Let me get my head around this... you live in an alternate universe where you and every other human being except for Talia agree that her pay was not unfair? And here I thought it was me and millions of other sympathizers who you were bellowing on and on against. Well, since you consider the argument already won, I expect we won't hear from you again about this.
1) Not sure English is really your native language. 2) I was unaware that this episode had already led to plans for revolution and wealth re-distribution on such a grand scale. 3) All Talia wants to do is her part in waking a reluctant workforce up to a) how at least one tech company exploits it's workers, and b) that the workers can't depend on someone else to improve things, so they ought to consider it themselves.
Other thoughts: I don't think I'd like to live in a world where "common sense" meant only that you should leave an exploitative industry to it's own devices and keep quiet while it consumes the remaining sheep within it's grasp. To me, part of being a free person is standing up to exploitation and extinguishing it from the American experience.
Thanks for making that last point yourself. I don't trust time stamps exhibited in online media either. The year is missing from most of the time stamps. Lots of 2015, however. This wasn't even Talia's own collage. Some stranger presents what can only be assumed to be a hand-picked selection of impressions. I remain vigilant of the fact that a ginormous, experienced marketing/social networking firm likely has motive to influence. It just doesn't make sense that the general public would white knight for Yelp.
If you've ever been homeless, you understand that the only way to get off the streets is to conceal your situation from potential employers and landlords. You can also end up homeless by being too honest about your instability. Catch-22. I wouldn't even fault Talia for creating a whole online fantasy life to stand for the one she aspired for. I see some delicious comfort food, but I don't see proof of prosperity or fraud. I've cooked up some nice things out of the contents of charity food sacks.
There are endless explanations for the photos including photoshop, other's photos being used, photos taken months earlier being posted later, that Talia enjoyed cooking until the high heating bill wiped her out, that Talia cooks at her bf or neighbor's house, etc.
I don't doubt Talia's essay was a simplified account of things, but again, there's NO compelling evidence that she's a fraud. No-one seems to really doubt how poor her pay was, or that she was about to encounter a whole lot of maintenance bills. Many many people are just one paycheck away from living on the street, no matter how comfortable they look in the meantime.
If you're merely trying to prove that Talia hasn't always been starving, uses social media, and is the target of an organized smear campaign, you've succeeded.
Hahah. See, $12/hr to me where I live is "must live with his parents" level wages. It must be even less impressive in the Bay Area. The benefits are contingent on not getting fired for drawing too much of one's benefits, and the shelves full of snacks is a lot cheaper than paying higher wages.
What you're describing is ways Talia could have sacrificed further, and helped Yelp put off raising wages. Things she isn't obligated to endure. If she wants to live comfortably alone in a little apartment, there's no call for criticizing her. She was ready to break free, and so she did. Enough with all the pish-posh about Talia's style and the sympathy for Yelp. A little more pressure is on Yelp to raise wages now, and it's not unfair that this is so!
I don't understand. How does this prove that Talia was greedy, deceitful, and unworthy of a living wage? How does justify disparaging Talia for complaining/warning about her working conditions?
You're blind then. Girl lived on rice and power bars from work. She shut off her heat so she'd have transportation money to keep giving her all at Greed, Gluttony & Carefully Orchestrated Narratives, Inc. But I guess you feel they're too big to prosecute so you peer down at lil Talia and her perfectly legal "help me survive" fund.
Let's emphasize that wages are not calculated to cover the cost of labor. Wages are calculated to be the least which the employees will bear. Protesting against them is the first step to adjusting that error.
I enjoyed the essay quit a bit. And it was pretty clever how it starts out mild and grows darker as it goes along. You have no appreciation for literature, sir.
A lot of people (sock puppets?) seem to be making this the story of a brat who can't make good choices, but I see it as the story of how a young American worker's enthusiasm and determination got her ground into hamburger. It's a warning to other young would-be Yelp workers to steer clear lest they suffer too. That's the only way these soulless corporations will ever feel the sting and be forced to raise wages.
The economics of this is something the employer should take seriously; if you're paying your employees so poorly that they literally have nothing to lose by calling you out, then it's gonna happen.
I seem to agree with AC; EmployERS need to be reminded that they're not entitled to the advantages they've maneuvered themselves into. Employees can only be threatened into silence for so long.
It's interesting then, that we AGREE she would have gotten fired over her essay embarrassing her employer, but the CEO smerts that it's not the case at all, and goes off on a tangent about how swell and sensitive he and Yelp are...
I read Talia's essay and thought it was very well written. Yelp's CEO sounded like a real air-breather trying to transform the conversation into one about his sympathy for the high cost of living in the Bay area. There are still stupid people in this world, but Yelp seems to drastically over-estimate their ability to weave a tale.
I'm all for free speech, the truth, and being mindful of what rights we have, what we once had, and how law enforcement whittles away at our liberties. I'm aghast at people who argue against resistance as though this is just par for the course. It's law enforcement and their apologists that are pushing the contrived narrative that props up this 'new normal', and that's how they change reality. Citizens who are not active criminal suspects should not be under government monitoring. Citizens are entitled to the privacy they enjoyed when, once upon a time, it was not yet possible to monitor everyone all the time. Also, your condescension is just... adorable. Do go on.
Slashdot Mirror
G and R and E and E again, and finally D.
Let me get my head around this... you live in an alternate universe where you and every other human being except for Talia agree that her pay was not unfair? And here I thought it was me and millions of other sympathizers who you were bellowing on and on against. Well, since you consider the argument already won, I expect we won't hear from you again about this.
1) Not sure English is really your native language. 2) I was unaware that this episode had already led to plans for revolution and wealth re-distribution on such a grand scale. 3) All Talia wants to do is her part in waking a reluctant workforce up to a) how at least one tech company exploits it's workers, and b) that the workers can't depend on someone else to improve things, so they ought to consider it themselves.
Other thoughts: I don't think I'd like to live in a world where "common sense" meant only that you should leave an exploitative industry to it's own devices and keep quiet while it consumes the remaining sheep within it's grasp. To me, part of being a free person is standing up to exploitation and extinguishing it from the American experience.
Thanks for making that last point yourself. I don't trust time stamps exhibited in online media either. The year is missing from most of the time stamps. Lots of 2015, however. This wasn't even Talia's own collage. Some stranger presents what can only be assumed to be a hand-picked selection of impressions. I remain vigilant of the fact that a ginormous, experienced marketing/social networking firm likely has motive to influence. It just doesn't make sense that the general public would white knight for Yelp.
If you've ever been homeless, you understand that the only way to get off the streets is to conceal your situation from potential employers and landlords. You can also end up homeless by being too honest about your instability. Catch-22. I wouldn't even fault Talia for creating a whole online fantasy life to stand for the one she aspired for. I see some delicious comfort food, but I don't see proof of prosperity or fraud. I've cooked up some nice things out of the contents of charity food sacks.
There are endless explanations for the photos including photoshop, other's photos being used, photos taken months earlier being posted later, that Talia enjoyed cooking until the high heating bill wiped her out, that Talia cooks at her bf or neighbor's house, etc.
I don't doubt Talia's essay was a simplified account of things, but again, there's NO compelling evidence that she's a fraud. No-one seems to really doubt how poor her pay was, or that she was about to encounter a whole lot of maintenance bills. Many many people are just one paycheck away from living on the street, no matter how comfortable they look in the meantime.
If you're merely trying to prove that Talia hasn't always been starving, uses social media, and is the target of an organized smear campaign, you've succeeded.
Hahah. See, $12/hr to me where I live is "must live with his parents" level wages. It must be even less impressive in the Bay Area. The benefits are contingent on not getting fired for drawing too much of one's benefits, and the shelves full of snacks is a lot cheaper than paying higher wages.
What you're describing is ways Talia could have sacrificed further, and helped Yelp put off raising wages. Things she isn't obligated to endure. If she wants to live comfortably alone in a little apartment, there's no call for criticizing her. She was ready to break free, and so she did. Enough with all the pish-posh about Talia's style and the sympathy for Yelp. A little more pressure is on Yelp to raise wages now, and it's not unfair that this is so!
I don't understand. How does this prove that Talia was greedy, deceitful, and unworthy of a living wage? How does justify disparaging Talia for complaining/warning about her working conditions?
You're blind then. Girl lived on rice and power bars from work. She shut off her heat so she'd have transportation money to keep giving her all at Greed, Gluttony & Carefully Orchestrated Narratives, Inc. But I guess you feel they're too big to prosecute so you peer down at lil Talia and her perfectly legal "help me survive" fund.
It's basically what I said to Michael Dell, and my career didn't end until the layoffs the following year.
I would be quite an ass if I were to demand respect based on the length of my membership. This is a meritocracy. Good day.
Let's emphasize that wages are not calculated to cover the cost of labor. Wages are calculated to be the least which the employees will bear. Protesting against them is the first step to adjusting that error.
I enjoyed the essay quit a bit. And it was pretty clever how it starts out mild and grows darker as it goes along. You have no appreciation for literature, sir.
Why are you implying that she mustn't complain? What's wrong with complaining? It doesn't serve corporate purposes?
A lot of people (sock puppets?) seem to be making this the story of a brat who can't make good choices, but I see it as the story of how a young American worker's enthusiasm and determination got her ground into hamburger. It's a warning to other young would-be Yelp workers to steer clear lest they suffer too. That's the only way these soulless corporations will ever feel the sting and be forced to raise wages.
Let's emphasize that Yelp is PAYING this insultingly low wage in such an expensive city. And keeping people in that bracket at least a full year.
This AC sounds like a Yelp lawyer...
Ya know what would get me to follow some corporation's boring twitter feed? Delightful little gems like Lady Murderface, that's what!
The economics of this is something the employer should take seriously; if you're paying your employees so poorly that they literally have nothing to lose by calling you out, then it's gonna happen.
I seem to agree with AC; EmployERS need to be reminded that they're not entitled to the advantages they've maneuvered themselves into. Employees can only be threatened into silence for so long.
You need to cite sources or GTFO. Sock puppet!
Re: "Publicly shaming employers for low wages is one way of pushing those wages up" screw you and your theory.
Alternately: "Staying silent on the topic of low wages helps employers pass the profits on to employees as raises". See how daft the idea is?
It's interesting then, that we AGREE she would have gotten fired over her essay embarrassing her employer, but the CEO smerts that it's not the case at all, and goes off on a tangent about how swell and sensitive he and Yelp are...
I read Talia's essay and thought it was very well written. Yelp's CEO sounded like a real air-breather trying to transform the conversation into one about his sympathy for the high cost of living in the Bay area. There are still stupid people in this world, but Yelp seems to drastically over-estimate their ability to weave a tale.
I'm all for free speech, the truth, and being mindful of what rights we have, what we once had, and how law enforcement whittles away at our liberties. I'm aghast at people who argue against resistance as though this is just par for the course. It's law enforcement and their apologists that are pushing the contrived narrative that props up this 'new normal', and that's how they change reality. Citizens who are not active criminal suspects should not be under government monitoring. Citizens are entitled to the privacy they enjoyed when, once upon a time, it was not yet possible to monitor everyone all the time. Also, your condescension is just... adorable. Do go on.