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Perspectives
The Elephant In The BoardroomThe current state of the branding profession reminds us of the age-old Indian story of the blind men and the elephant, which had been told and retold from Japan to Africa before being brought to Europe by the British.The American poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816 - 1887) turned the parable into popular verse in the 1878 edition of Poetry of America: The Blind Men And The ElephantIt was six men of IndostanTo learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approach'd the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: "God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!" The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, "Ho! what have we here So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!" The Third approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a snake!" The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee. "What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain," quoth he, "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!" The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said, "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!" The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Then, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a rope!" And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! So oft in theologic wars, The disputants, I ween, Rail on in utter ignorance Of what each other mean, And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen! In The LimelightThe Cultural Branding BlogOur WorldBrent ScarcliffEvocative Places Community, Destination, and Tourism Brand Consultants Extra Meaning Brand Communications, Product Placement, and Public Relations Consultants Fresh Meaning Brand Naming Consultants Joy Salvador Otter Brand, Consumer, Culture, and Market Research Consultants Resounding Success Company and Product Naming Consultants Rich In Meaning Book, Game, Movie, Music, Show, Television, and Themed Entertainment Consultants Rich With Meaning Lifestyle and Luxury Brand Consultants Savaiki South Seas Lifestyle Company Savory Characters Food, Beverage, and Restaurant Brand Consultants Scarcliff Salvador Cultural Branding and Naming Agency The Brand New Meaning Blog The Cultural Riches World, Pop, and Brand Culture Video Blog The Earthy Language Lexicon The Genetic Linguistics Blog The Names We Love The NBA Player Nicknames Blog The Pop Language Blog The Richly Evocative Thesaurus of Semantic Spheres The Scarcliff Dictionary of Branding The Scarcliff Directory of Branding The Take My Meaning Dictionary of Aphorisms, Proverbs, Quips, and Quotations The Titles We Love The Wildly Colorful Wildlife Photography Blog The Wonderfully Evocative Dictionary of Expressions, Figures of Speech, Idioms, Phrases, and Sayings The Words We Love Scarcliff SalvadorBrand and Company Culture ConsultancyCopyright© 2010 Scarcliff Salvador Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |