As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. ~Andrew Carnegie
{image credit: Rudy Bachraty}
I read this post over at the Animal Farm blog where a Realtor® claims he was shanghaied into a criminal organization (the NAR) against his free will and made to pay ransom to mob bosses who held a gun to his lawn sign. Apparently, he cannot feed lunch to his family without the Realtor brand, name tag and alphabet soup designations he is forced to brandish to consumers to muscle them to pony up a retainer for his services. I thought, “Good grief, this fellow doesn’t have a clue about criminality or one’s moral duty in the face of it.”
A basic lesson from Black’s Law Dictionary: (I assume this chap takes words and their meanings seriously, despite his penchant for obfuscation.)
Criminal: One who commits a crime
Aider and abetter: One who helps, assists or facilitates the commission of a crime.
If this card carrying Realtor knows the NAR is a criminal organization, that knowledge makes him their aider and abettor. By using the NAR Realtor® trademarks in the marketing and promotion of his business, he is helping, assisting and facilitating the organization in their business. By paying for Realtor designations, he is helping to finance the lobbying of Congress to pass the laws he says are extorting money from the public. And the alphabet soup designations he uses to adorn himself are like badges on the uniform of a goose-stepping foot soldier, proclaiming to the unsuspecting public “Yes, I am a member and we rule”. Yet, he continues to do it, claiming he has no choice and must, to earn his lunch money.
It’s a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham. (Fielding Mellish, Bananas)
Mr. Swann may spout lofty principles but his deeds belie them. I submit he is a coward, afraid to take action to remove himself from criminality of this ilk (if he had a real gun to his head, well, one would understand). He makes excuses for his voluntary choices, like those before him that sought absolution with the prayer “I had no choice. I was only following orders.” He is not a helpless victim. He chooses to use the organization’s assets and brand to solicit customers for himself. This paper tiger Realtorioso buys his lunch with the tips he makes wiggling his Realtor® logo at the local MLS Badda Bing. He is a co-conspirator and a lap dancer.
Bob: The mafia is a criminal organization.
Mario: But, Bob, you are a member of the mafia.
Bob: I have no choice if I want to feed my family lunch. There is no free lunch, you know.
Mario: But, Bob, don’t you get money from folks to pay the mafia?
Bob: No, that’s a non-refundable retainer. It’s easier to collect when folks know I’m a member.
Mario: But can’t you just move to a place that doesn’t have the mafia?
Bob: I don’t like to travel. Would you like my card?
The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity ~ Andre Gide
Note: The word Realtor links to this page.
A commenter posed these questions to Mr. Swann:
To which he replied in defense:
What I make of that, Mr. Swann, is you posturing the Nuremberg defense to justify your participation. If you knew the law (or a bit of history), you’d know this defense was unsuccessfully used by another group of card carrying members who said, “I had no choice. I was only obeying the orders of my MLS”. Dog crap in a silk purse. You do have a choice, sir. Heck, some folks had to move across an ocean to escape criminality and eschew participation in it. You can just move to Seattle and join a broker owned MLS or move to NYC (we have no MLS) to free yourself from NAR control. To continue to aid a criminal organization and wear the yolk of tyranny because you like dry heat seems a tad whimpy to me. With warm weather patriots like you, we’d be drinking tea right now and driving on the left side of the road. Bloody right, mate.
Yes, you can duck behind the convenient excuse that you need your mob card to access the MLS, but there is NO reason to promote their trademark and brand to the public. You don’t have to to get the client, do you? Surely you are capable of earning a living without having to pimp the NAR big R. Methinks you hustle the Realtor brand for money . Plain and simple, criminality notwithstanding. You are peddling the NAR brand, and link to their website, Mr. Swann, to get listings and clients. Hey, I don’t care, I have no stake in the NAR.
You willingly joined the NAR gang. But, unlike the Hell’s Angels, you DON’T have to wear the NAR colors. That’s YOUR choice. You are not required to admit your membership in the club. (I believe the COE forbids stomping members who refuse to wear the colors). But then again, the NAR brand is good bait. And you know it.
It looks to me you are compromising your principles for a buck and a bone. Maybe principles ought not get in the way of pay checks — if the criminals give you a living, you might as well take it, right?
So bark the good bark and feel better, Sir Holier-than-Thou. But I’ll expect to see you on on the street corner again, strutting your Realtor® stuff for a date.
A Moral Imperative: Move or Drop the NAR trademark
Lest you think me harsh in my opinion of your moral hypocrisy, I offer you a principled solution— which makes this post, in the end, one of constructive criticism.
If you are indeed serious about your beliefs and want to convince others you are serious — then truly take more than a stand— take action. Talk is cheap. Put your money where your dog chow is.
Either move to a NAR-free land or remove the NAR logo from your site and don’t use it, or its designations, in your advertising or listing presentations. If you don’t believe in the value of the brand, don’t push it to dupe consumers. If you think NAR is a cartel, divorce yourself from it, in spirit, mind and body. For when you sport the NAR colors, you only serve to build the NAR brand in the eyes of your clients. You continue then to aid and abet.
Stop cashing in on the Realtor cachet. That would get my attention. Not only that, it would bring attention to your cause. You’d probably make the evening news. Then maybe you could bring real change (instead of chump change). Otherwise, it’s all just hot air. And I have no problem with that either. You can’t float your balloon without it.
The NAR may be broken, but as a card carrying member, you might also consider taking an active leadership role to create change from within. I hear some guy from your neck of the desert dropped his business to speak to the leadership to effect change. Now that takes guts. That is action. Try it. Unless, of course, you believe you can do more from the comfort of your air-conditioned blog soapbox.
Related Rants:
A Dog Walks into a Bar and Howls About Licensing; (contains animated Selltoon. Rated R for nudity and use of the word “poop”)
Licensing of Real Estate Agents is No Laughing Matter
Lightbulbs and Licenses: A Dim Bulb’s Guide to Consumer Protection
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