Not Entirely Bonus Content:
Rethinking Billy Bush, Donald Trump, that bus ride, and gig workers in the new economy...Issue#123
Editor’s Note: Not only is this “Not Entirely Bonus Content,” but this is also not entirely original content. I first wrote a version of this post back in 2017.
However, I started thinking about all this again after reading a NY Times article about “gig” work. I’ve been self employed for most of my career. I mostly control my schedule and when the kids were younger and I wasn’t traveling, I could really be available. On the other hand…you often need eleven or more bosses to make a living and no one else is contributing to your retirement account.
But the real concern I have is more for those who come after me. How much control will they have over their careers? Who will stand up for them? Who will be with them? What happens if they cross paths with a minor league Donald Trump?
The post below has been edited and re-written.
I first heard the vile recording of Donald Trump engaged in “locker room talk” with former Access Hollywood and suspended Today Show host Billy Bush the same time that everyone else did back in 2016. I’d like to say that I was shocked at his language and how Billy Bush reacted in real time, but that’s not how it was for me. I’d been following Donald Trump since he first appeared in Spy Magazine and over time my opinion of him went from “Huh?” to “Maybe he’s not so bad,” to “Good lord, really?”
As far as Billy Bush went, my thought process at the time was more like this: “You were stuck in an awkward space with someone who has a lot of power over you and your career. They are being terrible. Do you play along? Or speak up?”
Well, we know that Billy Bush played along.
If you don’t remember, Billy Bush lost his job and his reputation (Temporarily). Donald Trump went on to become our president and the commander-in-chief of our armed forces. These days he is very much in the publics’ face.
Let’s leave aside all of the politics of that long ago piece of history for the moment….
…And let’s stipulate to the obvious: Sexual harassment is inexcusable. Yeah, I know. That seems obvious. Weirdly, the world we live in seems full of people who are oblivious to the obvious (Looking at you, Billy Bush).
People harass others because they can and they can get away with it. History is full of stories of the fortunate and powerful taking advantage of the less fortunate and less powerful.
Sexual harassment is one end of the spectrum. At the other end is the advantage that people in positions of power and authority hold over their employees and contractors. That’s the issue that I want to address because as we go deeper into this century, more and more of us are going to be self employed gig workers.
Did the #metoo movement and the growth of white collar worker unions change things? I have my doubts. If you’re self employed, you’re mostly on your own. Let me spell out a few scenarios for you. Tell me what you think:
So, maybe you’ve been here? You’re sitting across the desk from an important buyer (Or a potential client). You think you know them well enough. Things seem to be going swimmingly. Then, out of the blue, your person drops an incredibly sexist joke about pronouns, non-binary people, trans people. You know non-binary people. Pronouns are not a big deal to you. So, do you call them out? Do you act shocked at what they said? Should you give a little fake laugh to keep things light? Remember, you need to close this deal, right?
Perhaps you’re at a trade show with a big client. Like a client who represents 25% of your business. The representatives of a black owned business walk into the show hall. Your client stares in their direction and then proceeds to let out a stream of racist invective that stuns you. It rocks you back on your heels. You never knew this person thought that way and you’ve known them in a business setting for a long time. What do you do?
Clearly the client thinks that either you are with them or you’ll keep your mouth shut and nod along. After all, they’re 25% of your business. What they just said is out of bounds. Should you keep silent? Should you say something neutral? Or call them out? What should you do?
Let’s say you’re fresh out of college. Out on your very first new job and you get to travel for work. You’re far from your home base and out for drinks late one night with some other traveling colleagues and the manager of the company that you’re all calling on. The night breaks up and all of the other colleagues decline to drive the over-indulged manager to his home. They laugh when you politely volunteer to drive him. “Watch out” one of your “friends” calls out as you help him into the rental car. Later, in front of his house, his hands wind up all over you and you have to brush him off and kick him out of the car.
The next day your appointment with him is canceled. Should you tell on him?
Or, maybe you’re out to dinner with some business associates and the discussion turns to a young CSR at a company you all do business with. The conversation turns to her attractiveness, how much they’d like to have sex with her, and then, of course, to her apparent “bitchiness” because she turned one of your colleagues down. You chime in that you like her and get along well with her and why would you proposition her when she has long time boyfriend – so what is the problem? The table turns cold. Your colleagues turn you off.
None of these things happened in Hollywood or Washington, DC or in the vaunted halls of high-end publishers in Manhattan. The people who precipitated these events were not high-flying wealthy men (Sadly, they were all men). These were every day kind of guys. The guys who live next door or down the street or work one floor over. They’re the guys who coach soccer, walk their daughters and sons around the neighborhood on Halloween, volunteer for the book drive and come over to help you shovel snow during a blizzard.
Years ago, when comedian Lewis CJ was caught with his pants down, his friend and fellow comedian Sarah Silverman asked the question, “Can you love someone who did bad things?” I understand. How do you keep liking someone who you know has done the reprehensible? How do you work for or with someone like that?
In today’s do-it-yourself gig economy of the 21st century, you just may have to. Do you take their money? Do you keep silent?
What if someone you work for gaslights, harasses, overworks, mistreats and ultimately fires a business associate? What would happen if you get promoted into their position? They expected you to walk out the door in solidarity with them.
Well, would you? Walk out that door? Or, do you take the job? Let me ask you: How much do you owe on your mortgage? Do you have school loans? How about those credit cards? Does your family need health insurance? Where is that line and how firmly will you draw it?
I suppose it’s easy to say: Yes, I would tell off that buyer who joked about pronouns. I’d tell the racist to shut it. I’d report the handsy man to his HR office. I’d walk out in solidarity with my friend. Would you?
So here’s one thing I can say about it all: I dare myself to walk in others shoes. Would you walk in mine?
I first started to write this after the “Access Hollywood” tape came out. I never finished it in part because of the “heat” of the presidential race. I also stopped because I just didn’t know what I wanted to say. Even when I originally posted it on my first blog I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say. I still have some questions now, all these years later. Why is it coming up again? I think because we’re back in a presidential year and Trump is still around and he has a lot of court appearances. And, some people don’t seem to care about that. And, it’s a presidential election year and Billy Bush is just being, well… Billy Bush.
But more importantly: We live in a gig economy world now. How do we even the playing field for gig workers? How do we make sure people are not taken advantage of?
I wish the world were a better place. I wish we could be kinder to each other. I wish people in positions of power and authority, especially people in “business” would spend more time mentoring, teaching, elevating. I’d like to see less preening, less babblespeak. It would be nice if accountability went both ways. It would be nice if some of those in positions of power and authority took a minute to understand and acknowledge the humanity of those who cross their paths. Personally, I find it sad that they can’t even understand their own humanity.
Author and journalist Daniel Pink wrote:
“Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.”
He is right. We need more empathy – in the work place, and in our every day lives.
Things placed in front of the magazine rack…
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Our AI Sign-off Editor is feeling a little “extra” this week and has some words for you all as we end the work week…
As we navigate the dynamic terrain of the modern marketplace, I trust this week provided ample opportunities for synergistic growth and strategic advancements. As we move towards the weekend, remember to prioritize optimal recharge and personal equilibrium. May you strike the ideal balance sheet between the demands of commerce and the pursuit of a fulfilling life. Stay tuned for further value propositions coming your way next week!
That’s it! See you all next Tuesday!
