 Yale Youngblood |
As a father of three sons, I’ve made my share of monumental parental decisions, not the least of which was requiring them to watch the movie “Animal House.” In fact, it was a rite of passage for each of the young Youngbloods, a way to mark the progression from childhood to a higher tier of childhood—the hope being that they would never forget the role laughter plays when they were locked in the inevitable staredown with Mr. Big, Bad, Real World.
For those who weren’t blessed to call me “Dad,” I shall recall a scene from the movie during which the protagonists, a band of misfits tethered by their membership in the worst fraternity on campus, face possible expulsion for conduct unbecoming of collegians. The high jinks preceding this moment were low-brow/generally offensive/generally knee-slapping hilarious; mainly, though, the collective frat misdeeds were more than enough to have the members teetering on the brink.
Decision Time
As the young men talk about their plight, they become resigned to a seemingly inevitable fate—having to leave Dear Old Faber U. That’s when the fraternity’s most notorious underachiever, Bluto (played by the late John Belushi), delivers a now-historic (if not very historically accurate) plea to his mates not to give up. “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” he asks. And then he assures his frat brothers that it’s not over for them, either.
I don’t want to give too much away about the movie’s conclusion, but I will say this: Bluto ultimately would be known as Senator Blutarsky. The moral: Dawn trumps dark—almost every time.
Speaking of winning hands, this month’s cover story reports the results of our recent State of the Industry survey. Basically, it’s a snapshot of the moving and shaking that went on among retailers across the country this past spring. Again, I don’t want to give away too much plot, because I do want you to turn to page 12 to check out the results for yourself. But it’s not much of a spoiler alert to tell you that the needle on the compass that guides our industry hasn’t moved much in 12 months. And that lack of movement begs the question: Where do we go from here?
Here's Where...
When it comes to determining a next step, the best advice I could give is, “Take one!” I hark back to a visit I had recently with OFA chief executive officer Michael Geary at his organization’s Short Course in Columbus, Ohio. Our chat is captured on a video (not required viewing for the young Youngbloods, by the by). The nutshell version is that Geary and his staff look at the same glass of water we all see, and they choose to note how full it is. It’s probably not just coincidence that the show floor was also full—four days in a row.
Oh ... wait ... I just gave away the plot!
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