| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Pepsico's CFO calls the US the middle finger to the rest of the world |
| 2005-05-17 |
| You gotta love the gall of these foreigners who get promoted to high positions within American companies and then turn around and slam Uncle Sam. Note how she hedges by saying "is seen as", instead of saying outright that this is in fact her personal view. At yesterday's recognition ceremony for newly minted Columbia Business School MBAs, we had the CFO of PepsiCo as our distinguished guest speaker. After beginning her speech with words of praise and recognition for the graduates and their families, Ms. Indra Nooyi began to make the political statement du jour. After talking of her childhood back in India, Ms. Nooyi began to compare the world and its five major continents (excl. Antarctica and Australia) to the human hand. First was Africa - the pinky finger - small and somewhat insignificant but when hurt, the entire hand hurt with it. Next was Asia - the thumb - strong and powerful, yearning to become a bigger player on the world stage. Third was Europe - the index finger - pointing the way. Fourth was South America - the ring finger - the finger which symbolizes love and sensualness. Finally, the US (not Canada mind you) - yes, you guessed it - the middle finger. She then launched into a diatribe about how the US is seen as the middle finger to the rest of the world. The rest of the world sees us as an overbearing, insensitive and disrespectful nation that gives the middle finger to the rest of the world. According to Ms. Noori, we cause the other finger nations to cower under our presence. But it is our responsibility, she continues, to change the current state of world opinion of the US. It is our responsibility to make the other fingers rise in unison with us as we move forward. She then goes on to give a personal anecdote about some disrespectful US business women in an Asian country and how that is typical of Americans overseas. No talk of what the US has done for the world throughout its history. No discussion about the ills that have been cured and the rights that have been wronged by the US. Just how wrong we are for the way we are perceived and how right they are in their own perceptions of the United States. |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |
| #55 Geez Louizzzze, America has to save and justify Islam for the Islamists/Muslims, ditto Leftism-Socialism for the Lefties, Maxism-Communism for the Commies, ............................@ Dubya and America has to modernize the world and emplace OWG, Socialist World Order and Empire while ultimately NOT being allowed to govern or dominate its new global Empire, even iff it means America being militarily attacked and destroyed - THE ULTIMATE "FREEBIE"!? The Failed Lefts > the world has to be saved from alleged Nazi-HItlerist Imperial America by Nazis-Hitlerists-for-Imperial-Communism, i.e. anti-Communist Communists!? SSSSHHHHHHHHEEEEEEESSSHHHHHH. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-05-17 22:53 |
| #54 It has always amazed me at the amount of money (many millions of dollars) spent on advertizing the many merits of a manufacturer's blend of syrup and sugar flavored lollywater. This middle finger speech is a tempest in a teapot. This CFO of PepsiCo runs an organization that produces nothing but fast food and diabetes catalyst solution. She and her org deserve the middle finger, all right. I am not a health nut, but I see her company making billions on things that are not exactly healty for people, especially for children tanking up on sugar water. [/cynical rant] |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-05-17 22:16 |
| #53 Lol! What a thread. Classics, Fred? Kudos to AC and 2b. *wipes tear* Thanks to you guys I'm laughing mad, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-17 20:21 |
| #52 This is a huge insult to the many Americans who buy the product that pays her f*ing paycheck. Who the flaming hell does this middle finger CFO think she is. There is and should be hell to pay for this dirt bag. The manner in which Pepsico's PR people throw bullshit in response to inquires in disgusting. I am taking a infinite pause and a pass on Pepsico products, call it my middle finger to her and them. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-05-17 20:16 |
| #51 PepsiCo Director of External Affairs Elaine Palmer writes: fire her too. fire them all. off with their heads. let them drink coke. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 19:09 |
| #50 if the ceo at coke is worth his multi-million dollar pay, he will be, right now, as we speak, talking to his advertising department about running, tomorrow, adds with american flags and lots of americana. I feel quite certain that the people who make the salaries that the folks at the top of pepsi/coke chain make are still scratching their heads and wondering how gw won the election. Nevertheless, the US is a HUGE market and if pepsi is too stupid to fire this woman outright and think that this middle finger crap that some jo thought up over his lunch break will actually work, then let's hope that pepsi, schwepps and others have the good sense to take that little punks stupidity, and the senior management that bought into such a lame idea, to the bank. This middle finger thing is the probably the lamest and most stupid idea EVER put out by a major company. "Lame" doesn't do it justice. If coke and schwepps don't take advantage of the stupidity and arrogance of pepsi...shame on them. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 19:05 |
| #49 ROFLMAO!!! The goebbelist bitch may actually be right, but not in the way she thinks. The rest of the world, most of it anyway, is run by backward-ass media- based authoritarians. The docile masses outside the States are nowhere near the attitude of skepticism and open rebellion that millions of Americans have adopted toward the institutional media. In terms of American attitudes toward media authority, the rest of the world still lives in the 70s and 80s. Remember, people in the UK actually believe what they see on the BBC and the same is true for the Beebs's Continental and Third World counterparts. In that sense, we are not a middle-finger to the rest of the world, but to the media elite and their status-seeking sycophants and allies. This country is a lighthouse in a world of media-conformist darkness, signalling the way to freedom for the docile enslaved masses of Eurasia. Pepsico owes its success wholly to the power of the saturation media, in the form of ingenious and innovative marketing appeals. Naturally, its financial leaders would feel a vaguely defined but very powerful unease at current developments in the United States. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-05-17 18:30 |
| #48 i'm strong to the finish cause i eat my spinnage! |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 17:59 |
| #47 I say it's spinnage, and I say the hell with it. ROFLMAO! Ima steal that. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-17 17:37 |
| #46 This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all the fingers working together efficiently and effectively wow! Not only are we deserving of the middle finger, but we're stupid too. Ah well...it's not good for me anyway and thankfully, I like diet coke better. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 17:32 |
| #45 Pepsico spun off Tricor (KFC, PH, TB) over a decade ago. There are lots of reasons not to eat there, but that ain't one of them. In the late 70s, the CEO of Pepsi was a founder of a pro- Scully came to Apple from Pepsi. Judge for yourselves if that was good or bad. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-05-17 17:17 |
| #44 Ms. Palmer's spin is utterly unconvincing. I wonder just how much they will modify the transcript before releasing it ... and whether anyone taped it. ;-) |
| Posted by: too true 2005-05-17 16:19 |
| #43 LH: In the beginning Coke had bottling plants in Jordan, on the west Bank. Coke was NOT sold in Israel, and Good Zionists boycotted Coke. This was before my time, but I heard about it. Then in 1967, the bottling plants fell under Israeli control, and Coke decided to make the best of it and sell in Israel, making possible the famous coca cola t shirts with the logo in Hebrew. Then, as part of the first wave of detente, in 1972, Pepsi made a huge investment in the USSR. We therefore started boycotting Pepsi ("Pepsi sells to the Soviets, the Soviets sell Jews") Coke started selling to China, but I dont recall anyone getting worked up about that. Their positions on foreign countries don't really bother me. The question is whether you want to buy from someone who gives you the finger. LH is perhaps open-minded enough to do that. Some of us might be a little less open-minded. Unless they toss her out on the street. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-05-17 16:14 |
| #42 IIRC In the beginning Coke had bottling plants in Jordan, on the west Bank. Coke was NOT sold in Israel, and Good Zionists boycotted Coke. This was before my time, but I heard about it. Then in 1967, the bottling plants fell under Israeli control, and Coke decided to make the best of it and sell in Israel, making possible the famous coca cola t shirts with the logo in Hebrew. Then, as part of the first wave of detente, in 1972, Pepsi made a huge investment in the USSR. We therefore started boycotting Pepsi ("Pepsi sells to the Soviets, the Soviets sell Jews") Coke started selling to China, but I dont recall anyone getting worked up about that. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-05-17 15:53 |
| #41 That list post was taken from Powerline. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-05-17 15:50 |
| #40 PepsiCo Director of External Affairs Elaine Palmer writes: Thank you for checking with us on Indra Nooyi's speech at Columbia. We saw the item on your blog and are shocked to see that you took Ms. Nooyi's comments to be anything but pro-American and supportive of the United States and its role as a global leader. The characterization of Ms. Nooyi's remarks could not be more off the mark. No one is prouder of the U.S. than Ms. Nooyi, who has elected to make this country her home. Ms. Nooyi was simply encouraging the U.S, and Americans to be all they can and should be, which is something we all strive towards. In her remarks Ms. Nooyi stated: This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War 1... This land we call home is a most-loving, and ever-giving nation -a 'promised land' that we love dearly in return. And it represents a true force that - if used for good - can steady the hand - along with global economies and cultures. We encourage you to set the record straight and explain that Ms. Nooyi was talking to the students about the necessity of working together in the world. We asked for a complete copy of the text of Ms. Nooyi's speech. Ms. Palmer stated that she was not authorized to provide it at this time but would seek authorization. So, perhaps we shall see what the entire text says. If it is the original text. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-05-17 15:49 |
| #39 I don't drink carbonated beverages. I work in a chemical plant that makes syrup and other additives for them and I know what's in them. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-05-17 15:47 |
| #38 Pepsi, Coke, Dr.P? I prefer the taste of water, as soft drinks go, for coffeine I get coffee. Otherwise, beer. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-17 15:39 |
| #37 What I find amusing is that the press hasn't covered this. At all. Not the newswires, not CNN. But they'll run out and smear the Pentagon on an uncorroborated charge. I've always understood that the press's agenda is what it wants it to be. It appears that at this moment that agenda is to stick it to Americans and make its enemies stronger. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-05-17 15:27 |
| #36 "Called a Pepsico PR person, [name and number omitted], she is saying the Indra loves America (her adopted country) and that her speech was meant to reflect what many in the World thought of America not her own opinion." I say it's spinnage, and I say the hell with it. |
| Posted by: James 2005-05-17 15:03 |
| #35 JB, lol! What, no cheeps? Now try on the bumble bee outfit - no, wait - do the samurai sushi guy. My fav. I'm watching Seven Samurai right now, in fact. Lotsa |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-17 14:57 |
| #34 ...they share a building known as the Kentaco Hut... ...where every third bypass is FREE! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-05-17 14:51 |
| #33 Coke, no Pepsi. Cheeburger, Cheeburger! |
| Posted by: John Belushi 2005-05-17 14:48 |
| #32 Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. In my area they share a building known as the Kentaco Hut. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-05-17 14:39 |
| #31 Barbara: At one point they owned Pizza Hut (known in my family as Pizza Slut). Don't know if that's still true. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2005-05-17 14:24 |
| #30 Too bad I can't join this boycott of Pepsi products. Since I already boycott their products - because Pepsi SUCKS. I won't even drink it if it's free. By the way - don't they own some pizza chain too? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-05-17 13:58 |
| #29 CFO, huh? Pepsico just joined France on my mental boycott list. Maybe a dive in the financials will get her fired and she can move to Paris -- she has the arrogance for it. |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-05-17 13:56 |
| #28 coke with whiskey, anything else - Pepsi. I've been a middle finger all my life |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-17 13:47 |
| #27 phew! I like Dr. P and diet tonic water! I'm golden! Yeah! the 2b family is now drinking only dr. p. No more diet pepsi...and we drink shhh...actually we liked diet coke better. But now when we go out and they say, "is pepsi ok?" i'll say...NO! |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 13:46 |
| #26 who does dr. pepper? Seven-Up, which is in turn owned by Cadbury Schweppes. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 13:40 |
| #25 Diet Coke'll do ya okay -- have you tried the new splenda version? How is that? They were giving some away at the office a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't get a chance to try it. Now I can't FIND it anywhere! Just got some yesterday -- jury's still out, but my initial impression was good. Need to try it a couple more times, maybe even mix it with a little rum. =) |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 13:29 |
| #24 What's all the fuss about? I'm with Dar on this one. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-05-17 13:18 |
| #23 As of 1300 PepsiCo was down $0.61 (1.08%) on the DOW today. Awww, too bad. |
| Posted by: Dragon Fly 2005-05-17 13:09 |
| #22 who does dr. pepper? |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-17 13:08 |
| #21 Diet Coke'll do ya okay -- have you tried the new splenda version? How is that? They were giving some away at the office a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't get a chance to try it. Now I can't FIND it anywhere! |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-05-17 12:57 |
| #20 I assume Antarctica and Australia were lost in an industrial accident a couple of eons back. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-17 12:53 |
| #19 Isn't this a long tradition of Pepsi? Didn't they boycott sales to Israel to appease the Arabs? Bye Pepsi... never using another one of your products... but to be honest, I can't remember the last time I did... |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2005-05-17 12:51 |
| #18 Hey, if I was Aussie, I'd really be pissed! They don't fit into her "hand". Maybe they can join us out on the middle finger? ;) |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-05-17 12:33 |
| #17 Let Pepsico Corp HQ know what you think - contact info - at the bottom of the page. You may find it humorous that they have an entire section labeled "Citizenship" with a "Code of Conduct" PDF, as well as some touchy-feely PC stuff. The code does not address being a moonbat, unfortunately - otherwise I'd report her and cite the code, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-17 12:15 |
| #16 And I'd bet this was an intentional marketing move. IIRC, Arabs drink Pepsi and scorn Coke through some association of the latter with Israel. So she is probably trying to boost sales with the (unfortunately large) portion of the world that sees itself as anti-US, anti-Israel, disaffected, "radical chic", whatever. The best we can hope to do is at least take a big bite out of their US sales. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 12:06 |
| #15 I dunno--I kinda like being the middle finger. We've been that way since the Revolution, bucking tradition and being a maverick nation. I rather like the metaphor, and I think we should give the finger to the U.N. as frequently as we can! |
| Posted by: Dar 2005-05-17 12:03 |
| #14 I was going to say that I was skeptical about this, especially before seeing a transcript. A major corporate leader spouting bullshit like that? These days? But there's an update at the link: UPDATE: I have spoken to Wes Martin and put in requests for a copy of Ms. Nooyi's speech to Columbia Business School, Pepsico corporate public relations, and Ms. Nooyi's office itself. I have received no response so far, but a reader who requests anononymity writes: I confirmed from two people who attended the event that Indra Nooyi did make comments similar to those in your note. No one could remember the exact words. All were "dismayed and disappointed." Called a Pepsico PR person, [name and number omitted], she is saying the Indra loves America (her adopted country) and that her speech was meant to reflect what many in the World thought of America not her own opinion. From the emails I received from friends, that’s not how they heard it. Pepsico sounded nervous. Another reader reports: I have spoken with PepsiCo and they have confirmed that Nooyi spoke at Columbia yesterday. It would appear that some sort of damage control or clarification is in full swing as they are rushing to prepare a statement about her speech... Evidently something Nooyi said is making them very nervous (I would surmise that your student at Columbia was accurate in his assessment of her speech—however, we’ll wait and see what PepsiCo has to say)...I was very polite and told her I certainly hoped this didn’t happen…she wasn’t too optimistic that it didn’t. Columbia public relations has advised that it does not have a copy of the speech. We will provide additional information that we receive as well as a round-up of reader comments tonight. Looks like Indra may soon be in charge of deliveries in Kashmir. They may make her drive the truck. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-17 12:01 |
| #13 BH- Beautiful analagy. I'm gonna have to steal that one. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-05-17 11:54 |
| #12 And count me in on the boycott. I'll spread the word every chance I get. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 11:54 |
| #11 #9 a response to #7, not the Instatutionalized reference (not that there's anything wrong with that) =) |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 11:53 |
| #10 The rest of the world sees us as an overbearing, insensitive and disrespectful nation that gives the middle finger to the rest of the world. Only by standing tall while the other fingers are ducking down and hiding. And yes, the boycott is on. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-05-17 11:52 |
| #9 Diet Coke'll do ya okay -- have you tried the new splenda version? |
| Posted by: docob 2005-05-17 11:50 |
| #8 All I wanted was a stinkin Pepsi. |
| Posted by: Tkat 2005-05-17 11:47 |
| #7 OK OK I Need a Diet Pepsi support group and quickly! |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-05-17 11:25 |
| #6 Lol! This Moonbat definitely jumped the shark. No more hand puppets for you, babe. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-17 11:11 |
| #5 Brand=============>Substitute Pepsi=============>Coca-Cola, RC-Cola, etc KFC===============>Churches, Pop-Eye Taco Bell=========>Taco Mayo, Taco Tico, etc |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-05-17 11:00 |
| #4 But it is our responsibility, she continues, to change the current state of world opinion of the US. That's what's being done right now. If you don't like this development, well, that's too damned bad. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-05-17 10:58 |
| #3 I thought America led the way. People in the rest of the world dont aspire to be German or French, they aspire to be American... and thats the fact. |
| Posted by: bk 2005-05-17 10:57 |
| #2 I think she's referring to only recent history. |
| Posted by: bk 2005-05-17 10:55 |
| #1 Europe, leading the way? Leading the way to their own extinction and destruction maybe. I'm boycotting all Pepsico products now. Bitch. Here is my middle finger at you. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-05-17 10:42 |