Of course we know it’s “moot”! The adjective moot is originally a legal term going back to the mid-16th century. It derives from the noun moot, in its sense of a hypothetical case argued as an exercise by law students. Consequently, a moot question is one that is arguable or open to debate. But in the mid-19th century people also began to look at the hypothetical side of moot as its essential meaning, and they started to use the word to mean “of no significance or relevance.” Thus, a moot point, however debatable, is one that has no practical value. (are ya impressed yet?)
However, Joey Tribbiani’s (of the sit-com F•R•I•E•N•D•S) way of describing it seems a wee bit more understandable and waaay less highfalutin’ than the term “moot”. For those non-FRIENDS fanatics, Joey and Rachel are discussing whether or not she should make a ‘move’ on someone who’s just broken up with his girlfriend (Joey, as we’ll discover has a different perspective on the world)…
Joey: All right, Rach. The big question is, “does he like you?” All right? Because if he doesn’t like you, this is all a moo point.
Rachel: Huh. A moo point?
Joey: Yeah, it’s like a cow’s opinion. It just doesn’t matter. It’s moo.
Rachel: Have I been living with him for too long, or did that all just make sense?
Credits:
Written by Patty Lin
Directed by Kevin S. Bright
Aired 11/23/2000, 3/22/2001
Ok, that said… what in the devil does all this have to do with the Imagination Factory, our stated mission or really anything to do with this site?
Basically, there are a lot of great artists and talented programmers out there. Some may even have been doing both as long as we have! But what you need to ask when deciding who best to design, develop and disseminate YOUR message, image, product and/or service information is; Do they understand me, my product/service, my audience, my company, my industry? Will they listen to my wants and needs? Can they translate that into a useable marketing strategy for me? If the answer is NO, then how long they’ve been around, how lovely their art is or how many programming languages they know… is a moo point!
So, the arguable real value of talent in this case, lies NOT in the talent itself, but in the ability to harness that talent for your benefit. If it can not be economically or efficiently harnessed to serve you, your company, your client/audience, then the talent is of little relevance.
