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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! Subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list. The "What is the Deal?" Deal-of-the-Week: www.ThePopcornFactory.com Fun Gifts For Every Occasion! July 18, 2004 What is the Deal with Caryn Elaine Johnson? By Jan A. Larson You may not be asking, "What is the deal with Caryn Elaine Johnson?" but instead, "Who in the heck is Caryn Elaine Johnson?" Caryn Elaine Johnson, of course, is the birth name of comedienne Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg was given the nickname "Whoopi" as a result of her excessive flatulence. Last week she lived up to that nickname with an exhibition of excessive flatulence of the mouth at a Democratic fund-raiser in New York. As a result, she was canned as a spokesperson for Slim-Fast. Some are being critical of Slim-Fast for taking a step that is somehow an affront to Goldberg's right to free speech. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Constitution provides a guarantee that the government will pass no law that restricts the freedom of speech. This situation has nothing to do with government or the law so any discussion of free speech is not germane. When a person takes money from a business owner or company to represent that business as a spokesperson, there is an understanding, either explicit or implied, that the person will conduct him or herself in a way that will reflect positively on the company's standards, ideals and philosophy. When a spokesperson says or does something that could be deemed offensive or in some way not consistent with the company's standards, ideals and philosophy, the company has every right to choose to terminate the relationship. Depending on the nature of the endorsement contract, the spokesperson may or may not be entitled to receive ongoing payments or a termination payment. In this case, reports indicate that Goldberg will lose approximately $1 million. There are really two issues at play in this situation. The first is the hypocrisy of Slim-Fast and the second is the apparent shock and surprise expressed by Goldberg that she would be held accountable for her remarks. There can be no doubt that Slim-Fast knew that Goldberg was politically active and has never been known to hold back in the exercise of her freedom of speech. Given that Goldberg's performance has not been released to the public, one could assert that Slim-Fast is taking a knee-jerk reaction and bowing to (apparent) public pressure to dump her. (As to why the Kerry-Edwards campaign has not chosen to release a tape of the fund-raiser after Kerry commented that the performances conveyed the "heart and soul of the country" is the subject for another column.) On the other hand, people that line their pockets with thousands or millions of corporate endorsement dollars must realize that those dollars don't come without some expectations of behavior. When the behavior becomes outrageous, or at least far enough outside the bounds of acceptability for the majority of a company's stakeholders, no one should be surprised when their services are no longer deemed necessary. As for Goldberg, while I don't particularly care for her humor and I definitely don't care for her politics, I suspect she'll do just fine. Although losing a million dollars might be a blow for those of us that do not represent the heart and soul of the country, I'm pretty sure her Hollywood friends will help her get through these tough times. Maybe they'll even have a fund-raiser for Whoopi. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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