Fox News had an interesting error on a graphic recently. Scott Walker – Wisconsin’s GOP Governor and possible 2016 hopeful – made a comment that was taken as insensitive by members of the Jewish community. The Walker camp said there was a typo, the word Molotov was used instead of Mazel Tov.
Fox’s Brett Baier accurately said in their news piece that a “Molotov” is gas or alcohol placed in a bottle to be used as a weapon. Mazel Tov 
is a Jewish greeting of good will and fortune.
Conspiracy? Ill will? No doubt, this is an example of an error by someone in WI.
But that the Fox graphic not only showed the word “Molotov,” it also showed Scott’s last name as “Brown” – an entirely different politico, since Scott Brown was the prior U.S. Senator from MA – rather than “Walker.”
Some mistakes are just that, an error. Sometimes there are compound mistakes! Within minutes, Baier was correcting and apologizing for the glitch on Scott Walker’s last name being shown on air as Brown.
Why can’t we more routinely make an apology a mark of good character and strength, rather than one of weakness, or worse, a denial that the error ever happened?
Are MH Goofs “Conspiracies?” Or…
Let’s start this section by saying that we goof here too. Example. It’s darn tough to edit yourself. As a writer, you know what you meant to say, and the mind sees that intention instead of what is there. It’s often difficult for even multiple people to catch an error, because all may be looking at something the same way…
(Typo on Billboard on I4 in Florida heading west towards
Tampa, credit – MHProNews)
My favorite typo is the interstate billboard in the photo shown above. Our family took that photo traveling west on I4 heading into Tampa, FL. It was months before the mistake was finally corrected.
The Point?
First, one could weave a conspiracy theory out of almost anything, including an innocent mistake or error.
Did the graphic artist make that one letter error on a 1 word message for a FL billboard on purpose? Was that graphics person getting ready to quit? Did someone want to “get even” with someone else? Maybe the error was a deliberate test?
You could imagine a conspiracy or ill-will out of almost anything! Or you could just say, it was a simple mistake.
(Image credit as shown and http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu )
A step closer to…Manufactured Housing Conspiracy Theories
Does the CIA, MI6, the Mob – an intelligence service or terrorist group anywhere in the world – plot in a conspiratorial way to do X? Of course. Conspiracies happen.
For conspiracy theorists, the Kennedy Assassination is the gift that keeps on giving (no, that’s not meant to take sides on the one gunman vs. more than one on Dealy Plaza in Dallas, TX that day).
A common explanation for what looks like a conspiracy is what a former Reagan official called the “Conspiracy of common interests.” Here’s how that works.
People who have similar backgrounds and interests tend to think and act similarly. Those who run a big business may think and behave differently than those who run a smaller one. Those who run a big association may behave differently than those who run a smaller one. That’s not a slam on anyone, its a reality. FYI, each has their unique advantages.
We don’t have to accuse either of anything. One need not ascribe ill-will or some treachery, even if to the eyes of others that is how it seems.
Against that backdrop, there is an appearance to some that MHI is trying to “stick it” and “break-it-off” to MHARR with the proposed DOE energy standards. It may cost less for a big company to comply with a regulation than a smaller one. Who says? A third party, The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)!
Are MHI members conspiring to harm smaller independent builders? Some think so.
This is but one of many MH conspiracy theories.
There was the appearance earlier this year that MHARR was trying to launch a frontal assault on MHI. We brought that up privately and publicly; it was denied by MHARR, it all blew over and the matter was dropped.
What we are doing here is ‘raising the warning flag’ once more with this discussion. But this time, we’re bringing this to the attention of MHI’s leadership.
MHARR can harm MHI, and MHI can harm MHARR…
For the good of the industry, can’t we try to avoid that headline?
The big companies have to be seen and act in a manner that demonstrates they care about the interests of smaller operations. A common perception is that there is ‘arrogance’ on the part of a few and that perception ought to pro-actively be changed rapidly.
Failing to accomplish a meaningful, positive working relationship can only haunt the entire industry.
Give credit where it is due…there have been Efforts…
There were people and efforts – such as face-to-face, off-the-radar meetings between MHI and MHARR corporate leaders – designed to see how the two groups could better work with each other.
What happened to all of that? Poof! Gone with the wind…
Each organization has the right to exist. Each was formed to represent the interests of their respective members.
Richard “Dick” Jennison – MHI CEO, left;
MHARR’s incoming CEO, M. Mark Weiss, JD, right.
But for good stuff to get done, MHI has to consider MHARR’s perspective. MHARR must do the same with MHI.
That doesn’t mean they have to merge. That would take years of trust-building that frankly doesn’t seem to exist today. By contrast, gaining mutual cooperation can rapidly be accomplished.
The way the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA 2000) was passed was that enough people of good will in both camps bridged the gaps! In 2 years, in what routinely seems like a polarized Washington DC, the MHIA of 2000 was enacted and signed into law.
The way that some tell the success tale of MHIA 2000 was that association and corporate leaders from Texas played a key role in that effort to bring MHI and MHARR to work effectively together. That historic event proved it can be done!
I’m not saying that Texas must play that same role today. My point is that there is a valid role for third parties from the industry to act in a bridge-building fashion.
We believe that just bringing these issues up is a modest-but-real effort at sparking such bridge-building efforts.
Enhanced Preemption is NECESSARY
Most MH pros may not realize it, but we as an industry need the MHIA of 2000 law to be fully functioning! We need federal preemption to be broadly and liberally construed, or MH – as great as it is! – is going to increasingly be a rural housing product or homes placed in aging MHCs.
I can’t believe that:
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the teacher’s pet mentality, or
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the corporate interests of some can’t be more broadly viewed, so as to benefit all,
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that an earlier commentary, like this one, was viewed by a select few at MHI as “disloyal,” when the opposite is true!
Don’t shoot the Messenger
Does a loyal employee of the billboard company point out to management the mistake made on the billboard shown above?
It’s loyalty to the mission of Protecting, Educating or Promoting (PEP) MH that’s at the heart of all such columns. Might I miss the bulls eye at times? Sure.
We called on the leadership at MHARR last spring to revisit their initiative. To their credit, they did so!
We are this time calling upon MHI’s leaders to revisit their proposed policies on issues like the DOE standards, in the light of the clear need to be more inclusive and beneficial to the maximum number of Industry members!
The Avoidable Nightmare or the Possible Dream
A short article in theDaily Business News Saturday morning provides another looming threat to MH. Our rising – but still too-low – production levels makes manufactured housing vulnerable to any number of threats that could swamp our industry.
The MH nightmare is avoidable. And the MH imPOSSIBLE Dream can be achieved.
But that will happen only when enough broad-minded people of good will in both camps – or those nonaligned with either group – are:
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willing to listen to each other, really listen with the intent to understand.
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stop thinking in silo-like ways! In an industry this size, we must truly live the best of what Tim Williams at 21st said, we ought to behave in a genuinely fraternal fashion.
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There needs to be a genuine out-reaches to build bridges that lead to mutual victories.
An MHI plan that could backfire
We are aware of some MHI planned moves – not saying anyone in the mix has any ill intent – that a handful of MHARR pros know about already. IMHO, it could become a serious misstep, to put it politely.
Do we ever want manufactured housing to become dominant housing?
Or do we want MH to be marginalized housing? Second, third or fourth choice housing?
Hey, we all goof. What looks like a conspiracy, may not be one at all.
We need an MH peace treaty. Some savvy state execs have wanted that for years.
More to the point, we need an MH Alliance! We first called for that about 3 years ago, not a new association, a trans-associational, trans-corporate effort that benefits consumers and all those professionals in the mix.
If we fail to do so, a third, fourth or fifth association may form.
Or worse yet – some new technology like the one linked in the Daily Business News brief above – will hit the scene, pass us by and leave MH saying, what just happened? Then, MH may be finished.
We are under 70,000 new homes shipped in 2014. More than one industry leader has told me that given the demand for affordable housing, we ought to be adding a zero to that new home MH annual shipment level.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The MH Goal vs. the MH Petty Bickering
700,000 shipments a year. Could we achieve that by say 2018?
What would it take to accomplish that 700k HUDs-a-year goal?
Can we focus on that as our big picture? Can we collaborate in a win-win fashion to make that a reality?
Making 700,000 new MH shipments happen will heal the wounds of the past. They will become irrelevant.
Affordable housing is already a serious and growing need in the U.S. Be it MHARR and MHI or non-profits and the MH industry, we need to become better listeners and think win-win vs. win-lose.
The Proof it is Possible is all Around Us
Our newly-revised, read-hot Daily Business News format routinely points out areas we as an industry can grow. Some stories have to be read in the light of, ‘what is the implication for MH in this news report?’
When news items are read like that, the real picture of MH Opportunities becomes clear.
We have a great product in Modern Manufactured Housing! We tout that product to the world on our ever-more popular MHLivingNews.com website!
But we will only make annual shipment levels of 700,000 HUDs a reality when enough savvy people start building bridges instead of undermining them.
Enough said for today. See you in Louisville? We have and will share the answer with those coming there. ##
(Listening image credit: FlicrkCreativeCommons.
Molotov credit- Criminal Minds Wiki.
L. A. “Tony” Kovach by U.S. Supreme Court, Washington DC – credit – MHProNews.)
