I have been fortunate over the years to work for companies that generally took worker complaints seriously, that hired, trained, and promoted fantastic women, and that have gone to bat for women that work for them. And even at those places, you'd see Good Old Boys networks crop up. Or men being creepy to women and not getting disciplines. Women getting sidelined in meetings or ignored. And the line: "I heard someone once say that addressing such culture issues is like trying to describe ‘the color of the air we breathe.’” really speaks to me.
Wenner walked away with millions, and the only real consequence he saw for being a sexist asshole was to get bad press and have poor sales of his book. Meanwhile, the women in your article had careers sidelined. Wenner is a millionaire, and Gitlin runs a goat farm, and that goat farm is almost certainly a major step up from working for Wenner.
Let's just bottom line it--Wenner was garbage...period. Furthermore, Penske really should not have kept his son on after the sale. The break should have been complete from Wenner-ism.
Full-on fits were the norm at a lot of those magazines. I didn't take a job at Vanity Fair in the 80s, because the managing editor (a woman, a very cool woman who I wanted to work for) said "How are you with getting screamed at? Because you'll get screamed at a lot in this position."
Thanks to all of you younger than us who have done the work to make this not only not normal, but not acceptable anymore.
No no no. Let's not frame this as an individual decision. This was as systemic problem. ALL the jobs were like this. ALL the assistants got screamed at, and paid $8-10/hr.
I left NYC and publishing altogether. I had no family support and was never going to make a living -- AND -- I was going to get screamed at.
Again, my thanks to everyone reporting on this. None of us are free until all of us are treated as equal and valuable.
It's been a long time since Jann with Hunter Thompson showed up at one of my Saturday gatherings in Hollywood, Thompson was carrying a briefcase that locked to his wrist by a large chain. Looking at the two of them, I thought, here comes the Boyz I tried to avoid. It was like a slick of dark oil, with a side of paranoia and rage.
Both of them were very creative and I am well aware of that, but the mood in the room with at least 15 musicians, playing piano, guitar.. just friends kickin' back on a Saturday night..
Important background to Wenner’s ignominious removal from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you.
I felt this in my bones.
I have been fortunate over the years to work for companies that generally took worker complaints seriously, that hired, trained, and promoted fantastic women, and that have gone to bat for women that work for them. And even at those places, you'd see Good Old Boys networks crop up. Or men being creepy to women and not getting disciplines. Women getting sidelined in meetings or ignored. And the line: "I heard someone once say that addressing such culture issues is like trying to describe ‘the color of the air we breathe.’” really speaks to me.
Wenner walked away with millions, and the only real consequence he saw for being a sexist asshole was to get bad press and have poor sales of his book. Meanwhile, the women in your article had careers sidelined. Wenner is a millionaire, and Gitlin runs a goat farm, and that goat farm is almost certainly a major step up from working for Wenner.
Let's just bottom line it--Wenner was garbage...period. Furthermore, Penske really should not have kept his son on after the sale. The break should have been complete from Wenner-ism.
Great piece, thanks for this. I kept thinking no wonder Rolling Stone has become so incredibly irrelevant the past few decades.
Thank you for letting these awesome women have a public say
Full-on fits were the norm at a lot of those magazines. I didn't take a job at Vanity Fair in the 80s, because the managing editor (a woman, a very cool woman who I wanted to work for) said "How are you with getting screamed at? Because you'll get screamed at a lot in this position."
Thanks to all of you younger than us who have done the work to make this not only not normal, but not acceptable anymore.
Good call! No job is worth your mental health.
No no no. Let's not frame this as an individual decision. This was as systemic problem. ALL the jobs were like this. ALL the assistants got screamed at, and paid $8-10/hr.
I left NYC and publishing altogether. I had no family support and was never going to make a living -- AND -- I was going to get screamed at.
Again, my thanks to everyone reporting on this. None of us are free until all of us are treated as equal and valuable.
All true.
This is fantastic. Marisa really is a star
Another instance of being grateful I didn't get my "dream" job in 1968.
It's been a long time since Jann with Hunter Thompson showed up at one of my Saturday gatherings in Hollywood, Thompson was carrying a briefcase that locked to his wrist by a large chain. Looking at the two of them, I thought, here comes the Boyz I tried to avoid. It was like a slick of dark oil, with a side of paranoia and rage.
I’d love to hear more about this. Could you email me? MKwrites4000@proton.me
Both of them were very creative and I am well aware of that, but the mood in the room with at least 15 musicians, playing piano, guitar.. just friends kickin' back on a Saturday night..
Thanks for reporting and writing this. Great work. I linked to it on Threads, but wasn't able to tag you. Are you on Threads?LMK!
Brilliant article!
I have a plan to fix this! Let’s stop complaining about men, and just get rid of them. 14 page explanation begins here:
https://www.tannytalk.com/s/peace