Official (Alberta) Oil Discussion Thread

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

That's a pretty bleak world to live in. And all for the hoorah AB energy? Not worth it.

I'd rather speak out and say this isn't us. Other O&G companies and associations have already spoken out too. That's how you fight the negative press, not by being silent.

Aren't we all constantly saying we should be advertising how great our industry is? Well with that comes unanimously denouncing this terrible behavior.

You only have to speak out to say it isn't us after you've broadcast that, yes, indeed some of us are like this.

We should not have amplified the message of raping Greta in the first place. I wouldn't have. Miss Facebook did. Two wrongs don't make a right and collateral damage must be considered. Do we all need to be punished because some dumb rednecks made a dumb sticker?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm talking about Miss Facebook who disseminated the image on social media. Had she taken no action, this wouldn't have unnecessarily blown up and put a spotlight on this dumb sticker and cast Albertans and our industry in a negative light. She didn't have to post it. She did. She's an idiot and has hurt us all more than a sticker I never would have even heard of had she not posted it.

Again, you are projecting what you think she should have done. And she did what she thinks she should have done. And many people agree with her, including other Albertans - this kind of crap needs to be called out. Onus is on the company to ensure their image - and the larger industry's - is not tarnished by crap like this.

In the day and age of social media, you can expect people to call this out. To think otherwise is head-in-sand strategy which is never a good option.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Again, you are projecting what you think she should have done. And she did what she thinks she should have done. And many people agree with her, including other Albertans - this kind of crap needs to be called out. Onus is on the company to ensure their image - and the larger industry's - is not tarnished by crap like this.

In the day and age of social media, you can expect people to call this out. To think otherwise is head-in-sand strategy which is never a good option.

Don't shoot the messenger.

I'm not projecting anything. I am stating what she should have done.

1. "Calling out" can maybe be fine in some circumstances, but if the collateral damage does more harm than the good your "calling out" achieves, you have created a net-loss situation. How is that productive?

2. I don't care about the company or their image.

3. Is it possible this lady displayed poor judgement? She didn't have to "call out" the company. In calling them out, she expanded the reach of these stickers and this image a thousandfold at least. I'd think 10s of thousands fold, really. Is that what she was after because I don't see how that is positive?

4. My head isn't in the sand. Yours is.

5. I'm not shooting the messenger. I'm shooting her choice in platform to voice the message. She could have done better a dozen different ways that didn't involve broadcasting this negative message to the world and hurting our industry. What better ways are those, Sliver? Glad you asked. She could have figured out who hires this company and contacted them with her concerns. Maybe even couple it with the threat of taking it to social media. Going thermonuclear via social media was stupid and counter-productive.

[peter12]

Sliver is completely correct here.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by peter12

Sliver is completely correct here.

As usual.

[Ozy_Flame]

No, this position is just laughable. And you're doing head-in-the-sand strategy just by the simple fact you can't seem to accept this is the social media age and these kind of things get called out.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I see you're awfully quiet on the UCP's own Matt Wolf trying to make a stink on social media about the protesters in Edmonton demonstrating at the Legislature against public cuts to education and healthcare, framing them as anti-pipeline zealots and all part of Extinction Rebellion. These are teachers, nurses, doctors, and other core professions to our functioning economy. Any comments on this? Why is Wolf trying to use social media to promote virtue signalling lies about them? And why didn't he just keep quiet instead?

Pure and simple - this sticker disaster is the company's fault. No one else's.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by peter12

Sliver is completely correct here.

It's not the responsibility of the average citizen to protect the energy sector from itself.

Is it a lone bad apple or does it reflect the entire industry, I'm having a difficult time telling which is which in this thread.

Only positive commentary about the industry, comrade? Nothing to betray the motherland.

3.6 depictions of sex acts of a minor as promotional material for an oil services company; not great, not terrible.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yes, the company should have taken action. Sorry, I thought that was so unbelievably obvious and well covered in this thread that I didn't think it needed to be mentioned again.



Hey companies: don't make stickers depicting the rape of a minor. And if someone in your organization does so, fire them right away.



I'm talking about Miss Facebook who disseminated the image on social media. Had she taken no action, this wouldn't have unnecessarily blown up and put a spotlight on this dumb sticker and cast Albertans and our industry in a negative light. She didn't have to post it. She did. She's an idiot and has hurt us all more than a sticker I never would have even heard of had she not posted it.

The problem with that is, how long does this image stay out there in the public domain with nobody doing anything about it?

[Bill Bumface]

If you don't call out behaviour such as this sticker publicly, people will see said sticker, think it's funny/acceptable, and make their own equally stupid sticker. Soon there are stupid stickers all over (honestly sort of true already).

By doing this, people see this company get hammered on this issue, and think twice before sending in their print order.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's not the responsibility of the average citizen to protect the energy sector from itself.

Is it a lone bad apple or does it reflect the entire industry, I'm having a difficult time telling which is which in this thread.

Only positive commentary about the industry, comrade? Nothing to betray the motherland.

3.6 depictions of sex acts of a minor as promotional material for an oil services company; not great, not terrible.

I think Sliver's point here is that this isn't a depiction of an entire industry but it has become that due to the way it is being reported. Did someone need to post it on Facebook and further tarnish the energy sector?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by peter12

I think Sliver's point here is that this isn't a depiction of an entire industry but it has become that due to the way it is being reported. Did someone need to post it on Facebook and further tarnish the energy sector?

It's not the general public's job to look out for the energy sector, nor is it their job to defend the industry. That type of PR work needs to come directly from the company. Thinking that the general public will do what you're claiming they should is naive at best.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Muta

It's not the general public's job to look out for the energy sector, nor is it their job to defend the industry. That type of PR work needs to come directly from the company. Thinking that the general public will do what you're claiming they should is naive at best.

So is the principle behind publicly "calling out" this sticker and the small handful of people involved in its production worth the collateral damage and negative impact to the thousands of people in the industry?

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by peter12

I think Sliver's point here is that this isn't a depiction of an entire industry but it has become that due to the way it is being reported. Did someone need to post it on Facebook and further tarnish the energy sector?

Alberta often makes an argument that we have ethical oil. We point to a higher track record of Human Rights than Saudi Arabia. We tell the world that we treat women better.

If we are to now keep our mouths shut, so as not to tarnish the industry, do we really have this higher moral ground that is ethical oil ?

[Looch City]

There's worse #### on FB posted every day that's against the energy sector. This is a blip in the radar in the end. Like going from -100 to -105 and I'd argue it's temporary. It'll be lumped in with the rest of the negative press within a month.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Muta

It's not the general public's job to look out for the energy sector, nor is it their job to defend the industry. That type of PR work needs to come directly from the company. Thinking that the general public will do what you're claiming they should is naive at best.

I know it's not. Jeezus.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

Alberta often makes an argument that we have ethical oil. We point to a higher track record of Human Rights than Saudi Arabia. We tell the world that we treat women better.

If we are to now keep our mouths shut, so as not to tarnish the industry, do we really have this higher moral ground that is ethical oil ?

We have the moral high ground.

I think it's fair for our opponents to call us out on this with a view to damaging us. I think it's stupid for us to do it to ourselves when there are more productive ways to handle it.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by peter12

I think Sliver's point here is that this isn't a depiction of an entire industry but it has become that due to the way it is being reported. Did someone need to post it on Facebook and further tarnish the energy sector?

The energy sector is free to provide all of their comms people to do as much media outreach as possible to denounce this in the strongest possible terms if they want.

provide their ceos to go on camera and talk about how this doesn't represent the industry.

speak specifically to not using xsite energy as a company any more due to their reprehensible behaviour etc.

Stuff you'd see other industries do in the same context.

Like, xsite energy has earned all of this bad publicity, if the energy sector doesn't want it to reflect on all of them, I'm sure the public would be glad to hear about how they've adopted a new policy that will prevent them from working with companies that use graphic sexual imagery as forms of advertising.

It's not the job of a private citizen to look out for the reputation of an entire industry.

Does your industry require you to develop policies about using graphic sexual imagery as promotional material or would the idea of doing that be a natural barrier of entry for you?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

No, this position is just laughable. And you're doing head-in-the-sand strategy just by the simple fact you can't seem to accept this is the social media age and these kind of things get called out.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I see you're awfully quiet on the UCP's own Matt Wolf trying to make a stink on social media about the protesters in Edmonton demonstrating at the Legislature against public cuts to education and healthcare, framing them as anti-pipeline zealots and all part of Extinction Rebellion. These are teachers, nurses, doctors, and other core professions to our functioning economy. Any comments on this? Why is Wolf trying to use social media to promote virtue signalling lies about them? And why didn't he just keep quiet instead?

Pure and simple - this sticker disaster is the company's fault. No one else's.

I barely go in that thread and I don't even know who Matt Wolfe is, so there's that.

[peter12]

This isn't the industry. It was one bad dumb stupid gross company. This was posted to Facebook as a one-off outrage thirst grab and it has gone global. Guess what the story has become? Gross, dumb, bad, stupid Albertans hate Greta so much they rape-fantasy her.

Private citizens should exercise caution. Unfortunately, social media does not reward caution.

I would love if xsite energy is punished for this. I hope every single contract they hold has been voided. This kind of behaviour is repulsive.

I just don't think the old citizen police lady who took this upon herself has done much to disincentivize it.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Sliver

So is the principle behind publicly "calling out" this sticker and the small handful of people involved in its production worth the collateral damage and negative impact to the thousands of people in the industry?

Who knows? What I do know is this: 1) The general public has no PR obligation to a defend a company who makes crappy marketing decisions - that onus is 100% on the company and only them; and 2) Alberta's energy industry was a global lightning rod before this incident anyways, so if you think this one incident was the the cause for 'collateral damage and negative impact to the thousands of people in the industry', I think you have some news and history to catch up on.