learned to capitalize on our discoveries and mistakes.
It was innocence lost as the anthemic "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll" turned from a liberating battle cry of the revolutionary counterculture into a cry for help from all those enrolled in NA and AA. "Free love" begat sexaholics anonymous and Rock ‘n' Roll became part of the mainstream media with revolutionary songs being used as sound bites to sell everything from cars to American Express. The revolution wasn't squashed or defeated; rather it fell under the weight of its own arrogance and self-denial. The revolution was hijacked by us as we became the work force and corporations. It was turned into commercials and sitcoms by the one-time revolutionaries who grew up and were lured into a way of life they once opposed. In an ironic twist, we became the enemy as we joined the ranks of those in search of money, cars and fabulous real estate. In the 1980s, Jerry Rubin, who was a cohort of Yippie (Youth International Party) activist Abbie Hoffman during the 1960s and 1970s, became a Yuppie (Young Urban Professional) businessman/entrepreneur, and in a debate with his one-time associate, Hoffman, he stated, "Wealth creation is the real American revolution – what we need is an infusion of capital into the depressed areas of our country."
A Question of Ethics
Regardless of which side of the political fence one may fall, we still have to deal with a question of ethics. Throughout the ages, ethical behavior has been either recommended or dictated by certain religious organizations, political groups, spiritual and/or political leaders, philosophers, mystics, governments, media groups and – let's not forget – family.
Ethics as defined by Webster's Dictionary:
(Used with a singular or plural verb) A system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.
The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.
Moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.
(Usually used with a singular verb) That branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
The positive thing about aging is that one gains a sense of perspective; the negative is fooling oneself into believing that "it was so much better back then." But I am here to attest to the fact that it indeed was not much better back then. I was young and idealistic, naïve and full of youthful arrogance. I drew a line in the sand and was sure that my side was the one of righteousness, truth and ethical veracity. During the next four decades, my friends and I assimilated into the work force, started businesses and basically set out to find our fortunes as we navigated through the seas of temptation, greed and a multitude of other evils, all the while trying to find a balance between doing work for the greater good and for our own self interests.
"Just Business"
It seems to me that over the last 40 years, there has been a spate of moral and ethical bankruptcy, but I now see that the battle between good and evil is not such a recent conflict. However, it does make me wonder about business ethics. I like to think that the business of sound and production is more benign than most businesses, but I doubt it. The music business is notorious for its lack of ethics, although good business ethics can be loosely defined. We have all seen The Godfather movies and are familiar with the phase, "It's just business," and though the Godfather (Marlin Brando) wasn't against maiming, killing and decapitating horses, he did think that dealing drugs would be a poor business choice. Prostitution and gambling were okay, but drugs robbed people of their souls. Hey, the man had a sense of ethics, which unfortunately was not shared by members of the other families. I would like to share with you a scene from the movie only because it has so many examples of business ethics, so please bear with me as I take the liberty of reproducing the dialogue verbatim from the movie.
Sollozzo: Bene, Don Corleone. I need a man who has powerful friends. I need a million dollars in cash. I need, Don Corleone, all of those politicians that you carry around in your pocket, like so many nickels and dimes.
Don Corleone: What is the interest for my family?
Sollozzo: Thirty percent. In the first year your end should be three, four million dollars. And then it would go up.
Don Corleone: And what is the interest for the Tattalgia family?
Sollozzo: [smiles at Tom] My compliments.
[Hagen gives a formal nod]
Sollozzo: I'll take care of the Tattaglias, out of my share.
Don Corleone: So, I am to receive 30 percent for finance, for legal protection and political influence. Is that what you're telling me?
Sollozzo: That's right.
Don Corleone: Why come to me? What have I done to deserve such generosity?
Sollozzo: If you consider a million dollars in cash merely finance…
[raises his glass]
Sollozzo: Te salut, Don Corleone. [The Don gets up to take a drink and sits closer to Sollozzo]
Don Corleone: I said that I would see you because I had heard that you were a serious man, to be treated with respect. But I must say no to you and let me give you my reasons. It's true I have a lot of friends in politics, but they wouldn't be so friendly if they knew my business was drugs instead of gambling, which they consider a harmless vice. But drugs, that's a dirty business.
Sollozzo: No, Don Corleone…
Don Corleone: It makes no difference, it don't make any difference to me what a man does for a living, you understand. But your business is a little dangerous.
Sollozzo: If you're worried about security for your million, the Tattaglias will guarantee it.
Sonny: Whoa, now, you're telling me that the Tattaglias guarantee our investment without…?
Don Corleone: Wait a minute. [The Don gives his son a cold stare, freezing Santino into silence. The others fidget with embarrassment at this outbreak, but Sollozzo looks slyly satisfied…]
Don Corleone: [dismissive] I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should listen. Anyway, Signor Sollozzo, my no to you is final. I want to congratulate you on your new business and I'm sure you'll do very well and good luck to you. Especially since your interests don't conflict with mine. Thank you.
[Sollozzo leaves]
Don Corleone: Santino, come here. What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft with all that comedy you are playing with that young girl. Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again. Go on."
The ethical sentiment in this last line is once again articulated by the new Don, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, in another iconic business scene with Moe Green.
Michael: Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever."
These quotes may or may not reflect your own business ethic, but then again, the words "business" and "ethics" in the same sentence sound like an oxymoron regardless of what you believe and practice. That said, it really doesn't matter what line of business one might be involved in, since business is merely something we do. Banker, butcher, teacher, gangster, politician or sound; granted, some professions are seemingly more challenged, ethically, but regarding our choices and ethics. I would venture to say that it's not what we do, but how we do it.
