eBay Kool-Aid Drinkers and Cheerleaders: A Perspective by Larry

If you are an eBay seller, and frequent any of the gazillion discussion boards on the internet, you’ve probably heard of people referred to as having drunk the Kool-aid. Or you may hear them referred to as cheerleaders. In many cases, these terms are used interchangeably. Well I’m here to tell you that they are as different as night and day. As different as Barack Obama and Michelle Bachmann. As different as Meg Whitman and John Donahoe. No wait, they’re not that different (except for genitalia – I’ll let you draw your own conclusion on who’s got which..)

But seriously, there’s a HUGE difference between a Kool-Aid drinker and a cheerleader. Let’s start with the derivation of the term Kool-Aid drinker. It is a reference to the 1978 mass-suicide of a cult led by Rev. Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana. 913 of his 1,100 cult followers drank the Kool-Aid and died. It has come to mean somebody who buys into an idea or system, whether good or bad. To bring it back to eBay, these are the people that applaud eBay, no matter what they do. It is an unquestioning belief in eBay and everything they do. Blind faith. They simply say if eBay says it, it has to be right, and it has to be good. Always. Immediate and total acceptance, without question or pause. To be willing to march into hell for eBay’s heavenly cause. OK, you get the idea.

Now a cheerleader is an entirely different person. Simply put, a cheerleader is an enthusiastic and vocal supporter. But that does NOT mean that a cheerleader likes every aspect of the group they cheer for. In the real world of cheerleading, where people are on the sidelines of sporting events, leading the fans in cheers, they will cheer for the team’s star loudly and with great enthusiasm. But when that star assaults his girlfriend or perhaps kills helpless dogs, those cheerleaders will criticize that person, distance themselves, and possibly even lead the charge to see that this person pays for his crimes. The Kool-Aid drinker, on the other hand, will insist that it was self-defense when he assaulted his girlfriend, and that he killed the dogs to put them out of their misery.

So there is the huge difference between a Kool-aid drinker and a Cheerleader. I DETEST Kool-aid drinkers. But I’m PROUD to consider myself an eBay cheerleader. I want the company to be successful. I want to cheer them on, and help them in any way I can. If they’re successful, I’m successful. They have been very good to me over the years, and I have both a financial and an emotional tie to eBay. But, as many of you know, when I see eBay implement a policy that is
counter-productive, or that is going to unfairly (IMHO) cost me more money, I strongly and vocally oppose that policy, and do whatever I can to get eBay to reconsider. You absolutely can still be a cheerleader, even though you disagree with some of the things they do. And don’t forget that a cheerleader is more likely to be listened to with an open mind than anyone else. So if you truly want to make an impact, be a cheerleader.

And the next time you feel the overwhelming (and quite juvenile) need to call somebody a name, keep this in mind. It’s OK to be a cheerleader. I will wear that hat proudly. But use your brain, and DON’T drink the Kool-aid.