Bad boys
Readers of my old blog know that I hold in extremely low regard Little Lord Paulson, the emperor of Portland's professional soccer scene. His father, the Secretary of the Treasury under Bush Jr., was a major scoundrel during the 2008 financial meltdown over which he presided. Some of what he did was ourageously immoral, if not quite illegal. He and his Goldman Sachs buddies came out of it about as rich as when they went in, as far as I can tell.
Years ago his son, throwing Daddy's money around, sweet-talked the Sam Rand Twins, then in power at City Hall, into basically handing over Civic Stadium to him to do as he pleased. His men's and women's soccer teams pretty much own the joint now, the men competing away in America's "Major League Soccer," a contradiction in terms that has a more-than-faint bouquet of Ponzi to it. (And I don't mean the wine.)
Anyway, over the past few years, it's been revealed that LLP's shop isn't a particularly friendly place for women. The latest ugliness in that regard involves a high honcho in the organization, Mike Golub, who provides a textbook lesson in many of the things a man should not, indeed cannot, be doing around the office in the 21st Century. It's pathetic and disgusting. The company response is, he's a nice guy, just misunderstood, and he's undergoing remedial training now, so let's just be compassionate and forget about it.
I don't think it works that way any more. Hasn't for a long time.
Anyway, even the rah-rahs at the O have seen enough. They ran a pretty thorough review and scathing critique the other day, here.
A working mother, away from her infant, forced to pump breast milk in a dusty electrical closet.
A top executive examining a younger female employee from head to toe and remarking on her fitness routine.
That same executive repeatedly initiating unwanted physical contact, zipping balls at employees during meetings and, in one case, pretending to kick a female employee in the face.
Who is surprised at this ongoing, prolonged fiasco? The apple don't fall far from the tree – or the timber, as it were.
Man...You hit it right on the nose as to why it is I haven't the slightest interest in attending any event at the Civic Stadium. (Which bloated health insurance company has attached its name to this travesty of late?) And, any time some overly enthusiastic sucker who debases themselves in mindless adoration, I just produce a pained look and bite my tongue. Members of the Timbers Army are about as scintillating conversationalists as MAGA nitwits.
ReplyDeleteYeah, none of this surprises me in the least.
I guess folks might wonder whether there was any Merritt to the accusations.
ReplyDeleteThat’s it? Three vague accusations that could be misconstrued either way? If they want a job where they are going to be constantly pampered and not have to deal with any ‘microaggressions”, well they should look elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI am not a soccer fan in the least, but it is a sports team and this is the real world.
The "real world" is no longer as you remember it. You should get out more.
DeleteAre the accusations not vague though? Looking a woman over and commenting over her work out routine could be a potential compliment. Are you denying that in today’s workplace there aren’t people with axes to grind?
DeleteAnd “zipping balls” past someone could be someones idea of just goofing off and trying to have a good time. In today’s nutty climate, every potential encounter can be seemingly used against someone as a weapon. The workplace is not Disneyland or a sensitivity training class that is always in session.
Intent doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if it was a “potential compliment”. There is no reason why her body should be a topic of conversation for her superior. Period. Whether intended as a compliment or not, it is awkward, has sexual undertones (especially after examining her from head to toe), and creates an uncomfortable, skewed power dynamic in the workplace.
DeleteWhat could possibly justify making her body a topic of conversation? These types of comments are not made for the recipient’s benefit but rather to titillate, stroke the ego, or empower the person making the comments. Jack was right: it’s disgusting.
I read somewhere else that she was describing her workout routine with him when he suggested yoga might help her to look better. So it wasn’t like it came out of the blue. In retrospect it seems a minor flub or whatever.....but what is so wrong with it? Either just stay away from conversing with him about non-business matters just write it off.
DeleteLet’s face it.......there will never be a management team with the club that could ever fulfill the needs of a fan base and/or the employees could ever live up to the expectations of being so ideologically pure. With so many people in Portland walking around looking for ANYTHING to be offended about, it is inevitable that something will trigger one person or the other.
You are obviously not in a workplace with more than 5 people. Nipping this kind of thing in the bud is SOP at successful organizations, and they do training and discipline to minimize the possibility of negative workplace cultures like this one from developing in the first place. But sure, Portland wokeness gone amok!
DeleteI'm still trying to figure out what happened to the idea that revamping Civic Stadium would also provide a home for the PSU football team ... at least that was another of the selling points at the time. That notion disappeared quicker than a Vikings' trip to Hillsboro for a "home game."
ReplyDeleteThat notion went by the wayside as soon as the first Timbers game sold out. The Timbers are a paying tenant. PSU was not. Maybe PSU can play at the new Lincoln High Stadium when/if it’s ever finished (I’m beginning to think the bond money will run out first).
Delete