Well, the flagging economy just hit Ironic America where it will hurt the most -- in its cherished daily allowance of aloof mockery.
Yesterday, Gawker Media mogul and notoriously mercurial pain-in-the-ass Nick Denton announced that he's laying off 19 members of his editorial staff as a preemptive strike against what he figures will be the effect of the economic slump on his wallet. Among those canned, inexplicably: Moe Tkacik.
You might remember I wrote a lengthy column a while back that took a couple of shots at Moe for her behavior during a live speaking engagement here in New York City -- to wit, getting thoroughly shitfaced and making offhand cracks about rape (cracks that belied her otherwise impressive brain). For the record, Moe was really gracious about what I said in my piece and I tried to make it clear -- and still want to -- that I think she's a damn good writer and certainly the biggest creative talent working under the Gawker banner.
This almost inarguable point -- coupled with her popularity, first at Jezebel.com then at Gawker proper -- would be enough to leave me dumbfounded as to why Denton chose to let her go. But then there's the fact that just a couple of months ago he talked her out of leaving on her own when he learned that she'd taken a job as a senior writer at Radar Online. At the 11th hour, Denton offered her a promotion if she'd agreed to stay.
She did, and now just about ten short weeks later, she's out of a job.
Mediabistro calls Denton's decision to fire Moe "striking."
I'd call it something else, but I looked in the dictionary and apparently "assholey" isn't a word.
DXM: Droll Models/7.11.08
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Snark Bite
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13 comments:
Wow, really? I agree it was kind of "assholey" (maybe that's not a word, but it should be) to fire her after virtually begging her to stay, but I'm not sad to see her go, either. Her posts on Jezebel and Gawker either pissed me off, confused me, or both. I couldn't understand what she saying half the time, and if the comments left on her posts are any indication, I don't think I'm alone in that. I never thought she was dumb, but it would have been nice to see a post from her that was devoid of bizarre, stream-of-consciousness run-ons. And no, I'm not saying that the creative standards at Gawker are that high, but I did think she was their weakest writer, if only because she sounded like she was drunk all the time.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Denton's clearly a bit of a dick, but I don't think this is a great loss, either.
It makes perfect sense to me. She was looking for another job while still at Gawker, and he had to bring her back with money (Money that he won't have now, presumably).
So, who's the first to go in an economic crisis? Your overpaid and/or disloyal staff (Of which Moe could arguably be qualified as both in Denton's eyes).
In hard times, the most valuable people are hard workers who'll accept less than prima donnas and be loyal no matter how hard things get.
Moe doesn't sound like one of them, for all her creative genius.
P.S. There's nothing wrong with offhand cracks about rape as long as they remain jokes. That's why they call it comedy. Take something serious and cast it in a humorous light, even if the subject matter is dark. If you become offended by a joke ("you" being a relative term for anyone), then you've missed the point and shown your social ineptitude with flying colors (or you haven't had enough REAL sessions with your psychiatrist, so go call them!).
As much as I try to deny it here in small town Maryland, New York City is simply the most important city in the world, and everything that happens there is news.
Anon 1:18 --
You can make jokes about anything -- God knows I do. But read your audience and don't get shitfaced ahead of time so that you can't read it.
And I stand by my statement that it's crappy to push someone to stay then turn around and fire them. Going by your logic, that would be vindictive as hell and it's no way to run a company.
Samantha --
She definitely has a style. I'll let others debate whether it's a good one.
Many people make the mistake of staying at a job when the environment is harsh in one way or another (Or many), just because the current employer makes some kind of appealing counter offer.
What most people dont understand is that while that counter offer looks great on paper, meaning a title, raise and maybe a few other perks- The employer is still the cause of great stress the great majority of the time.
So now the person in question is getting paid more, and/or has a cool new title or position to go with it, and is just as miserable as they were before. This time it really came around to bite the person in question right in the patootie.
They should've canned Tracie "Slut Machine" Egan. What a waste of space. At least Moe made some type of intelligent, thought provoking points. Tracie has made no contribution to Gawker or Jezebel other than random daytime t.v. show clips and being a rape apologist. And somehow, she still has the gall to call herself a "feminist".
Egan's fucking worthless.
Egan's worthless, but I heard that the new hire didn't want Moe. She's not exactly the most careful about facts, and some felt she was law-suit bait.
You're right about this being an asshole move on Denton's part. Moe's no loss, at least not in her current state. I've read her older stuff for mainstream print publications, and she is certainly capable of doing very good work. But her posts at Gawker, especially, struck me as nothing but a bunch of undisciplined drivel. I know they were popular, but to me the proof is in the pudding -- few other current Gawker writers received as much negative feedback via the comments there. And I admit -- I don't think any of them are as innately talented. But talent needs discipline, and she seemed to abandon that as she went from Maureen Tkacik the journalist to Moe, the Jezebel.
Anon 10:16 --
I'd feel bad divulging too much -- or speaking for Moe, for that matter -- but I got the impression at the speaking engagement that she and I did together that she really hasn't liked the stuff she's done at Gawker. She kind of made it clear, as you did, that she missed her old career path writing for some of the big newspapers -- trying to be an old school journalist instead of getting caught up in Denton's snark factory. I've done jobs that I really fucking hated before at various points in my career -- in fact, a good portion of my TV news trajectory was an exercise in disheartening -- and I know what it can turn you into as a person: somebody who drinks too much, is generally self-destructive and really just doesn't give a damn about anything.
Getting fired by CNN was, at least in this regard, the best thing that ever happened to me. They did for me what I wasn't willing to do for myself -- pushed me off the ledge. I really hope Denton just did the same thing for Moe. If that's the case, and he knew what he was doing while he was doing it, then maybe his decision isn't so inexplicable -- or so dickish.
Luring employees to stay with new rewards or false promises of security is, unfortunately, SOP in hgh-tech firms when bubbles are bursting, at least in eastern Canada. I can't tell you how many friends of mine have been gathered into "your jobs are safe! the company's doing great! stay loyal!" lovefests by their CEOs, then laid off within 3 months. No one should be too suprised that this stuff happens. Be indignant over the de-humanizing underhandednesss, but don't be surprised. It's Management 101 these days.
"it's crappy to push someone to stay then turn around and fire them. Going by your logic, that would be vindictive as hell and it's no way to run a company."
-Chez
Those of us on the bottom are used to this kind of treatment. The only difference between her and me is that she thought she was too good to be treated this way. I guess I did too, once. Ranylt said it all, management 101 is right indeed.
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