Episode 167: A Robber, a Shoplifter, and a Thief Walk Into a Leggings Store
Episode 167: A Robber, a Shoplifter, and a Thief Walk Into a Leggings Store
Plus, re-examining re-examining Karen.
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse re-examines the case of the Citibike Karen who wasn’t. Or was she? Then, Katie tells Jesse about the outrage over two Lululemon employees who were unjustly fired for reporting thieves to the police. Or were they?
Become a Primo here.
NY Post: “NYC hospital ‘Karen’ paid for Citi Bike at center of viral fight with black man: lawyer”
NBC New York: “Bellevue Worker in Citi Bike Fight Video Has Receipts Showing She Rented It: Lawyer”
NewsOne: “Mother Of Teen In Citi Bike Video Speaks Out: ‘No One Bothered To Ask Him What Happened’”
The Guardian: “Billion-dollar Lululemon under fire for promoting 'resist capitalism' event”
National Review: “Lululemon Fires Atlanta Employees for Calling Police During Robbery”
Business Insider: “Ex-Lululemon staffers say they were fired for reporting robbery to police”
Sky New Australia: “'Absolute insanity’: Lululemon staff fired for calling cops to report robbery”
Free Beacon: “Lululemon Fires Two Employees Who Called Police on Masked Robbers”
11 Alive News: “Lululemon employees fired after robbery for breaking policy, they say”
Episode 167: A Robber, a Shoplifter, and a Thief Walk Into a Leggings Store
In responding to the backlash about their handling of the Citibike Karen story, Jesse made two statements: we didn’t get anything wrong factually or made a final verdict, and this is a nothing story.
For the nothing factually incorrect and didn’t make a final verdict remark...what the hell is a final verdict? This is a podcast, not AP News. That’s some moving the goalpost bullshit. As far as factually correct, there have been dozens of episodes on this podcast about narratives creating facts.
The NewsOne story that is at the heart of this fuck up “came out May 25th, the day we are recording.” Jesse calls it a “slightly weird article, but the long and the short or it is there seems to be a lot of evidence that it was his bike. He was there first.” Then Jesse talks about a Citibike Angel program that doesn’t matter at all, which I appreciate he corrected in this episode. Later when the woman comes over: “this woman apparently came and sort of reached over and scanned it and it looks like she acted like she was the victim. I found this to be a compelling article. What do you think?”
Well Jesse, I think you used a bullshit source published the same day you were recording, got criticized for your fuck up by a community that supports you, and then you responded by saying it’s nothing so who cares.
Later in the first episode, Katie then tries to throw you a life preserver by pointing out the article’s author and NewsOne’s bias in covering this story, and you respond “no one can just like be a bad person anymore.”
I encourage everyone to read the NewsOne article. If you follow this podcast or are interesting in how media perpetuates narratives which create facts for everyone, it’s a delight.
I’m happy Katie called him out on the second remark of this episode: why are we doing two stories on a nothing story? But BAR makes it living on nothing stories. There have been some episodes on doll making subculture blowups, adult baby diaper lovers, rage on remaking a dress from a hundred years ago. The podcast says it’s about “internet bullshit,” but it’s a media criticism podcast focusing on stories of the internet’s role in manufacturing consent. Jesse was unprepared for the segment, got rolled by an incredibly shitty source, and became indignant at being questioned. You didn’t understand the impassioned response from the community you built, and so you dismissed it. I’m happy it’s resolved for you.
The response to the Citibike fuck-up would have been very disappointing if it wasn't exactly what I expected.
K&J once again pointedly ignored the existence of their thoughtful subscribers in favor of quoting at length from reddit. The "amazing community"' here is worth acknowledging only when asking for subscriptions and is apparently too deplorable to consider otherwise.
Jesse proceeds to selectively (and once again, wrongly) distort the facts which have come out (and which were available at the time of the original fuck-up, had he decided to apply some reading comprehension to this story in the first place). Superficiality is suddenly a valid excuse from someone who has repeatedly (and correctly) accused other journalists of laziness.
He still fails to mention, omits or misinterprets details in order to minimise any errors (the timeline, the authorship of the NEWSONE article; how Comrie wasn't "caught on video" - which implies something neutral like a surveillance camera when she was filmed by one of the kids and the video was shared by them in order to defame Comrie as a racist; that they didn't just "push the bike" back in the dock - which also depersonalises the situation and implies they were just moving an object when in fact they forced HER - a person - and the bike she was already on back into the dock; etc)
He then devotes even longer to bemoaning how he is "grossed out by this whole thing" and the "cavalcade of commentary" over something "that's not a story" and that "we end up getting dragged into it as a show" What the actual fuck? Who put a gun to his head, dragged him into the studio and made him feature this non-story on the show? It was HIS choice to focus on it. The hypocrisy of these grandstanding denunciations is what's grossing ME out.
Katie then pipes in to say "There were hundreds of comments in the reddit thread. I didn't read them. I was hoping you would have something more substantive that we got wrong than just like, it's a matter of opinion. Frankly, I'm not sure that I trust your analysis of this." No shit. To which Jesse's response is that it's "so discouraging that we're now litigating this". What is discouraging is that instead of a simple "I got X and Y wrong and should probably read things more thoroughly and critically next time" we're treated to a lot of self-serving obfuscation and deflection.
People get things wrong. It happens. Those with integrity own their mistakes. Others continue to evade or minimise them and attempt to shift focus by whining "why is everyone even talking about this?!". I have very little respect for the latter.
I've turned off my subscription renewal and only mention that (here, knowing they don't even read this) because I will miss you smart and witty people, your variety of perspectives and the intelligent discussions. But I'm done supporting lazy, self-serving and contemptuous bullshit. Summer is coming, I'm going to touch a LOT of grass and use the BARpod money for an ice cream cone.