I would receive an email a day from people seeking advice on the latest promise, claim to expertise, product to sell or marketing hype. Most of it from sources with no expertise in what is being peddled, except slick marketing and, they are good at that.
When you know what the target audience wants to hear, its easy to market to it.
It is so easy to sell Safety the impossible, because Safety wants to believe the impossible. No wonder DuPont sell it so well, but scratch just under the surface for the reality (https://safetyrisk.net/dark-waters-the-true-story-of-dupont-and-zero/). But somehow, the truth doesn’t seem to matter in safety, when a good delusion will do!
Who in safety wants to hear the reality that, tackling risk is a ‘wicked problem’ requiring hard work, people skills, strong resilience and extraordinary ability?
Selling the impossible to people who think the impossible is possible (https://safetyrisk.net/believe-the-impossible-and-speak-nonsense-to-people/), is a ready market to clean up and bring in the bucks.
I was sent a typical con today and all I had to do was ask the person to look at the qualifications of the seller and the product. It was on so called ‘neuroscience’ and had nothing to do with any research in neuroscience. The author of the product was an engineer and silver bullet salesman. We see the same with engineers selling expertise in culture.
There was nothing on neuroscience or research on neuroscience in the book (https://safetyrisk.net/essential-readings-neuroscience-and-the-whole-person/). It was behaviourism marketed as neuroscience (https://safetyrisk.net/behaviourist-neuroscience-as-safety/). And, without critical thinking skills, this group who contacted me, were about to buy the product and the spin/hype that went with it (https://safetyrisk.net/fluff-or-substance-safety-hype-and-everyday-social-resilience/).
Hype is not substance, slogans are not methods and safety is NOT risk.
What is safety and risk?
Safety is a temporary moment in time – risk is an enduring, permanent and everlasting characteristic of fallible being. (https://spor.com.au/downloads/posters/)
It should not be that difficult to recognise a con in safety:
- Any promise to ‘fix’ the challenges of risk, is a con.
- Any idea that the brain can be programmed to eliminate fallibility, is a con.
- Any mechanistic philosophy applied to humans, is a con.
- Any promises of ‘doing’ without a method, is a con.
- Any marketing of ego in safety, is sign of a con.
- Any promise of zero, is a con.
- Entertainment in safety, is a con.
- Any message of ‘easy’ in safety, is a con.
- If you can’t see transparency in the money trail, it’s a con.
The SPoR critical thinking tool can be applied to any marketing in safety. Whenever a product is marketed in safety simply apply the 10 following questions:
Unfortunately, critical thinking is not part of any safety curriculum nor any foundation in Ethics or Politics, such a great platform in which to market a con.
Another product was sent to me yesterday about an app that made compliance with paperwork ‘easy’. Compliance with paperwork has nothing to do with safety!
- Being Papersafe (https://safetyrisk.net/paper-safe/) is just another grand delusion of the safety industry.
- In all of the fatalities I have been involved with, the organisation has been Papersafe (https://safetyrisk.net/proof-of-safety-is-not-through-paperwork/).
- You can do all the paperwork you like and as properly as you like (https://safetyrisk.net/paperwork-and-usability-in-tackling-risk/) and none of it keeps anyone safe. BTW, this product is marketed with no expertise in learning, the psychology of reading comprehension or linguistics.
The truth is, your paperwork will most likely be used against you in a court! (https://safetyrisk.net/its-always-about-paperwork/)
If you want to understand paperwork in safety watch this (https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/162034157)
Here’s a good piece on scams and cons: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-signs-your-dealing-con-artist-stephen-joseph or this:
The trouble with any con is: it harms people, empties your bank account and in the end, nothing changes indeed, things get worse. Cons diminish resilience, harm credibility and through scepticism, leave people hung out to dry, whilst the con-merchant walks away with the cash. And, when the con doesn’t work, it is your problem, you didn’t do the con properly!
If you would rather face the hard reality of tackling risk through hard work, skill development and empowering methods, then perhaps start here: https://www.humandymensions.com/product/spor-and-semiotics/
In SPoR, there is no promise of ‘fixing’, no ‘easy’ steps or product on sale because, it takes time and hard work to become intuitive and competent in engaging people in helping. The outcomes however are, rewarding, positive, constructive and powerful in enabling people to better tackle risk.
3. PAPERWORK from Human Dymensions on Vimeo.
Dr Rob Long
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