Before quitting the paper, Kid spelled out a special message for his coworkers
June 24, 2007 1:43 AM Subscribe
Before quitting the paper, Kid spelled out a special message for his coworkers Kid bolded certain letters in a "syndicated column" to spell out a message. He sounds like a jerk, but I kind of want to see this copy.
This post was deleted for the following reason: So this is just a link to an intentionally vague complaint on a forum? Not great. -- cortex
I'm holding off judgement until I hear from Play.
posted by afu at 2:27 AM on June 24, 2007 [9 favorites]
posted by afu at 2:27 AM on June 24, 2007 [9 favorites]
for what its worth, i think some one should notify his current employer. They are exposed to the very real risk that he would do something like that again should he have trouble dealing with a snotty cow-orker (which carol may or may not have been). Kid needs to grow up.
posted by nihlton at 2:35 AM on June 24, 2007
posted by nihlton at 2:35 AM on June 24, 2007
Oh noes, employees can damage the company and the more we treat them like shit the more it is likely to happen ! Damn kids, don't they appreciate our work donation ? I came to work to donate them work, actually I keep working only to help them ! I am such a good person I gave a youngster an important position of trust, but he was so glad to work at half a trustworthy adult wage !
posted by elpapacito at 2:57 AM on June 24, 2007
posted by elpapacito at 2:57 AM on June 24, 2007
It's situations like this that make me wonder whether the manager did something particularly offensive to provoke such a reaction, or whether the employee was simply insane.
posted by zippy at 3:10 AM on June 24, 2007 [8 favorites]
posted by zippy at 3:10 AM on June 24, 2007 [8 favorites]
three blind mice, I think your analysis is a bit over-the-top. Maybe this woman was unpleasant to work with, but that doesn't excuse the actions of the guy who used a newspaper page for his own idiotic purposes.
Copyeditors are anal by nature, and it is part of their job to defend at least the credibility of their publications if not to "defend the business."
Additionally, if she really wanted to mess with him she'd write about where she works and what the guy's name is, but she didn't. She posted on an obsolete Orson Scott Card fan board.
Meh.
posted by brina at 3:26 AM on June 24, 2007
Copyeditors are anal by nature, and it is part of their job to defend at least the credibility of their publications if not to "defend the business."
Additionally, if she really wanted to mess with him she'd write about where she works and what the guy's name is, but she didn't. She posted on an obsolete Orson Scott Card fan board.
Meh.
posted by brina at 3:26 AM on June 24, 2007
I feel like I might be missing something. Is this Carol an internet or real-life celebrity that I've never heard of? Is the paper in question remotely significant?
This whole thing seems like small potatoes & is obviously just presenting one-side of the situation. In the long run, Kid will get better jobs with better references and Carol will get over it. And they will both go their separate ways and live happily ever after, until one day they will meet again on a train, fall madly in love, and run off to Paris where they will get married and have many adorable children.
posted by tastybrains at 3:29 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
This whole thing seems like small potatoes & is obviously just presenting one-side of the situation. In the long run, Kid will get better jobs with better references and Carol will get over it. And they will both go their separate ways and live happily ever after, until one day they will meet again on a train, fall madly in love, and run off to Paris where they will get married and have many adorable children.
posted by tastybrains at 3:29 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
mice, I bet you don't work in any kind of publishing industry.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:04 AM on June 24, 2007
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:04 AM on June 24, 2007
He sounds like a jerk,
No he doesn't. Carol sounds like a fat stupid bitch. Your newspaper is not as important as you think it is Carol and the stupid "prank" is only made worse by your writing about it.
So, the fur is flying. The publisher is livid. He had to talk to the head of the company that owns the paper and we printed a correction in Saturday's paper (basically saying a former employee put an unauthorized message in Friday's paper). Our managing editor is on vacation - she'll be back Tuesday. I think she had a fond spot in her heart for Kid, but I don't think that will be true any more.
Nothing worse than having to work with one of these self-righteous, self-appointed, defender-of-the-business types.
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:19 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
No he doesn't. Carol sounds like a fat stupid bitch. Your newspaper is not as important as you think it is Carol and the stupid "prank" is only made worse by your writing about it.
So, the fur is flying. The publisher is livid. He had to talk to the head of the company that owns the paper and we printed a correction in Saturday's paper (basically saying a former employee put an unauthorized message in Friday's paper). Our managing editor is on vacation - she'll be back Tuesday. I think she had a fond spot in her heart for Kid, but I don't think that will be true any more.
Nothing worse than having to work with one of these self-righteous, self-appointed, defender-of-the-business types.
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:19 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
I am such a good person I gave a youngster an important position of trust, but he was so glad to work at half a trustworthy adult wage!
She says he's a paginator who had been working there for a few years. Doesn't sound like an intern on a stipend to me.
I can think of a lot of labor situations that make me wanna stand up and sing L'Internationale, but this ain't one of them.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:46 AM on June 24, 2007
She says he's a paginator who had been working there for a few years. Doesn't sound like an intern on a stipend to me.
I can think of a lot of labor situations that make me wanna stand up and sing L'Internationale, but this ain't one of them.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:46 AM on June 24, 2007
Why did you post this to metafilter? Did you think you were updating your blog?
posted by The Monkey at 6:05 AM on June 24, 2007
posted by The Monkey at 6:05 AM on June 24, 2007
No he doesn't. Carol sounds like a fat stupid bitch. Your newspaper is not as important as you think it is Carol and the stupid "prank" is only made worse by your writing about it.
How do you even know she's fat? How do you even know she's a bitch?
Sounds to me like there's more than one guy who hates women on principle and will take any opportunity to call one a fat bitch, even one he doesn't know.
posted by watsondog at 6:43 AM on June 24, 2007
How do you even know she's fat? How do you even know she's a bitch?
Sounds to me like there's more than one guy who hates women on principle and will take any opportunity to call one a fat bitch, even one he doesn't know.
posted by watsondog at 6:43 AM on June 24, 2007
I don't understand the quotes around "syndicated column." Is it a syndicated column or not?
A similar thing happened at my old college paper, involving an editorial apparently decrying the practice of binge drinking, yet certain bolded letters in the editorial spelled out b i n g e d r i n k i n g i s f u n.
The only time I ever took a parting shot against an employer was when I logged into the company's online account at either OfficeMax or Office Depot (ordering office supplies were among my many duties) canceled the latest order and changed the password. I decided canceling the account altogether would be going too far.
posted by emelenjr at 6:43 AM on June 24, 2007
A similar thing happened at my old college paper, involving an editorial apparently decrying the practice of binge drinking, yet certain bolded letters in the editorial spelled out b i n g e d r i n k i n g i s f u n.
The only time I ever took a parting shot against an employer was when I logged into the company's online account at either OfficeMax or Office Depot (ordering office supplies were among my many duties) canceled the latest order and changed the password. I decided canceling the account altogether would be going too far.
posted by emelenjr at 6:43 AM on June 24, 2007
FPP - Front Page Post
From the mists of time:
I already mentioned a couple days back how much I disliked the term FPP. It's a pointless abbreviation that only confuses people.
posted by mathowie
posted by mediareport at 6:52 AM on June 24, 2007
From the mists of time:
I already mentioned a couple days back how much I disliked the term FPP. It's a pointless abbreviation that only confuses people.
posted by mathowie
posted by mediareport at 6:52 AM on June 24, 2007
Back in 2001 the British paper The Daily Express was bought by the publisher Richard Desmond (who also published a wide variety of pornographic magazines); a senior journalist called Stephen Pollard decided to quit and leave for a job at the Times, and wrote his final leader article on some innocuous issues about farming. He constructed it in such a way that the first letter of each line, when read vertically as an acrostic, spelled out "Fuck You Desmond". The Times withdrew their job offer.
posted by hydatius at 7:00 AM on June 24, 2007
posted by hydatius at 7:00 AM on June 24, 2007
See, the problem here is that Kid was obviously an amateur. The best way to get back at a coworker you hate is by doing things nobody can prove. Kid was stupid. And Carol does sound like a bitch... further witnessed in comments like this:
Kid also is in a band. We used to gladly mention the band on our weekly entertainment page. I think that will be a thing of the past. "Oh, I'm sorry, we forgot to put that in." I can't say for sure, but it's possible the paper might even refuse to take advertising from his band. There is precedent - a person started a Web site that trash-talked certain people in the city, including our managing editor and publisher. He tried to place an ad in the paper directing people to his Web site. I saw the ad on the page and told the managing editor about it and the ad was pulled.
Nice. So just because HE called ONLY YOU a bitch (not "certain people in the city, just YOU), you believe his bandmates' chances of being seen should be killed too?
...I guess I've lived too close to the edge for too long. I once worked at a Burger King where in the middle of the rush, the manager ran up to me and practically screamed that I was doing the pickled wrong. "The pickles aren't supposed to overlap or touch!" I hadn't gone through the regular training, just watched people do the sandwiches, so I didn't know that. I sooo wanted to walk out, but I've got children to feed and bills to pay. So I stayed. When I did quit (quite some time later), I gave proper notice and worked out the remaining time.
Yeah, you're living on the edge with those Burger King pickles, Carol. How dare a manager tell you how to make a proper sandwich! You are a superstar for not walking out of that Burger King right then & there! I can't even imagine being corrected like that by a supervisor on a job. HOW DO YOU TAKE THE PRESSURE!!!!!????? You are like a ROCK!
In my entire life so far there has been only one person I've ever worked with who made me feel that annoyed. Her name was Joyce & she made a job I loved unbearably stressful. One day, as I was full of self pity and crying into the bathroom mirror wondering why Joyce couldn't focus on someone besides me, I noticed in the reflection that there was a toiletry bag on the shelf. It had the name "Joyce" written hugely across it. A toothbrush was sticking out. And the toilet was just a few steps away. The both called to me. I still can't believe I did it... but yes, I did.
From that point on, Joyce no longer bothered me. As a matter of fact, when she spoke to me I smiled wide and just stared at her teeth. I never told anyone, and I left the job about 9 months later. Then about a year after that I was talking to a former coworker who was telling me all about how Joyce was making her life miserable. I said, "Well, would you like me to make you feel better?" My friend was crying she was laughing so hard. She asked if she could pass it on and I said sure. I figured at that point nobody could prove it and what were they going to do, fire me? Apparently the story spread as an urban legend & a lot of people smile at her teeth when she talks to this day. (She's like a cockroach, she'll be making people miserable at that company forever, I figure.)
posted by miss lynnster at 7:07 AM on June 24, 2007
Kid also is in a band. We used to gladly mention the band on our weekly entertainment page. I think that will be a thing of the past. "Oh, I'm sorry, we forgot to put that in." I can't say for sure, but it's possible the paper might even refuse to take advertising from his band. There is precedent - a person started a Web site that trash-talked certain people in the city, including our managing editor and publisher. He tried to place an ad in the paper directing people to his Web site. I saw the ad on the page and told the managing editor about it and the ad was pulled.
Nice. So just because HE called ONLY YOU a bitch (not "certain people in the city, just YOU), you believe his bandmates' chances of being seen should be killed too?
...I guess I've lived too close to the edge for too long. I once worked at a Burger King where in the middle of the rush, the manager ran up to me and practically screamed that I was doing the pickled wrong. "The pickles aren't supposed to overlap or touch!" I hadn't gone through the regular training, just watched people do the sandwiches, so I didn't know that. I sooo wanted to walk out, but I've got children to feed and bills to pay. So I stayed. When I did quit (quite some time later), I gave proper notice and worked out the remaining time.
Yeah, you're living on the edge with those Burger King pickles, Carol. How dare a manager tell you how to make a proper sandwich! You are a superstar for not walking out of that Burger King right then & there! I can't even imagine being corrected like that by a supervisor on a job. HOW DO YOU TAKE THE PRESSURE!!!!!????? You are like a ROCK!
In my entire life so far there has been only one person I've ever worked with who made me feel that annoyed. Her name was Joyce & she made a job I loved unbearably stressful. One day, as I was full of self pity and crying into the bathroom mirror wondering why Joyce couldn't focus on someone besides me, I noticed in the reflection that there was a toiletry bag on the shelf. It had the name "Joyce" written hugely across it. A toothbrush was sticking out. And the toilet was just a few steps away. The both called to me. I still can't believe I did it... but yes, I did.
From that point on, Joyce no longer bothered me. As a matter of fact, when she spoke to me I smiled wide and just stared at her teeth. I never told anyone, and I left the job about 9 months later. Then about a year after that I was talking to a former coworker who was telling me all about how Joyce was making her life miserable. I said, "Well, would you like me to make you feel better?" My friend was crying she was laughing so hard. She asked if she could pass it on and I said sure. I figured at that point nobody could prove it and what were they going to do, fire me? Apparently the story spread as an urban legend & a lot of people smile at her teeth when she talks to this day. (She's like a cockroach, she'll be making people miserable at that company forever, I figure.)
posted by miss lynnster at 7:07 AM on June 24, 2007
Something about this story makes me expect to read all about it on snopes sooner or later. It sounds apocryphal because it's a friend of a friend situation, the paper isn't named, the perp isn't named, no date, there's the element of the little guy sticking it to the man, and it relies on the reader to fill in most of the details with highly dubious assumptions that the narrator has made him/herself. This really is how urban legends begin.
posted by litfit at 7:14 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by litfit at 7:14 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]
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No he doesn't. Carol sounds like a fat stupid bitch. Your newspaper is not as important as you think it is Carol and the stupid "prank" is only made worse by your writing about it.
So, the fur is flying. The publisher is livid. He had to talk to the head of the company that owns the paper and we printed a correction in Saturday's paper (basically saying a former employee put an unauthorized message in Friday's paper). Our managing editor is on vacation - she'll be back Tuesday. I think she had a fond spot in her heart for Kid, but I don't think that will be true any more.
Nothing worse than having to work with one of these self-righteous, self-appointed, defender-of-the-business types.
I think that if his new employer gets wind of this "prank," he might be looking for another job fairly quickly. I think his new job involves creating ads for a publication, so it's fairly important that he doesn't add anything "unauthorized."
I don't know if the paper will take legal action or contact his new employer or anything. I've blogged about it and I'm nearly done with it. I think.
No she isn't. Not by a long shot. She'll make it her life's purpose to see to it that that pissant 19 year old joker who defiled the sacred pages entrusted to her will never get work in the business again.
That kid could have been more clever though.
posted by three blind mice at 2:20 AM on June 24, 2007 [1 favorite]