The worst and best bosses Kara Swisher has ever worked for

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/10/12/the-worst-and-best-bosses-kara.html

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Here’s the full article: https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/10/kara-swisher-interview-best-worst-bosses.html

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Kara gets the last laugh - he croaked in 2016

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Thanks, all! That was a fun read!
“I’m not too confident. i’m fantastic.”

This was Captain Queeg kind of behavior.

Oh boy, that gave me chills done my spine. I’d been searching for a lateral description of my life long professional asshole boss, that’s it to a T. Muchas Gracias!

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Odd choice not to link to the article or even say where it was from…

Anyway, I can’t imagine having a boss who asked me to make toast for them.

Maybe I’ve been lucky and I’m sure part of it is because I’m a 6ft 4in white man but I think the only boss I’ve ever had that was mean or unreasonable was when I was like 14 and detassling one summer and the other kid who was 17 or so and was in charge was a total ass. As an adult I’ve had a couple bosses who weren’t good at managing people or keeping up with the demands of the job but they never asked me to do anything other than my job.

But then again I don’t at all agree with her opening: “You’re supposed to be obsequious when you’re an employee, right? You’re supposed to give in to people.” I always treated my bosses like people.

I feel like it’s weird to accept work betraying your own conscience. Why would she take a job ghost-writing an arch-conservative’s column for a newspaper? Is it out of desperation?

Didn’t see the link to the article in the post. Will have to track it down and see what’s up.

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Hole-ee-sheet, that’s my kind of woman. If my daughter ends up with 1/3 her spunk, I’ll be pleased!

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"I’m so glad he’s dead. Seriously, I’m glad he’s dead. "

So much for the moral high-ground.

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That attitude comes from how much of an asshole she thinks he was. Problem for her is, sure, he’s dead, but I checked and he got himself a full life’s worth of time. If he had died at, say, 50, her statement would be heavier.

High ground, schmigh-schmound; we’re all human and imperfect… but the reality is that the world would flat out be a better place if some people were no longer in it.

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Wait… What? Did she give him cancer or something?

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My personal favorite line in the article “Though, if I were managing my own 22-year-old self right now, I’d probably fire me.”

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Over time I’ve realized I don’t really like being a boss.

People with this attitude often turn out to be the best bosses. Unfortunately they get sick of the BS that comes with the management role thrust upon them and usually leave. The arsehole managers, on the other hand, stick around forever.

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No, she celebrated his death. That just rubs me the wrong way I guess. He wasn’t Hitler, ffs.

It can rub you all sorts of ways. Doesn’t have shit to do with moral high ground unless Swisher is sexually harassing people.

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Then what does cancer have to do with anything she or I said or he did? The moral high ground thing isn’t a reference to hypocrisy; I don’t accuse her of that. I just mean it as a general calling out of shitty behavior.

The man died of cancer, not someone saying they’re glad he’s dead.

I don’t find it useful for people to express glee at death, because death is the last true bastion of equality–but it’s hardly like death is a special and rare event that we’re not allowed to have feelings about. It’s easy enough to draw lines at murder and violence. She knew the man personally, and this gives her a broader moral right to have whatever feelings she likes about his passing, and to express those feelings honestly. It does not, in any way, invalidate or undermine her moral constructs or beliefs, especially with relation with modern American society in the year of our Lord 2018.

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It’s better than the alternative

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