Who First?

I was feeling somewhat inspired by Simon Mainwaring’s “Miss America” (mission) statement:

“My wish is that future generations will take for granted that corporations and consumers both have an enduring responsibility to make the world a better place.”

This was somewhere toward the end of the prologue to his book, We First.  Up until that point, I had no clue what I was reading; not because he didn’t open the book well, but because I was only hearing, “Blah blah Capitalism, blah blah ethics…”  As a student, I have been reading a lot of similar material recently, and this just didn’t stand out from the rest for me (please keep in mind I only read the Prologue and Chapter One).

I’m not proud of this, but I am a skimmer.  Maybe it’s because I am borderline a Millennial.  People like myself are probably the reason for this book in the first place.  The “Me First” people, who are so consumed with our own lives and would rather send a #TacoTuesday Snapchat or watch compilations of hilarious dog videos on Facebook for hours on end.  But the Cause is not lost on me.  I agree there is probably no better way than to use social media to raise awareness about social change and poverty and reduce illiteracy and solve all the world’s problems with “creative capitalism.”  I guess what’s ironic to me is that he’s advocating social media to promote social change, but doing so in a long text format.  I may or may not be Mainwaring’s ideal audience but I am a person who uses social media A LOT.  His message would have been better received by ME had it been plastered all over my Instagram feed with inspiring videos and graphics.  I think that’s where we got off on the wrong foot.