Thou Shalt Not Kill... One's Reputation

One aspect of this commandment which we often overlook is the defamation of character. One way to "kill" is to propagate harmful untruths about someone. Another causes scandal by making public the imperfections and brokenness of others in such a way that it harms their reputation and propagates negativism about someone. While the mainstream media does enough damage to character because scandal sells, the world of the Internet has become a slaughter house for people's dignity with almost no controls. This also extends to company reputations... not as serious as an attack against the dignity of the person, but it can be personal for those committed leaders to a just (albeit imperfect) business. There are acceptable reasons to present & discuss such topics when an individual or corporate sin is public and it threatens others security, causes scandal or harm, and making light of the injustice can prevent further harm or accelerate needed change. Far too often, as we see even in presidential races, defamation of character is used for selfish gain. This is a direct sin against the fifth commandment.

There is an establishment in the Detroit area that does great work for the community, having donated large sums of money to support great charities such as Cornerstone Schools, Grace Centers of Hope, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society to name a few. Albert & Mitsie Scaglione, the founders of Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan have also taken several young inner city women under their care who have "graduated" from foster care, and have no place to go. These girls who often end up in prostitution and on drugs are challenged with Albert & Mitsie's "tough love" that offers them a chance to beat the odds if they stay clean and out of trouble. Yet Park West Gallery, which has become the largest art dealer in the world, is under attack from competitors that are soliciting any blogger or customer that may have had a less-than-perfect experience at one of their cruise art auctions. Wanting to make sure Park West Gallery has addressed any internal wrongdoing, an independent auditor verified they had a 50,000-to-1 customer satisfaction ratio. Not bad for a company with over 1 Million customers. A handful of disgruntled customers can still make a lot of noise, especially when it is enabled by a competitors seeking to tackle the leader. Albert Scaglione and Park West Gallery have done its best to address customer issues, and they are working hard to improve, striving to provide educational experiences of art at sea and land auctions through very successful partnerships with almost all of the major cruise lines. Albert Scaglione is the first to admit that they haven't done everything perfectly, but it doesn't justify the smear campaign on his business and even him personally. If a customer is unsatisfied with a purchase, he wants them to call and have the chance to address the concerns. Park West Gallery guarantees that every piece of artwork is authentic that they sell at their art auctions at sea or land, yet his competitors have stooped to suggesting otherwise. This has hurt both their business and their efforts to support the community.

Many companies are suffering from the unaccountable freedom of the internet, and it can destroy a company's reputation. Freedom of speech is a right, but every right must be coupled with responsibility. We are called as Christians to be people of integrity. We have a right to stand up and voice an injustice, but we must do so in a way that retains the dignity of people.