An Easy Way To Get Fired

At what point does a paid spokesman become an unpaid maverick business consultant? Based upon this story from MSNBC.com, the answer is: Never, because they are mutually exclusive.

Apparently Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld fame) was unaware of this truism or he just didn't care because he thought his position as pitch man for KFC included the authority to blast off in public his opinion as to how the company should conduct business. Wrong, Jason! The company is paying you to promote, not bad-mouth, them.

This episode is worthy of several comments. First of all, it demonstrates that a radical special interest group (in this case, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) can easily scratch the superficial intellect of Jason Alexander such that he shoots himself in the foot.

Secondly, his illusory intellect prompted him to have the arrogance to broadcast that KFC needs to change their business which they've been successfully conducting since toddler Jason wore diapers.

Thirdly, Mr. Alexander sacrificed a handsome paycheck for no defined, tangible benefit. I defy anyone to be able to get up from the table after a chicken dinner and tell me whether the chicken was happy or sad just before an ax separated its head from its neck.

There are many things that can be said about this whole event (in particular, the PETA crowd is worthy of many comments), but I'll save them for another time and end with one final comment. Jason Alexander's agent now has a much harder job. All future attempts on his part to get product endorsement contracts will include the question, "How can I be sure this pea brain is not going to shoot his mouth off about my business?"