Explaining Non-Payment of Debt: You're Doing it Wrong

Look, I get it: words are tough, and coming up with the right thing to say can be taxing. That’s why we have Hallmark for birthday wishes, Tom Cruise for love, and Glengarry Glen Ross for motivation (warning: language very NSFW). Sometimes we need spokespeople in our lives to help us communicate our best selves to others. It’s the Oprahfication of interpersonal interactions.

But here’s the thing: maybe turning to this guy as your spokesman/representative for how you’re not going to pay that debt maybe shouldn’t be Plan A. Or Plan C. Or, even, Plans D – infinity.

For starters: consider the production value aesthetics “built” on plywood. Plywood sends a variety of messages, from “Dad built me this AWESOME tree house!” to “Jodie Foster’s about to crack this case WIDE OPEN.”

This doesn’t communicate “HEED ME.” It asks “How much is your co-pay?” It doesn’t really suggest firmness of conviction. It’s…This Old House-y. It’s “Yeah-well-I-was-gonna-get-around-to-putting-up-that-Olde-English-Dartboard-but-instead-I-made-this-movie”-esque.

It’s, frankly, doing it wrong.