In this lecture titled, "Addicted to Risk", journalist Naomi Klein takes us through a really interesting lecture dealing with risk and how much is too much when it comes to the way we handle our countries resources. I was fascinated by her examples of ways that your country has taken full-blown 5-alarm risks in the name financial gain. She talks quite a bit about the BP oil leak and how some of those closely involved in the leak responded. She quotes Tony Hayward, the CEO of B.P. as saying this in regards to the spill “The Gulf of Mexico is a very large ocean. The amount of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.” It is incredible to hear a comment like this that seems to reduce the implications of this environmental atrocity. What rings true in my ears about this comment is wildly risky behavior; making poor choices and minimizing the outrageous outcomes.
Klein goes into more detail regarding the risks our government takes to run our country especially regarding finances. Their decisions sometimes reflect the belief that somehow, someday everything will work itself out, so let’s take this monumental financial risk and see what happens. She also makes a bold statement in equating many of these decisions with men at the forefront, and women there to clean up the mess afterward. I am not sure to what extent this comment truly is accurate, but it was interesting to ponder. Women seem to approach large risky decisions with a more level approach, thinking about the far-reaching effects and consequences, whereas men are focusing more on how this decision help them right now.
Though Klein talks more about taking environmental risks than anything in this lecture, the same concepts and principals can be applied to any aspect of life; but since this is an entertainment blog, we’ll look at from the entertainment perspective. What she is presenting here is some great advice for those in the entertainment industry. I am currently in a master’s program for entertainment business through Full Sail University, and we are all working on creating our own entertainment companies. Klein’s advice about assessing the risks and being proactive about the consequences of those risks is imperative for my fellow upcoming business owners and me.
We need to take a serious look at how feasible our business ideas are, do incredible amounts of market research, and then do some more, and also make wise decisions about the funding of these companies. I have seen the ideas of my classmates over the past couple of months, and have been so encouraged and motivated by their ideas, that I would not want to see them any of them fail because of making risky decisions that end up doing more harm in the long run.
Moral of the story, get some great mentors and business advisers to surround and give you sound advice as you start up your new venture. Just because it’s your dream and passion, doesn’t mean it will be a cakewalk. The more wise counsel you receive, the more likely you will not be dealing with a business catastrophe the size of the B.P. gas leak! Good luck, everyone!
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