it's obviously validating to have so many people resonate with something i wrote and say nice stuff about me, BUT my job is still in advertising! no matter what my principles are, i'm still participating in a system that's overtly or covertly manipulating people for a bottom line

most people i talk to are aware of problems with media manipulation... and they just don't care. that's fine! i can't tell people how to live. we all have to exist with cognitive dissonance to consume from ethically contentious sources because our entire world is built on them

with the freedom my job grants me, i get to push the boundaries of marketing by being myself and that leaves me open to warranted criticism. i'm completely cool with this and respect people who thoughtfully do (unless they're like defending the "sanctity" of marketing lol)

i don't believe brands can be "woke," but i do believe there's a sliding scale from brands that add value to brands that add harm, and most are a complex cocktail. however, no matter how altruistic a brand tries to be, their ultimate goals are preservation + growth at all costs

i know what i do and know who i am. i fell into this industry through a string of privilege, timing, and being the right type of person. my "success" is on the shoulders of so many people and a product of luck. i'm just a brand shill. i just also like learning and helping people

i've been online long enough to know that people rise as fast as they fall and we all have an obsession with deifying whoever (or whatever) tells us what we want to hear or sounds nice and that's all super unhealthy because we all make mistakes and have different moral principles