Initial Post Instructions
A cellphone company once ran a television ad touting its call reliability, in which a young man is talking to his future father-in-law, who is telling him to address him by his first name and consider him a friend. The young man launches into a series of variations of the first name. Unknown to either party, the call is dropped and the young man does not hear any response from the father. He becomes very nervous and reverts back to “Mr.” and “Sir.” The ad’s message is clear: Use our service and this sort of thing won’t happen.
For the initial post, address one or more of the following:
- Why do you think the ad agency chose this power relationship for its commercial? Is it one to which you can relate?
- Have you had any kind of similar experience at your workplace or school (e.g., with a patient, client, or professor), perhaps with a rule or law?
- Have you encountered the power relationships exemplified in the commercial when implementing various healthcare practices such as disease prevention or hospital protocols/regulations? Are co-workers and patient receptive?
