High above Cayuga's waters there's an awful smell
Some say it's the Tompkins Landfill -- I think it's Cornell
Posted on 05/20/2005 2:58:53 PM PDT by Pikamax
Nooyi apologises for 'slight of hand' to protect PepsiCo
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2005 12:27:06 AM] Sign into earnIndiatimes points MUMBAI: Indra Nooyi, whose ‘America-as-the-middle-finger’ remarks ignited a raging blogstorm in the US, has tendered a formal apology after an initial clarification failed to douse irate Americans calling for a Pepsi boycott.
“I appreciate the honest comments that have been shared with me since then, and am deeply sorry for offending anyone,” she said in a statement posted on the Pepsi website. “Over the years I have witnessed and advised others how a thoughtless gesture or comment can hurt good caring people. Regrettably, I have proven my own point. Please accept my sincere apologies,” she added.
In her Sunday speech at the Columbia Business School graduation ceremony, Ms Nooyi had compared the five continents of the world to the five fingers of the hand. Europe was the index finger, Asia was the thumb, Africa the little finger and the US, the middle finger.
She said that the world regards Americans as boorish and therefore, they (Americans) must exercise caution and engender respect among the world. She also said that as the middle finger anchors the hand, it has a great responsibility to ensure that the hand functions smoothly.
The apology came after an initial clarification over her remarks at Columbia on Sunday failed to make critics hold their fire. Ms Nooyi had said that her remarks were “misconstrued and depicted in a different sort of context as unpatriotic”. “Although nothing could be further from the truth, I regret any confusion or concern that I may have inadvertently created,” the statement released by PepsiCo on Wednesday had said.
It is not known if even this apology will help. Irate Americans are asking for a boycott of Pepsi products, an explanation from Pepsi CEO Stephen Reinemund on a television or a talk show, while others are even hinting at drastic measures.
“The blunder needs to be contained. Abject apology followed by abject apology. Decide right now whether Indra Nooyi matters more than a lasting black eye. Think about the brand,” said a posting on hughhewitt.com, a well-known blog.
Ordinary Americans also seem to be upset. Graduate Wes Martin, who first informed www.powerlineblog.com about the speech, told the New York Sun that he was quite disturbed.
“My family had flown a great distance and spent a great deal of money to come and celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and were disturbed that the president and CFO of a US-based company made such a comparison at a business school ceremony,” he said.
Another reader, Hugh Marshall, questions the very basis of Ms Nooyi’s analogy. “Since when does the middle finger anchor the hand? Jerry Garcia didn’t even have a middle finger and it didn’t stop him from playing the guitar.
The opposing thumb is far more important and if there is any analogy here, it is that the US is a big opposing thumb that keeps the rest of the world from losing its grasp,” he added.
Eric Egland, member of the Iraqi Field Team’s Improvised Explosive Device Task Force, wrote that he had been humbled by the gratitude displayed by many Iraqis and Afghan people to the US for their action and that he found her comments offensive and off-base.
I wouldn't be surprised if you use one or more of their other products--it is a very long list--check the threads to see what others have posted.
Anyway, it will benefit them to know how you feel.
1-800-433-2652 Public Relations Dept.
doesn't matter WHAT she did, its HOW she feels.
read this earlier today and bought a Coke at lunch instead.
F PepsiCo.
Time to get reality, me thinks. She's embarrassed the company and there's nothing wrong with calling for her firing, but to call for the boycott of the company because of one employee is just over the top, IMO.
I doubt the CEO or anyone else felt the need to read her speech prior to her giving it. In a company as huge as Pepsico, the CEO can't be expected to babysit all the employees.
I've read it and reread it. http://pepsico.com/Speech-ColumbiaBusinessSchool.pdf
Ms. Nooyi uses a parable about American drunks at a bar in China acting boorishly as her example of why the world looks at Americans with disdain.
Actually my understanding is it's a true story, an example, not a parable. But go on.
In case you have not noticed, America is at war for her survival.
Which necessitates acting boorishly. Okay, I get it. Wait, no, no I don't ....
No other people from any other country ever act wrongly in a guest country, only Americans? I think not.
Presumably were she addressing a group of French graduates she would tailor her remarks to that nation -- but her remarks were addressed to Americans, or largely American-based businesspeople anyway.
Flying planes into a building and killing almost 3000 people is pretty rude.
You think she should have admonished the graduates not to become terrorists? Okay, but seems a little out of place.
Ms. Nooyi makes no mention of American generosity around the world or support for freedom around the world.
"I'm going to take a look at how The United States is often perceived in global business, what causes this perception, and what we can do about it."
No, I guess she didn't explore the support of American business for freedom, although she did say the US was "most-loving, and ever-giving", a "true force" (if used appropriately) for good in the world.
That support allows her right to speak until she makes a fool out of herself.
Ummm ..... ok.
She is biting the hand that feeds her.
Ummm ..... no, not really.
I don't know that boycotts work all that well, but the threat of an effective boycott scares the bejeebers out of the corporate wigs when it threatens their beloved stock options and bonuses. As I said previously, she's having her very own Rosie/K-Mart moment in her career, and I choose to watch the show.
I've got a South African beer and some popcorn all ready to go, and ya know what? ... This is America! Ain't life grand?
"Unfortunately, I think that this is how the rest of the world looks at the US right now. Not as part of the hand, giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers, but instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal."
Maybe in ms. nooyi's world but not in reality. What former soviet republic did GW just visit to be received by 250,000 fans? What former soviet republics cry and thank America for implementing policies that brought about the demise of the ussr? Lebanon? 50 million freed muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan? What about the third world hell holes where the subjects look to the horizon hoping to see an American fleet here to invade and free them or as the first to deliver aid in time of calamity, more aid and expertise than everyone else in the world combined? What about the Chinese slaves who look to America with hope as the beacon of freedom in a savage world?
"And we wonder why the world views many Americans as boorish and culturally insensitive."
Do they? See above. Maybe in the author's narrow little, elitist bubble. How many Afghani women or former subjects of the ussr has ms. nooyi spoken to?
"They were giving China the finger. This finger was red, white and blue."
"Yet to see us frequently stub our fingers on the international business or political stage is deeply troubling."
How so? Only if your world view holds as heroes the likes of bin laden, the u.n., michael moore or castro.
"We can do better. We should do better."
How so? By acquiescing to the corrupt u.n.? Possibly cowtowing to militant islam that vows our destruction? Should we give more foreign aid to corrupt kleptocrats? Bow to the nuclear blackmail of china, north korea or iran? More American lives to free the ingrates?
"Now as never before, it's important that we give the world a hand, not the finger."
We extend the hand of friendship, compassion and liberty. If all you see is the middle finger there ain't nothing that we can do about it.
That's pathetic!
What about your comment "No where in her response to American outrage did she say that what she said about the United States was factually incorrect."
You have never shown any evidence of something factually incorrect.
Get outta here.....
Excellent.
Thanks.
I agree with your examples of American popularity, but in my experience talking to foreigners and following the news and reading commentators I trust, America's image has suffered in much of the world, largely due to the Eurotrash elite, the non-Euro elite, the global news media, and perhaps most importantly, envy, reinforced by specific incidents of boorishness or some such when folks overseas get to meet an American firsthand. I think of the business rule of thumb, where a positive experience will be retold ~3 times and a negative ~30 times.
"Yet to see us frequently stub our fingers on the international business or political stage is deeply troubling. We can do better. We should do better."
I disagree with you on this one. I like the fact that she left whatever specifics she may have been thinking of OUT of the speech, leaving it to the graduates to form their own opinion. Remember, Clinton's admin was noted for its arrogance and GWB ran in 2000 promising a more humble foreign policy, a humility I think they've shown though shockingly the media doesn't see it that way.
Sorry, that was unnecessary, the way I posted that....
But still, all association with Columbia is inherently suspect. Everyone knows that!
High above Cayuga's waters there's an awful smell
Some say it's the Tompkins Landfill -- I think it's Cornell
"Yet to see us frequently stub our fingers on the international business or political stage is deeply troubling. We can do better. We should do better."
I think that we can agree that she is not talking about billybob's administration. She is speaking in the present tense.
"I agree with your examples of American popularity, but in my experience talking to foreigners and following the news and reading commentators I trust, America's image has suffered in much of the world, largely due to the Eurotrash elite, the non-Euro elite, the global news media, and perhaps most importantly, envy, reinforced by specific incidents of boorishness or some such when folks overseas get to meet an American firsthand. I think of the business rule of thumb, where a positive experience will be retold ~3 times and a negative ~30 times."
If you read the American msm you'd get the same view although you know it's not true. I've also talked to many soldiers, aid workers and missionaries. These views are not widespread. If you read the quotes from the speech she is not saying that they are the views of the foreign elite but the world.
Indra Nooyi a/k/a The Pepsi Bitch
Yeah, that's rich. Americans are boorish, but her middle finger comment wasn't?
Alas, there goes my Diet Mt. Dew.
Too late and disingenuous. This should cost Pepsi millions!
Thanks. As you can guess I'm pretty sick of it too.
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