On stage at Goldman Sachs event, Uber CEO compared his company’s woes to Ferguson http://t.co/yiNufnSC6s
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) November 21, 2014
Background from Annie Lowrey, at NYMag, “Acting Like Sexist, Threatening Jerks Not Quite Working Out for Uber”:
… It is just the latest in a series of public-relations disasters stemming from Uber’s questionable business practices or its executives’ crappy attitudes. There’s Travis Kalanick, its chief executive, calling it “Boob-er,” because of all the women he’s picking up. There’s the company arming contractors with burner phones to sabotage its rival, Lyft. There’s the promotion in France, pairing riders with “hot chick” drivers. The list goes on and on: the kidnapping of a passenger, the complaints of its drivers, the denials of liability when accidents happen….
Previously, Uber used controversy to publicize its anti-incument business message. City councils would oppose it, or taxis would sue it, and Uber would get to telegraph to the world: We’re here to bring you a cheaper, better service, and these folks are trying to stop us! But the more recent incidents are of a different sort. They indicate that the company is untrustworthy, that it misuses customer data, that it would blackmail a prominent reporter, that it lacks a moral backbone…
Ummm… maybe Kalanick’s not identifying himself with the protestors in Ferguson?…
aangus
Someone call this man a tumbrel, please.
redshirt
Fuck the police.
RobertDSC (Quad Intel Mac)
The Uber company, it’s headquarters, and its brand need to be destroyed. Erased from the earth. Fuck those morans.
Emma
@aangus: If you find the tumbrel I can find a nice, used guillotine.
? Martin
@RobertDSC (Quad Intel Mac): Yeah. Uber is douchebag in corporate form. Always has been, just everyone excused it away because we assume that tech darlings can’t be as bad as their critics claim.
NotMax
@Emma
Only used on little old duchesses on Sundays?
Hal
So baseball writer Keith Law was apparently suspended from using twitter by ESPN for a few days after getting into a evolution debate with Curt Schilling.
deadspin.com/espn-suspends-keith-law-from-twitter-for-defending-evol-1661836868/all
Among Schiling’s comments on evalution was this gem:
ESPN says the twitter suspension was not over comments on evolution, but something else. Schilling has now apparently moved on to Ferguson, and you can guess where he stands on that issue.
Violet
@? Martin: No kidding. Since corporations are people, it’s pretty clear that Uber is a men’s rights abusive douchebag kind of person.
From the article:
This is the part that’s going to undermine them. Ultimately if a company isn’t seen as trustworthy it loses customers.
Morzer
@Hal:
I await the rush of conservatives defending Keith Law’s free speech rights.
Suzanne
So I have to confess that I am a bad liberal. I bought some stuff at Hobby Lobby. I feel so bad. Might need to return it.
At least I took my IUD there. I wish I could have aborted something right then and there.
Mike J
What’s hilarious is all the glibertarians who looooved uber when the idea of unlicensed taxis was only going to screw over poor people. When uber treats the press the way they treat the rest of society suddenly they aren’t so cool.
The Raven on the Hill
It’s about ethics and journalism. :-P
chrome agnomen
@Mike J:
they would raise their coolness quotient with me, though almost imperceptibly, if they’d treat the press worse than they treat the rest of society.
Morzer
Uber CEO Travis Call-a-prick
Fixed that for you and the galaxy.
Morzer
Speaking of the terminally glibertarian:
Also sprach Charlie Pierce in the course of filleting Junior Miss Kochsucker, rolling her in Himalayan sea salt and serving her up with an apple in her mouth:
esquire.com/blogs/politics/The_Holiday_Meal_At_The_Stupid_Cafe
Corner Stone
@Suzanne:
I don’t know about Hobby Lobby but your thoughts in the Shanesa Taylor thread were not stellar.
PurpleGirl
@Emma:
@aangus:
If you someone to do crocheting while watching the tumbrel ride and the guillotine use, I volunteer. Just tell me where and when. Offer is good for anyone from BJ who can arrange this (re-) enactment of the French Revolution.
Morzer
@PurpleGirl:
Just to clarify: you are offering crochet services, rather than a tumbril ride or a guillotine encounter?
scav
@Morzer: No, I’m assuming our Mme Defarges are moving into multiple media while watching the tumbrils. Multi-tasking. No reason we can get some wood- and iron-workers in with all the soft-wear creative efforts.
PurpleGirl
@Suzanne: Do you have an alternative to buying craft stuff at Hobby Lobby? I know Michael’s owner is a Republican and contributes to them but they have several stores in my area. There is an independent craft store but it’s a longer bus for me. Sometimes you can’t help where you shop.
PurpleGirl
@Morzer: Yes, I am offering my crochet services. You need a Madame DeFarge to properly enact the French Revolution.
Morzer
@PurpleGirl:
Madame Morzer has bought stuff online (via eBay, if memory serves). I know she sourced quite a bit of thread and yarn that way.
The Sailor
@aangus:
OK, he’s a tumbrel. You’re welcome.
Morzer
@PurpleGirl:
Perhaps we can use Rand Paul’s vanity to persuade him to play the Sydney Carton role?
The Sailor
I’m having a bout of insomnia.
I’m listening to 80’s dance music.
Anne Laurie
@Morzer: Etsy, too also.
But if (as I suspect) Suzanne was looking for a clayworking tool/glaze that she needed this weekend, or else cheap mass-market kiddy-party goodies, not so useful.
Hobby Lobby / Michaels / AC Moores / Jo-Anns are the cheap convenience stores of the crafting world. When you need the equivalent of a gallon of milk, sometimes it’s just not cost- or time- effective to trek to the good grocery.
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: He would never do a far, far better thing under any circumstance.
Morzer
@Anne Laurie:
I am quite well aware of the uses of Michael’s etc. Madame Morzer is an avid crafter, although possessed of considerable reserves of patience when it comes to sourcing project materials.
Omnes Omnibus
@The Sailor: I am doing French 60s pop.
The Sailor
@Morzer:
Oh, the vanity, yes, but no one could do the role like Ronald Colman.
Morzer
@Omnes Omnibus:
Oh I think that given the chance to preen his feathers there are very few things that the Quiff with the Spliff wouldn’t do.
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: If he can be enticed into being Sid, I won’t mess with his noble deed.
Morzer
theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/bill-cosby-receives-standing-ovation-at-florida-show
Just when you thought that people couldn’t get any more crassly ignorant about human decency. The guy might just be a multiple rapist, but he didn’t use cuss words, so it’s all good.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Morzer: Sourcing probably isn’t much of a problem in your current locale. I relayed your kimchi making tale and your dislike of the Korean national food to the wife and kid; the kid looked puzzled.
The Sailor
Bill Cosby should pull his pants up.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Morzer: I would have put it; he didn’t work blue.
Morzer
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Madame Morzer shipped over enough craft material to keep an army engineer battalion in work for the next decade. She did take some interest in craft shops in Namdaemun market, but seemed unenthusiastic about the quality of yarn that they had to offer.
My take on kimchi is that I personally dislike the smell and taste of it intensely, but leave it to others to make their own dietary choices without giving them a hard time. It seems a fair and reasonable approach to me.
BillinGlendaleCA
@The Sailor: He’s elderly, I’m sure they’re already pulled up to his nipples.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Morzer: So either Madame Morzer doesn’t make kimchi soup or only makes it when you are not home?
scav
@Morzer: One: Florida. Two: age. Three: self-selection. One does not look to Florida geezers (other exemplars are available) for anything but a determined conscious effort at ignoring all the unpleasant bits of reality. Remind us again who closed their eyes to all sorts of uncomfortable behaviors among the priests, et al for so long because such things were best not spoken of. Don’t bother them with the collateral damage or larger context, let alone the impacts of their actions: they wish to be be amused. All those “private” things are ignored unless they become more amused by wielding same details against someone they wish to destroy. Be-Youuuuuu-Ti-Ful minds, clear of bother.
Morzer
@BillinGlendaleCA:
No, not at all. She makes it and eats it with enjoyment. I try not to notice the smell and let her go about her business in peace and without snarky remarks.
Morzer
@scav:
I was going to say that, judging by the names, I’d guess the crowd was of a somewhat whitier than thou nature – in other words, the folks Cosby spent his career kissing up to and telling that black people made their own problems.
Suzanne
@PurpleGirl: My daughter got seriously injured in a Michaels because the shitty employees left the ladder out in the store and she tripped on it and passed out and had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance. It was a mess. So I don’t shop there if I can avoid it. Plus, it’s always crowded and messy in there. Say what you will about Hobby Lobby, but it’s always clean and organized.
@Corner Stone: Um, whatever. You really want to go holier-than-thou on me?
scav
@Morzer: That too. The important thing is that the pleasant tenor of their lives and self-esteem not be impeded by mere reality, ethical or logical consistency or existence of others.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Morzer: That’s probably a good strategy. My wife would apologize to the neighbors when she cooked up a batch. I’ve eaten it and actually enjoyed it, but that was when I was still drinking.
The kid came over to hash out cooking responsibilities for T-day, since we will be dining at her abode.
Morzer
@scav:
It is pretty astounding to hear multiple allegations of rape described as “his personal life”. I thought I’d seen most things, but that was quite an eye-opener.
PurpleGirl
I haven’t liked Bill Cosby for a number of years. First problem comes from how he wanted to treat the school wall murals that his show filmed to use in their opening. The School and PTA (IIRC) thought the deal was only for one use on one episode. He and his company kept using the film over and over. I was working at LeBoeuf Lamb when they sued on behalf of the school and the PTA.
The second problem comes from his response to a solicitation for a donation or appearance at a benefit for the non-profit I worked at. He wanted to be paid for the appearance. He turned down the donation solicitation, too. But the letter we received from his office was quite bad — bad grammar, bad spelling, just a bad letter. A few years later we received another misspelled and badly written letter from his office and we hadn’t even sent a solicitation that year. I take his professed interest in education with a mountain of salt.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Morzer: Conservatives would say that was the liberal defense of Bill Clinton; though sex in Clinton’s case was consensual.
The last time we visited Korea was 1998. We took a tour(it was actually good) and on Chejudo the guide’s name was pronounced BJ. Yes, I snickered since I’m 4 yo.
PurpleGirl
@Suzanne: Then don’t feel bad about shopping at Hobby Lobby. I’m sorry your daughter was hurt, I hope the injury wasn’t of a permanent nature.
Suzanne
@Morzer: I find that people aren’t good at giving up their pleasures for ethics. Me included, as I just went to fucking Hobby Lobby.
I gotta return that stuff. I feel awful,
BillinGlendaleCA
@Suzanne: As odious as Hobby Lobby is, if you need something and you can’t wait for it online; there’s not much of a choice. While not as bad as Hobby Lobby, I often shop at the giant orange home improvement store since it’s within walking distance and Lowe’s is a 5 mile or so freeway drive.
ETA: There was an OSH that was closer, but they closed and is now Hobby Lobby.
Morzer
@BillinGlendaleCA:
If I remember rightly, Michelle Wie’s parents rejoice in the names Bo and BJ.
Suzanne
@PurpleGirl: It wasn’t. She was okay after a couple of days. But it freaked me out so hard. The company called me and paid me off (covered all the medical bills) not to sue a few days later. But they were such assholes about it. No apology. Fuckers. The least you can do when a little girl is injured because of your negligence is apologize.
dance around in your bones
I’mma fucking GREAT knitter, and I’ll be happy to do the knitting while the guillotines drop;.
Maybe make lil hats for the rolling skulls.
Morbid, I know.
scav
@efgoldman: But they’re not exactly crassly ignorant of the rapes, they’re crassly indifferent to the rapes.
srv
You people are doing the heavy lyfting for this media cruxification.
Make Peter Thiel richer, you will.
Bjacques
I see an opportunity here. Tumbrel drivers in my town overcharge outrageously, 20 livres a head (sorry), double during Thermidor. My company, in business since Year III of the Republic, One and Indivisible, can get you to your date with the Widow, from anywhere in Paris, for only 20 sou!
We also do noyages.
Morzer
@Bjacques:
Can you tell me more about your loyalty program? How many points do I get for booking a ride to la veuve for, say, my good friend Mr K. Rove of Whiterage Way, Teabag Hamlets, Texas? Is it a good use of my accumulated points to give him the Gift of Eternity?
kc
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Not according to several women. Just sayin.
Corner Stone
@Suzanne: It’s not holier than anyone. You were just incorrect.
Lurking Canadian
I don’t live in a city. What is Uber? It sounds like it’s just a cab company that doesn’t have a license to operate. Or cars. Or employees. Is that about right?
tybee
@Suzanne:
i laughed. thanks. :)
Gvg
if having made a purchase from Hobby Lobby makes you uncomfortable then you better return it, just for comfort.
The long term problem is what to do as an alternative. You didn’t say what you had needed and those hobby supply type places aren’t identical in stock. Jo Anne’s used to be sewing only and is still far better at that for instance. I miss having a cloth store choice but the rivals closed up years ago. michaels here hasn’t seemed that messy or dangerous. I think local specific management causes those things though for instance Walmart is running itself down nationwide.
Figure out what you might need from HL in the future and start planning alternatives that are just as convenient. that’s if it matters to you.
I was given a gift card to Chic Fil A before the controversy. It’s stores weren’t conveniently located so I didn’t use it, then thy showed their ass so I didn’t go but I am having second thoughts If I don’t use a purchased card they get all the profit. They already have the money. I think I should make them give me something for that money and then their profit is less?
Applejinx
Well, you know as you get older it’s harder to make your pudding pop…
dance around in your bones
@Lurking Canadian: well, you Lurking Canadian :) as I have said before I’ve ‘called’ Uber a few times in the last year…..it’s IS kinda cool that you can see the little car approaching you on the Googly Map thing.
I’ve had all kinda people show up to drive me, some who looked as nervous as me about driving in someone’s personal car – and, I’se a pasty ‘ol white lady ‘ but I’ve talked to a few of the drivers about what it’s like driving for Uber,
They say that you have to pass some king of background check (nix on THAT for ME!) and some kinda credit check (nix, on that for me, either – ain’t got no credit,no wine, no war, no women) but once you jump through THOSE hoops. you are good to go.
You get to pick your hours, drive when you want to., and it’s all handled for you.by the credit card companies (I’ve had a couple of drivers REFUSE my offer of a tip, and a couple who gratefully took it)…..
They come by really quick, and as far as I know the main function for them here in Santa Barbara is to get the drunken peeps home from bars w/o having to drive their cars, and risk a DUI.”Cause here in The Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Brave that can cost you about $10 grand US dollahs.
(That may be a lowball figure, I don’t know – been a while for me in terms of driving home from bars) – though I do remember a few times coming back from lil clubs in SD and INSISTING that I was ok to drive, only to miss the freeway exits and end up driving around aimlessly downtown – hubby said something to the effect of “Smooth move, Ex-Lax” but I got us home all right….but it could have been a Bad Thang.
I’ve talked myself oughta so many tickets – which I may not have been able to do if I wasn’t a pasty white.woman……Once, I had a cop do all the ‘road tests’ which I failed miserably (had been at a trade show for the last 3 days) and then ‘search my car to find a little baggie that was empty except for a tiny amount of white powder…….he asked me what it was, and I said “Uh, Tylenol?”
Which it WAS, w/o the #3 part :) I told him I was one freeway exit from my home, where I had a kid waiting for me to come back, and said “Follow me, if you want!:”
He did, I got home, kid was happy, no ticket…….
WHY do I tell these stories??!! I’m mad or insane or indiscreet or SOME bloody thang.
Nutella
@Lurking Canadian:
Exactly.
And they also have zillions of dollars of venture capital so they can disrupt! an existing industry by taking all the profit and leaving all the risk and the taxes to the little guys.
different-church-lady
@Bjacques: “Tumbrlr™”. One time $100,000, and 10,000 shares, and it’s your start-up’s new name.
different-church-lady
@Lurking Canadian: Uber is to taxis what Napster was to music.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Morzer:
Wait, what – a bunch of southern whites are defending a black man against charges of raping white women? I am waiting for the argument of “well those sluty, slut, sluts just wanted to be ruffied with their low cut dresses”.
different-church-lady
@dance around in your bones:
Cry for help, perhaps?
jake the antisoshul soshulist
“Hot chick drivers”? Is it a taxi alternative, or an escort service?
Howard Beale IV
@dance around in your bones:
Three of our local cab services use iHail technology in their cabs so I get the same kind of things in the iHail app (i’e, call a cab and watch the cab com to me in realtime) that Uber does without all of Uber’s liberterian dudebro bullshit (i.e. independent contractors vs. employees, surge pricing.)
That’s perhaps one of the reasons why Uber/Lyft isn’t as ubiquitous as it could be-some taxicab operators actually saw what technology could do for them and embraced it.
dance around in your bones
@different-church-lady: Well, THAT was mean.
Tenar Darell
Late, but if you’re still around:
@Suzanne: When I have no choice but to buy at a company, I then donate to an organization they would hate in their honor. For example, in this case I’d donate to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Medical Students for Choice, Etc… Basically I put the knife in their backs and make sure they get informed. I also liked the re-arranging the letter stamps stuff people were doing at first, but I’m guessing that store resort and recovery policies have changed to where that now just makes more work for the employees.
Suzanne
@Corner Stone: I’m sure you thought so.
Corner Stone
@Suzanne: I did, and do.
different-church-lady
@dance around in your bones: It’s called tough love for a reason.
dance around in your bones
@different-church-lady: Do you know ANY fucking thing about me? Have you read my comments here before?
Tough love, my fucking ass. Give that to someone you KNOW.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@dance around in your bones: I took it as a joke, but my snarkometer may be on the fritz. In any event, I love your stories, and I know I’m not alone.
Corner Stone
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
After the recent Shanesha Taylor thread there is simply no telling around here.
With the level of bile and abuse being directed her way I had thought she had said something negative about President Obama.
dance around in your bones
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Well, thank you for that reply :)
Perhaps MY snarkometer needs adjusting as well. I’m in so much fucking pain from my fractured hip I get a bit testy at times.Gawd damn doctors don’t want to give me the good drugs until my hip replacement surgery., which I do not fucking understand at ALL. Like, Ortho Doc says “Well of course we will treat your pain when you have the surgery” -Well, thanks a fuck of a lot doc.What about NOW??!!
different-church-lady
@dance around in your bones: Yeesh, what a grouch…
PIGL
@jake the antisoshul soshulist: a floor wax and a dessert topping.
Why should organised retail prostitution be left to the mob?
PIGL
@different-church-lady: I suggest a timeout. Dance-around is well-beloved, and you are out of line.
Suzanne
@Corner Stone: I’m sure I’ll lose sleep over that.
different-church-lady
@PIGL: I’m only playing. I’ll apologize directly next time we’re in temporal proximity.