When I reflect on the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid,” my mind wanders back to my high school days of the 1970s and the events surrounding the Viet Nam war. At that time, those who protested the war were oftentimes confronted with another phrase, “America: Love It or Leave It.”
Back then, motivating a change in thinking was for so many akin to a religion, a belief that by shaping public opinion and beliefs, those protesting the war could bring about an end to hostilities in Viet Nam. Tactics such as challenging the status quo, making your voice heard, questioning the government’s motives for war, and engaging in spirited debates and political conversations were all intent on fueling a discourse designed to make everyone stop and think, and ultimately shape public opinion.
It didn’t really matter how extreme or upsetting the conversation became at times, since its purpose was to act as a catalyst to open minds and introduce new ideas and new ways of doing things.
No Middle Ground
Naturally, those who supported the war and its efforts to prevent communism as we were told, regularly clashed with the protesters and their ideology. Their directive to protesters: you either love America or get out. There was no room to question the administration and its commitment to fighting communism in Southeast Asia. There was no middle ground for debate. It was all black and white. You were either with them or seen as against them.
Remember Archie Bunker and his numerous quarrels with his son-in-law, Michael Stivik about the war? All in the Family offers quite a reliable peek into what it was like.
Blind Fidelity vs Loyal Affection
Back in the day and in my mind, embracing America – blindly at face value – did and still does not reflect a love of America. Supporting whatever you are spoon fed or pledging faithful allegiance without critical thinking and questioning, does not reflect loyal affection for it. Back then, I considered those who embraced America at face value as the ones who were “drinking the Kool Aid.”
It was as if they were in a cult, blindly adhering to whatever dictates they received from those in leadership.
In retrospect, we now see how the influence of the protests alongside news footage of American warriors returning home in body bags did eventually change public opinion and bring an end to the hostilities. Unfortunately, the debate also fueled a distasteful public perception of the military causing many to refuse to show the respect rightly due to those warriors who made it home alive. Hopefully we’ve all learned a lesson from this, one we’ll never witness again.
Who is Drinking the Kool Aid?
Fast forward to today’s credit union system and the label – drinking the Kool Aid. As we’ve already noted, it’s readily applied to DEs. However, might it also apply to others instead?
Drinking the Kool Aid is already said to be the case for those who espouse the values and principles of the cooperative business model and are willing to buck the system at times in order to help and improve the industry, no matter how challenging the conversation might be deemed, or how controversial it might appear to be in a quest to prod open the minds of colleagues and friends to new ideas.
On the other hand, drinking the Kool Aid might also be applied to those who are compliant and complacent in accepting the status quo, not wishing to rock the boat, blindly adhering to the expectations and behavior of industry leaders and colleagues intent on remaining “politically correct” within the system.
So, who are those actually drinking the Kool Aid? I guess it comes down to which flavor you prefer.
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