#its just funny as a Reader completely aware his behavior is not correct compared the MC who is completely deluded into believing he's being

[giftedpoison]

So I'm a classics bitch

And I'm reading A Sentimental Story from the Diary of Dreamer by Fyodor Dostoevsky

(I haven't read anything by him before though I do want to read Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov at some point. And I'd tentatively say this White Nights and Other stories collection with Sentimental Dreamer in it is a good beginner classics piece.)

But this story is so fucking hilarious to me. It starts out he's all wow I've been in Petersburg for 8 years and have had nothing more than acquaintances and yet I feel particularly lonely, and all the faces have appeared different or gone. (which actually is such a fucking interesting concept because it describes the phenomenon of staying in a place for so long all the faces have changed and you've failed to move forward like everyone else. And how daunting and lonely that feeling is.)

And then he sees a girl on the street at night and she's not paying him any mind. And he thinks it strange, realizes she's sobbing about something, and then gets excited cause he's like aha! I was right her behavior is strange. But he stalls too long and she notices him and immediately starts leaving the area. And then he FOLLOWS her. And so she cuts across a street.

Where he stops following her. And then sees a staggering (perhaps drunk) man and is like he probably wouldn't have bothered her if it wasn't for my good luck. (HELLO???)

And then he goes on to save her from Mr. drunk.

And then they are talking and in his internal thoughts he calls her MY GIRL.

Sir you are deranged. And it's almost comical how absolutely deranged and deluded he is and I love it.

[sumukhcomedy]

Suspend and Fire: Our Nation’s Arbitrary Social Media Policy

While explaining to a person I just met that I was a stand-up comedian, another friend remarked, “Yeah, but don’t you work some boring nerd job, too?” That is hilariously correct. I also work in compliance for a company. So, in reality, I work 2 nerd jobs one of which I suppose is a little bit more exciting than the other. But I like both of them and hopefully I do both of them well.

I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I work a job while also doing comedy and so many of my colleagues in comedy who have done it for as long as I have or even longer do that as well. I look at having a “day job” as being a positive thing. It’s allowed me to earn money, be knowledgeable in something completely different than comedy, and allowed me to understand the office environment as well as my colleagues from around the world who work within that. It’s allowed me to be understanding of business and corporate interests. And, whether people want to believe it or not, comedy and many other artistic platforms will always be subject to answering to corporate interests.

On Monday, ESPN anchor Jemele Hill was suspended by the network for a tweet that she made stating that “If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers….This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers.” ESPN suspended Hill for 2 weeks under the network’s Social Media Policy.

We are now at a time period where political and social opinions are intersecting with technological advancement. We are more connected than we have ever been and are having conversations (or shouting matches depending upon who you are) with people we have never met who may be living thousands of miles away from us. Our society let alone the business world and corporate interests do not know how to properly handle that.

ESPN, in particular, has fumbled many of these situations. Their public break-up with Bill Simmons was a mess. The first issue with Hill and a tweet led to the absurd commentary of the White House insisting on her firing. Even the Robert Lee situation which seemed to show ESPN to be well-meaning didn’t show enough foresight from the company who, while aware they didn’t want to put a young broadcaster in an odd spot, didn’t realize their opponents could become easily aware of it and pounce on it.

Social media is now clearly the driving force behind how people communicate and, sadly, how many people are educated and their viewpoints swayed. To not be on social media is to be behind the times. This is why everyone from the biggest and most profitable conglomerates to your neighborhood bakery has a social media presence. Journalists, perhaps more than anyone, are emphasized to use social media. It connects them to their readers or viewers and provides both them and their consumers with insight, conversation, and awareness.

Every company should have a policy on Ethics and Social Media. It is essential in these times and not a huge deal because most companies should understand that their employees can be respectful of the company that they work for while also having an identity on social media. To some degree, depending upon the job, those identities will interweave. Each company is entitled to set their Social Media Policy as they would like and govern it accordingly just as each employee has the right to not agree to this Social Media Policy and walk away from the company or challenge the company on it if they see fit.

Nevertheless, no true rules govern such ethics and the waters are only getting muddier. Whether America realized it or not, electing Donald Trump as President opened up a huge can of worms on this subject. Throughout his time on Twitter, Trump ran his own businesses. He answered to no one when it came to what he said and how he communicated it whether in speeches or on social media. He had that power. Now as President, he has continued to use Twitter as a means to communicate. It would be one thing (though still odd) if he were to consider his Twitter account a personal one separate from his role as a President. But he does not, and as such, he’s continuing to follow a non-existent Social Media Policy when running the nation.

If Twitter is considered the means of communication for the operations of our country then there has to be a policy in place on it. I’d have to believe there is one for our government including the highest position in the executive branch, but it’s clear it’s not being followed. I do believe companies should have the right to enact Social Media policies but employees now do have the right to question them if the highest job in our nation isn’t even following the standard policies every employee of every company has to agree to.

This is why the suspension of Jemele Hill and the many suspensions and firings of other high-profile public faces or a random person that went viral is so unclear. I have no idea what ESPN’s Social Media Policy is nor do I have any clue what differentiates what Hill said about Trump from what Hill said about Jerry Jones or what Hill has said about any of a number of issues in her over 105,000 tweets. I have no idea why a joke by Katie Rich is considered too far for the standards of NBC and SNL. Jemele Hill was hired for her opinions in sports. Katie Rich was hired to create comedy. They were suspended for doing their jobs and with no clear indication as to whether their Twitter accounts are now dictated by their employer. Where does Jemele Hill, the citizen and sports op-ed columnist/anchor end and Jemele Hill the employee bound by ESPN begin and why do such ramifications for certain tweets be grounds for suspension? It’s an uncomfortable and arbitrary practice right now that could cost people their livelihoods.

This all likely comes back to the old idiom “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” There is a certain degree of respect that we should show to our employer. They are signing our paychecks. I don’t bring my employer into what I do as a comedian because I respect them and it’s a “boring nerd job” so it is mostly irrelevant towards comedy and I don’t find anything funny or so worth being funny related to it that it needs to be shared. But, in ESPN’s case, they are paying Jemele Hill to be an opinionated and educated individual on issues related to sports and that’s exactly what she has been doing on-air and via Twitter. Meanwhile, Hank Williams, Jr. compares President Obama to Hitler and his song plays again on the network’s Monday Night Football broadcasts. And, worse, our current President tweets whatever he pleases with no policy in place for the highest position in our country where such communication could have a major impact on the world. This is just uneven and troubling.

Artists, athletes, journalists, and frankly every other job in this country has its speech controlled to some extent by the people who sign our paychecks. That is acceptable because companies should have a code of ethics and proper policies in place that each employee must agree to. It’s reasonable and it’s what allows business and society to function while allowing for proper behavior from one’s employees. But when our society as a whole isn’t following a clear path to what ethical behavior is and the gray areas between a company’s policy and the actions of its employees are only getting grayer, it’s a genuine problem that someone could be fired simply for expressing a reasonable thought on a social media platform that is actually in line with their job. When our government and our nation’s leadership doesn’t even follow such standards, who are we as citizens to be fired or suspended for committing the same behavior? So many of my friends have asked the question, “How do I explain the President’s behavior to my kids?” Another question should actually be, “How do I explain the President’s behavior to myself?” Because the actions and communication this President has done would be a fireable offense at most companies in the very country he is governing.  

It’s hypocrisy and a lack of freedom that has nothing to do with political parties and where one lands on that spectrum and everything to do with an arbitrary silencing of people that do not fit a certain interest. That’s a disturbing problem for me as both a comedian and as someone who works in company compliance but it should be a concern for every American citizen.