*snort*
The irony is lost on everyone.
There’s Mika Brzezinski, pitching her little book (God love her, really. She manages to stay employed & stay published despite having very little to offer intellectually) called Knowing Your Value (or something very close to that) a tome no doubt oozing with woman-power-affirming-estrogen. Taken on it’s face, it’s a very good thing for the sisterhood. So far all the talk this morning is knowing how to negotiate the terms of your employment with men. I will touch on that important topic before I get to what they haven’t talked about.
Having spent 20 years on the air in major market radio and having negotiated every single one of my contracts by myself, I recall the circumstances of my second to last one – while 6 months pregnant with my first child. I sat across the table with a man who shaved his favorite hockey team logo into the hair on his back. I swear to you I am not making that up. So, I know a little something about staring down testosterone. That negotiation produced my third 33% raise in a row. It helps when you have actual ratings – I was #1 pm drive in what was, at the time, the 4th largest media market in the country. That led to an offer some years later in which I negotiated – in addition to salary – airfare & hotel for my family for an annual vacation. All of this was based on my track record of ratings, performance, & being a solid employee – but most importantly – ratings.
Perhaps sh*tty ratings is what’s given Mika so much trouble in her negotiations, but I digress…
Not a single person on the KNOW, LOVE, & VALUE your ESTROGEN panel this morning took their colleague to task for being a misogynistic pig.
If they had any stones, class, or integrity at all – any of them – they would have talked about Ed Schultz calling Laura Ingraham a slut – not once, but twice yesterday.
They should have, if they meant a syllable of what they said, encouraged their employer TO PROTECT THEIR INTEGRITY AS EMPLOYEES OF THE BRAND AND FIRE THE BASTARD.
I’m all for free speech. If this were a first offense, I would accept his apology, endorse his suspension and leave it alone. But this is not the first time he has been utterly, unforgivably abusive of the privilege he has been given by having a broadcast platform. Please note the distinction between the constitutionally protected right of free speech & the privilege of a corporation providing a platform to use it.
The first amendment protects your right to speak, but it does not protect your right to be heard.
