headdesk People are....for.dumb

HisGirlFriday13 · December 2013

(I work in TV news)

Tonight, my producer says to me, "HisGirl, what was apartheid?" I internally smh that he doesn't know and define it for him.

He says to me then, "OK, so it's like a civil rights thing? Could I say Nelson Mandela was a civil rights fighter? Kind of like Martin Luther?"

Me: "Not, 'kind of like,' *exactly* like, and unless you mean the former monk who started the Protestant Reformation in the 15th century, I'm pretty sure you mean Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., not Martin Luther."

Him: "Oh. So it's civil rights?"

Me: "Yes."

Journalists used to drink a lot. I understand why.

hlvonb · December 2013

@HisGirlFriday13

Wow..... I am shaking my head with you.....

KytchynWitche · December 2013

Don't feel too bad, HisGirl. I'm South African, and there are plenty of people here who don't know what apartheid was, or why Madiba was an important person...

I work in social media, and I've just spent two hours posting tributes on all our clients' pages, crying the whole time. I had to stop every couple of words to wipe my eyes and blow my nose. We're going dark for the rest of the day.

HisGirlFriday13 · December 2013

I was hoping you'd get online, @urbaneca!

You and your whole country have my deepest, deepest sympathies. He was an amazing man, and the world is better for his life.

I also work in social media, and I cried while sending out our breaking news Tweet and doing our FB and webpage updates.

God speed to him.

KytchynWitche · December 2013

HisGirlFriday13 said:

I was hoping you'd get online, @urbaneca! You and your whole country have my deepest, deepest sympathies. He was an amazing man, and the world is better for his life. I also work in social media, and I cried while sending out our breaking news Tweet and doing our FB and webpage updates. God speed to him.

Thank you. He really was an incredible man.

I look at how he was treated under Apartheid, and I marvel at the fact that through it all he remained a force for peace, love, equality, and freedom; that he never became the bitter man that so many of his comrades became. I am in awe of his tenacity in the pursuit of democracy and education. What a hero he was.

I look at our politicians now, who did not suffer under the Apartheid regime the way that Madiba did, many of whom were brought up in Britain by wealthy parents under "exile", who had the finest and continue to take the finest for themselves at the expense of the poorest of the poor, who spew hatred, blame all whites for everything, and actively work to prevent the education of the masses, and I weep that Madiba's vision has become so muddied.

Edited because my grammar sucks this morning.

Chipmunk415 · December 2013

I'm sorry urbaneca. From what I've heard in the past few years about his health, I'm glad he's finally able to rest. What an amazing life and an inspiration.

HisGirl, your producer sounds like some of my colleagues, though their ridiculousness is mostly related to computers and tech. I'm uncorcking the bourbon to pass over to you.

ohannabelle · December 2013

Holy Hell. HisGirlFriday, you have admirable self control. I don't think I could have been anywhere nearly that polite, when confronted with that much stupid. And the Martin Luther thing just made it worse.

natswild · December 2013

He was definitely an incredible man, and it's a tremendous loss to everyone now that he's gone. Thoughts with you and your country, Urbaneca

blabla89 · December 2013

It's a sad state of affairs when more people are talking about Jameis Winston than Nelson Mandela...as was the case in my office yesterday. @HisGirlFriday13 I too applaud your self control. I would have said exactly what I thought, and it wouldn't have been nice.

climbingsingle · December 2013

People be dumb.

HisGirlFriday13 · December 2013

@Chipmunk415, thank you for the alcohol!

I like this producer a lot, personally, and he's actually really good at the technical aspect of his job. It's the rest of it that he routinely just has me smh.

We have an intercom system in the building and he ROUTINELY intercoms me to ask things like, "How do you spell ancient?" "Is this local legislator a Republican or Democrat?" "Can I say W,X,Y, or Z?"

My self-control was attributable solely to not having the energy after a very, very long week to argue with him.

CLI242009 · December 2013

*hands His Girl a drink*

Please tell me he isn't your boss or anything like that? That is just sad....

Seriously if you don't know about someone and you are told to do a story on them, it's called RESEARCH!! Not take a guess and see if your co workers know and can tell you what is right about the person and what is wrong >.>

HisGirlFriday13 · December 2013

CLI242009 said:

*hands His Girl a drink*

Please tell me he isn't your boss or anything like that? That is just sad....

Seriously if you don't know about someone and you are told to do a story on them, it's called RESEARCH!! Not take a guess and see if your co workers know and can tell you what is right about the person and what is wrong >.>

He is, actually. Which is depressing in and of itself.

And to be fair to him, he's slammed busy and trying to do two shows with 1/3 of the staff anyone else gets, AND I was a history major, so this is kind of my wheelhouse, but STILL. How do you NOT KNOW who NELSON MANDELA is?!

CLI242009 · December 2013

HisGirlFriday13 said:

CLI242009 said:

*hands His Girl a drink*

Please tell me he isn't your boss or anything like that? That is just sad....

Seriously if you don't know about someone and you are told to do a story on them, it's called RESEARCH!! Not take a guess and see if your co workers know and can tell you what is right about the person and what is wrong >.>

He is, actually. Which is depressing in and of itself.

And to be fair to him, he's slammed busy and trying to do two shows with 1/3 of the staff anyone else gets, AND I was a history major, so this is kind of my wheelhouse, but STILL. How do you NOT KNOW who NELSON MANDELA is?!

I know OF him but I don't know like everything he has done. That is probably stupid of me not knowing who he is but that's the truth.

He lucked out with you being a history major haha

lovesclimbing · December 2013

One of the journalism requirements at my college is taking an extra US history class on top of the regular requirements for history in the core. Granted, US history wouldn't help him too much in this case, but it would a little with knowing who MLKJ is. History is extremely important for journalists and that's why I've always filled empty spots in my schedule with history classes that also count for upper-division electives.

ETA:

HisGirlFriday13 said:
@Chipmunk415, thank you for the alcohol!

I like this producer a lot, personally, and he's actually really good at the technical aspect of his job. It's the rest of it that he routinely just has me smh.

We have an intercom system in the building and he ROUTINELY intercoms me to ask things like, "How do you spell ancient?" "Is this local legislator a Republican or Democrat?" "Can I say W,X,Y, or Z?"

My self-control was attributable solely to not having the energy after a very, very long week to argue with him.

You have got be kidding me!! Wouldn't it be faster to, oh I don't know, GOOGLE IT rather than intercom you. Seriously, google is a journalist's best friend.

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