Flock's Spy System Has To Die
Flock and Death of Freedom
I’ve written the speech Flock CEO Garrett Langley gave last week on YouTube.
Not that exact speech, but speeches of that genus, species, and subspecies. Every political or crisis-communications operative dragged into the conference room after a corporate client steps on its dick knows the form. Founder. Soft lighting. Tasteful background. Slow cadence. Concerned eyes.
Langley looked almost human, spinning his nationwide Panopticon like a suburban dad discussing his pickleball league. “Nine years ago we set out to build safer communities. I’ve learned a lot. We’re not perfect. Far from it.”
Sure, pal.
That last bit is mandatory. The preemptive humility beat, the sensation of a focus group nodding along tested lines, a man who admits he isn’t perfect, especially when the admission costs nothing, concedes less, and makes the general counsel nearly smile. It’s the corporate version of the politician who tells you his greatest weakness is caring too much.
I know the speech, the cadence, the lawyered verbs, the tense shifts, the carefully constructed moments when phony sincerity is lubed enough to slide right past the ugly truth.
Once you know the trick, you can’t unsee it.
Watch the verbs. Watch the tense. Watch what he elides. Listen carefully to the question he appears to
