SOCIAL CHANGE MEETING
March 1, 2008
PRESENT: Dorothy of Kansas [Wizard of Oz], Dr. Manette [Tale of Two Cities], Prince Andrei [War and Peace], St. Christopher, Old Dog Tray, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, GI Joe, Scrooge, Marilyn Munster, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Wonder Woman, Wendy Darling, Rosie the Riveter
ABSENT: Bill the Cat and Tiger Lily, who are on their honeymoon in Monument Valley, where Tiger Lily has relatives, followed by Las Vegas, where Bill's relatives live with Siegfried and Roy. Congratulations to Bill and Tiger!
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. at the EAP World Headquarters Little Conference Room by chairwoman Wendy Darling.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Wendy was excited to introduce new member Jemima, an elegantly dressed older woman with a steely look in her eye. "Jemima is going to give us a presentation about her early days as a businesswoman," Wendy told us. "And suggest a way forward for the group, a real project for us to sink out teeth into."
There was much excitement.
Jemima took the floor. It seems that when she was young and hungry, she wanted to start a business that would do some good for the community and give her creative satisfaction and a decent living to boot. "But they told me it was impossible," she said. "All the branding and PR and marketing guys I went to said you can't have it both ways–either you can be yourself and have fun, or you can be a successful business." Her interest was food and restaurant work, and she was particularly good at baked goods. "I wanted to open a neighborhood restaurant and then sell pancake mix mail order. But all these guys told me I had to think big and think growth, or I'd go under. They rebranded me, turned me into a caricature of myself." She explained how she became "Aunt Jemima" the friendly black face of pancakes and syrup ("hated it. hated, hated, hated it."), and then known world wide, with mega success.
"And it wasn't worth it, any of it. Nothing but well paid slavery. Had to wear that damn head scarf everywhere I went, and talk in dialect. Me, whose godmother was Zora Neale Hurston. Unbelievable. But I did it because I thought I had to."
Jemima's challenge to us, she said, was to come up with a business plan for a business that would do all of the things she'd wanted early on in her career: 1.) be good for the community. 2.) be financially sustainable. and 3.) provide creative satisfaction for the people working in it.
Wendy excitedly reminded us of one of EAP publisher Tod Davies' mottoes: "Everybody needs to make a living; nobody needs to make a killing."
"This is just the kind of thing we fictional characters should be doing," Wendy said. Rosie the Riveter enthusiastically agreed.
Bugs Bunny proposed a motion: "That each member of the FCFRLSC should investigate two different businesses, one operating on the idea of maximum profit, and one operating on the idea of a balance of interests, as proposed by Jemima, and that we all bring the results to the next meeting."
Dr. Manette proposed that we exchange the bulk of ideas before the next meeting, via a listserv. We were all interested to hear about this email innovation, and agreed it was better to amend Bugs' motion to say that we would bring the best of the ideas, as figured out through the listserv, to the meeting. And then we would try as a group to work out a decent business plan that would have suited Jemima's original needs without forcing her to act like a mammy in order to make the big bucks.
St. Christopher seconded. Unanimous vote in favor, none opposed.
We all adjourned for excited talk over biscuits and sherry. I personally can't wait to compare and contrast the business plans of Glinda the Good Witch, and that of the Wicked Witch of the West. I expect to draw many interesting conclusions from my study.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be 6 pm, 1 April 2009, in the Little Conference Room. Meeting was adjourned 6:20.
Respectfully submitted,
Dorothy of Kansas