power - Gawker

posts about #power more →
National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
All of the Obama Scandals (So Far)
Kashkari Kopykats!
Gymnast Author Confirms Gymnastics Is Full Of Sickos

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Smitros
10/08/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
Rectified? Gettin' 'rect was what got him into this trouble in the first place.
Reply

Edited by Smitros at 10/08/09 11:25 AM Smitros was starred Smitros was unstarred

Seeräuber Jenny
10/08/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
John Cook:

"Just gross, creepy, illogical reasoning."

See your post re Halderman.
Reply

Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred

Lulupasternak
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
Doesn't anyone find it odd that WorldWide Pants had no female writers or sr. producers? Only assistants?
Reply

Magister promoted this comment Lulupasternak was starred Lulupasternak was unstarred

Magister
10/07/09

@Lulupasternak:
Barbara Gaines is listed as a Executive Producer and she gets plenty of camera time.
Reply

Edited by Magister at 10/07/09 9:40 PM Magister was starred Magister was unstarred

Perhaps Not
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
Well said, as usual, John.
Reply

Perhaps Not was starred Perhaps Not was unstarred

gawkimo
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
As far as anyone can tell with what we know: Birkitt made a choice. A woman's right to choose would include choosing to fuck her boss for whatever reason. It's kinda like "freedom of speech is to protect speech you don't like." You can't cherry pick the choices women should make and condemn women who choose to use their power of attraction to gain something in return. Surprise, some women marry unattractive rich men for that very reason. And that's OK.
Reply

Edited by gawkimo at 10/07/09 5:06 PM gawkimo was starred gawkimo was unstarred

once
10/07/09

@gawkimo: For whatever reason? What if the reason for fucking her boss is that she believes it's the best, fastest, or only way to get promoted or to keep her job? What kind of choices are those? How many people does it impact? I agree w/ you on marriage, it's a choice between 2 people, but a workplace should be free from sexual pressure. There are protective laws of course, however, many people don't want to make waves b/c it might have a negative impact on their future employment. It's not about condemning people who use attraction to gain something, but about wanting women to question the value of what they are getting in return - is it real power or false power etc.?
Reply

once was starred once was unstarred

gawkimo
10/08/09

@once: "What if the reason for fucking her boss is that she believes it's the best, fastest, or only way to get promoted or to keep her job? "

And what if they weren't? The point is you don't know. I don't hear the "victim" here decrying sexual blackmail, so why should you? When she comes out and makes those accusations then we can address that at that time. Until then this is not the same as the allegations made against Bill O'Reilly or Clarence Thomas which, if the allegations were true, did cross into the realm of sexual harassment.
Reply

gawkimo was starred gawkimo was unstarred

Magister
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
Besides the fact that such relationships exist throughout the country, the majority of people have been on Letterman's side and nobody from anywhere within Worldwide Pants have complained, so it's really NOW who is doing the objectifying...

I realize that it is possible for them to live in such a real world bubble that they might not know we're past it, but you'd think they'd at least be aware of television.

Who was more equal, Sam or Diane? Should Grissom have been shot because he was secretly dating the Jorja Fox character? Tomorrow is Jim and Pam's wedding; Should one have resigned when Jim got the promotion? Should they have been dating at all? What about Steve Carell and his boss from a couple of seasons ago? Was Hawkeye a pig for sleeping his was through the lower-ranked nurses?.

The easy answer is that in the future, everyone should just pay-off blackmailers because doing the right thing isn't worth the hassle. But the more difficult response is that the current NOW leadership has proven they're out of touch and though I've financially and politically supported them in the past, it might take some regime change for them to once again become relevant.
Reply

Edited by Magister at 10/07/09 5:00 PM Magister was starred Magister was unstarred

Lulupasternak
10/07/09

@Magister: But if anyone who still worked there complained, how long do you think he or she would still have a job?
Reply

Magister promoted this comment Lulupasternak was starred Lulupasternak was unstarred

Magister
10/07/09

@Lulupasternak: Ms. Burkitt is probably not going to want to return after her former boyfriend (Halderman) has caused such hoopla and I'm sure there's dozens of staffers who no longer work for the company. Why hasn't any of them said anything negative?
Reply

Magister was starred Magister was unstarred

brookster
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
This is ridiculous. If an abuse of power took place, that's certainly bad. But to automatically assume so is patronizing to women, as the assumption requires one to consider women lacking in the agency required to decide to have consensual sex. I'm as feminist as they get, but getting mad is not always the answer.
Reply

Magister promoted this comment brookster was starred brookster was unstarred

Sauvignon Blancalot
10/07/09

@brookster: I am in complete agreement. Naming this situation a "victimization of women in the work place" issue is really pissing me off. Especially when that really happens and this does not seem to be anything resembling that! Consenual adults who work together having sex. That is not always victimization!
Reply

Magister promoted this comment

Baroness
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
What was it Norman Mailer said when attacked by feminists at a press conference? "I'm not going to sit here and be castigated by you harpies!" Or somesuch. Lay off Dave unless you have proof of coercion. And of course, women are all weak-willed lilies with no agency of their own in the workplace, right? No.
Reply

Baroness was starred Baroness was unstarred

Cicada
10/07/09

@Baroness: Oof. Except Mailer did stab his wife, so maybe not such a good example....
Reply

Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred

ShanghaiLil
10/07/09

@Cicada: I never met her, but am considering the possibility that anybody married to her for any length of time might have stabbed her. God knows I've been in relationships like that...
Reply

ShanghaiLil was starred ShanghaiLil was unstarred

Cicada
10/07/09

@ShanghaiLil: Wait, what?!? Where did that come from?
I think it's been pretty well documented that Mailer was out of his tree when he stabbed her. Which he did in front of witnesses at a party. Plus, you know, stabbing is kind of a crappy conflict-resolution technique.

Or maybe you're joking, in which case I apologize in advance.
Reply

Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred

ShanghaiLil
10/07/09

@Cicada: I was joking. Except for that one guy two ex's ago. I totally wish I'd stabbed him.
Reply

ShanghaiLil was starred ShanghaiLil was unstarred

Cicada
10/07/09

@ShanghaiLil: I think we've all dated that guy at some point.
Reply

Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred

A Message To Rudy
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
So because Letterman "set the tone (of the workplace) with sex", was there rampant humping going on all over the studio? What "tone" was there that NOW is apparently aware of?
Reply

ShanghaiLil promoted this comment A Message To Rudy was starred

ShanghaiLil
10/07/09

@Ken Green: I wish my workplace was like that. And that we'd hire several more attactive people.
Reply

ShanghaiLil was starred ShanghaiLil was unstarred

Macloserboy
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
Mostly our feelings on the matter are informed by the way we felt when seniors used to swoop in and date the freshman girls we liked in high school

Amen. Those scars run deep.
Reply

Edited by Macloserboy at 10/07/09 4:08 PM Macloserboy was starred Macloserboy was unstarred

Trixie from Toronto
10/07/09

@Macloserboy: All you needed to do was put up posters of your torso in the cafeteria, dummie.
Reply

iplaudius
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
So, basically, no sexual relationships, ever, in the workplace? BO-RING.
Reply

iplaudius was starred iplaudius was unstarred

Magister
10/07/09

@iplaudius: Yes, young women must only date men they meet in laundromats and bars because it's somehow safer than those they know.
Reply

Edited by Magister at 10/07/09 5:28 PM Magister was starred Magister was unstarred

graceless
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
No, according to NOW, it is only okay to sexually objectify women if you're Bill Clinton.
Reply

graceless was starred graceless was unstarred

City_Dater
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
So now grownup women in the workplace who make the foolish decision to sleep with their bosses of their own free will need the dubious "protection" of NOW?

Until someone comes forward and says she was fired or passed over for promotion because she wouldn't sit on Uncle Dave's lap, there's no story here. And there's only five gals working there anyway, right?
Reply

City_Dater was starred City_Dater was unstarred

Atilla the Bun
10/07/09

@City_Dater: I so agree. So sick of people making these women who made the choice to sleep with Letterman, however foolish that choice may have been, victims who need protection.
Reply

DahlELama promoted this comment Edited by Atilla the Bun at 10/07/09 3:41 PM Atilla the Bun was starred Atilla the Bun was unstarred

Hey_mikey
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
I don't see why what Dave did is creepy. That is all.
Reply

Hey_mikey was starred Hey_mikey was unstarred

Shini: R.O.A.C.H.
10/07/09

@Hey_mikey: I agree. I hear that word being tossed around a lot, but not a lot of evidence to back it up. I mean, were they having sex in his coffin or what?
Reply

Trixie from Toronto promoted this comment Shini: R.O.A.C.H. was starred

Trixie from Toronto
10/07/09

@Shini: R.O.A.C.H.: He was wearing a Larry Bud Melman mask at the time.
Reply

BettyCrocker
10/07/09

In reply to National Organization for Women Wants Letterman "Rectified"
I have no desire to engage in sexxxytime with a woman, since I'm gay. And I think that people (men AND women) who coerce underlings into sexxx using employment, raises, promotions, or who subject anyone to a gross work environment deserve a public caning from an angry Malaysian.

It's not clear that's what happened here. Until it is, shut up, NOW. People are sexxxin' in the bathroom, on the copier, in empty conference rooms all day long. It's not a crime unless laws get broken.

And now, I'm off to blow the hot guy from our equities desk until he squeaks.
Reply

Cunning_Linguist approved this comment BettyCrocker was starred BettyCrocker was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion