"Self-admitted 'sexist'"?

http://www.gamerevolution.com/manifesto/brad-wardell-great-boss-or-greatest-boss-14953
from Elemental Forums

This article in the attached link, and several others with similar news on different sites, reveal Brad Wardell to be a self-admitted sexist who informed a female employee, "I am an inappropriate, sexist, vulgar and embarrassing person and I'm not inclined to change my behavior. If this is a problem, you need to find another job."  He then went on, continuing, "I'm not some manager or coworker of yours. I own the company. It, and your job there, exist to suit my purposes, not vice versa. The company is not an end unto itself, it is a means to an end which is to further the objectives of its shareholders (in this case, me)."

I'm sorry but I refuse to associate or do business with any firm or its owner who holds himself above the bounds of civility towards others, particularly towards his employees, and most especially towards women.  Such a blatant lack of respect for another human being is appalling.  Women world-wide have enough trouble in the workplace due to sexual harassment and bullying from fellow employees, let alone the owner of the company.  I find such behavior to be incredibly boorish and self-defeating, not to mention outright stupid.

I cannot tell you how much it pained me to discover this about the owner of one of my favorite independent game production firms.  I have been a loyal Stardock customer and own several of the company's games.  I patiently sat through all of the problems with Elemental that Brad had the integrity to man up about and take responsibility for. 

But it is tragic that Mr. Wardell cannot find within himself the necessary strength of character and innate decency to do the same about his behavior towards a female employee.  Instead, he hides behind the cover of his desk as the firms' owner, as if that gives him the rights of a god peering down from Olympus on mere puny mortals.  In his dreams, maybe, but not in the real world.

Ban me, lock me out, freeze my account, do as you wish Mr. Wardell, but on no account ever expect me to use, buy, or recommend any product associated with any firm owned by or related to Brad Wardell in any way.  Elemental, etc, is getting wiped from my hard drive anyway, along with any memories of you or your conduct.

Good day, sir

318 views 2 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks for sharing.  

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

If you had spent even a fraction of the time that you spent writing your post instead reading the actual facts of the matter, I suspect you would have come to a very different conclusion.

We live in a society where people regularly claim they're against frivolous lawsuits and against rushing to judgment. And yet, time after time, people fail to recognize one when they see one and will still make loud, often hateful, judgments on things and people they really know nothing about.

I'm responding to you, Gunn, because you have been a valued contributor here in the past. And, I think most people would agree that throughout our 20 year history, we've always tried to be transparent in how we do things.  Most companies wouldn't even comment on this sort of thing. I assume you agree with that?

At the end of the day, I think we have all written things that, if relieved of context, can look pretty darn bad.  Maybe you haven't and if that's the case, I say, congratulations.  

Let me give you a hypothetical example that might help you understand things just a little bit better.

Here's a poster that I think is pretty funny:

Now, what if you had this poster in your office at work. Assume you're the company owner and you've had this poster up in your office for years.

But one day, someone comes to you who is upset about having been teased after having been called out for insulting other employees at a pub and tells you how upset they were about being teased. 

I think (hope) most people, would agree that the proper thing to do is to apologize for hurting their feelings. 

But what if she then went on to bring up the above poster in your office and demand that you take it down because she finds it sexist, vulgar, etc.

And let's assume, for a moment, that this is a kind of heated exchange. You know, the kind of exchange that you have read many times on forums and and probably in private correspondence over the years. And, let's assume this email exchange is on a Sunday after you have just worked from Friday morning through that Sunday morning non-stop.

Can you see how someone might, just might, possibly say something to the effect of "Hey, it's my company, I think it's funny so I guess I"m a sexist, vulgar guy and if you have a problem with that, find another job, I don't work for you, you work for me."

Now, as a PR move, terrible right? I mean, if someone were to sift through 3 years worth of emails, I am sure that they could find something, somewhere, that would make them look like a total jerk.  Again, maybe you are the exception. Maybe you have never gotten mad in email, or on a forum, or whatever. If that is the case, I salute you.

Because I say to you and people like you, need to decide what type of society you really want to live in. Do you really want to live in a society where a single person in an office can demand everyone else adhere to her unspecified, arbitrary standards or else he or shell willl choose to try to ruin them?

We're a company made up of people of every sex, creed, and sexual orientation.  We don't care where you came from or what you look like or what your political beliefs are.  It's none of our business.  But we do expect to be able to work in a relaxed, enjoyable environment.  

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