Those who know me often hear me say that people differ in three ways: how they take in information, how they process information, and how they give out information. I learned this bit about human nature from Albert Ellis, an American Psychologist.

If you’ve ever played the party game “telephone,” you can see Ellis’ theory in practice. In this popular party game, one person whispers a sentence to the next; the same sentence is then repeated down the line of guests. The last person then states the sentence aloud for the rest of the guests to hear. By the time the original sentence reaches the end of the line, it has been significantly distorted, and, generally, hardly resembles what the first person said.

The way society passes along information reflects this model. One group may think it is communicating directly but becomes frustrated when it realizes it is being perceived in an entirely different manner. The Chamber recently experienced this very phenomenon. In Sunday’s paper, the Duluth News Tribune ran an editorial cartoon that purportedly showed the Chamber’s support for Wal-Mart rather than for local small business. I can only assume it has been a long time since the creator of the cartoon has stepped away from his or her desk, or he or she simply relied on old stereotypes or misinterpreted information.

The fact of the matter is, simply: the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce supports businesses of all kinds. Business, after all, is the backbone of our society. Business creates jobs; jobs create wealth; wealth creates taxes; taxes create public infrastructure; and so the chain continues. Moreover, sixty percent of our membership is made up of small businesses – businesses comprised of five or less employees.

So, when someone implies that the Chamber turns its back on small business, he or she is sorely mistaken. We are proud of and support the small businesses that work to compete amongst global challengers on an everyday basis.

We do interpret things differently. In this situation, I think the Duluth News Tribune might encourage its editorial staff to reflect what is really going on.