The Abstract of Being Pointless

I have read about this several times in several online publications with this except from Macworld being the latest in a series of Greenpeace provocations towards Apple:

After giving Apple a low e-waste score earlier this month, Greepeace on Thursday night targeted Apple’s posh Fifth Avenue Store for a demonstration. More than sixty Greenpeace activists shone green lights from high-powered floodlights on the glass-encased entrance of the store. (source)

An obvious thought crossed my mind: why would I ever provoke (and quite possibly insult) the very people who I am trying to work with. Imagine talking to the CEO and human resources manager of a company you always dreamed about working for (no, I don’t mean Apple here). They are interested in your work and in fact they have even adapted some of your ideas already. What do you do to win them over? Certainly not advertising in the New York Times that these people are not implementing enough of your ideas and other companies are better than them anyway. Because that would make them feel embarrassed. Because they wouldn’t even pick up the phone when you call after that. Because they would choose to ignore you from now on. Because they can do equally as well without you.

While I’m not sure about whether Apple feels embarrassed, I’m positive that they chose to ignore Greenpeace. Simply because you need to be pleasant if you want to make friends. The Greenpeace activists lack the same kind of self-reflection skills every radical group of people misses. There’s a great quote from George Santayana I found quite fitting here:

Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.

Plus, I work for an IT technology provider with strong Apple focus. We supply the computers for the local Greenpeace office in Hamburg, Germany. They just ordered some more. I mean, shouldn’t they at least be true to themselves?