Author's book publication cancelled after a tweet reporting on a WMATA employee eating on the metro

[Anonymous]

I don’t get actually reporting on someone eating, employee or not, or to confront someone, either. It’s very bizarre. No one should be penalized because how is it a mystery that some people are commuting between jobs? Or that people just need to give one another a break?

That said, privilege and race never consciously entered this woman’s calculus and the high-fiving and nicknaming are pretty pathetic.

[Anonymous]

It would be awesome if we lived in a society where race didn't matter, but we live in a society where Black people routinely have the police called on them for....existing in public.

Barbeque with your friends at a grillin a park? A white lady will call 911

Stand on the sidelines of your son's soccer game? A white lady will call 911

Let your 8 year-old daughter run a water/lemonade stand without a permit? A white lady will call 911

Take your child to your own apartment complex pool? A white lady will call 911.

It is in this context that Metro Molly invoked authority to punish a Black woman for a minor infraction that may have not even been an infraction at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is political correctness run amok. All the woman did is tweet a picture of an employee flouting Metro's own rules. And now the employee is the victim? Ridiculous.

Welcome to cancel culture!!

But why did she do it? Is she going around the city taking pictures of everyone who flouts the rules? Maybe she was annoyed about the worker eating, but most normal people (I hope) don’t take pictures of others without permission and then post them online. What did she hope to achieve?

Agree. I don’t care about their race, taking a candid picture of a stranger and posting it on the internet for the whole world to see is awful. I see it all the time in memes, viral fb posts and so on. It’s rude and I’m glad she was fired from her publisher. Enough is enough.

This. Social media shaming is awful, immature and low class. This is why she should lose the book deal.

[Anonymous]

It's the tweeting accompanied by the photo and the attempt to shame someone over a trivial matter to get attention.
No, I don't think her book should have been cancelled--it's too harsh, but I think she was deserving of the backlash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would the reaction have been different if the Metro employee was white? I thought the rules were the same for everyone.

Maybe. In that case, folks would have been talking about how whites people can get away with grubbing it up onboard, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also some clarification here:

The worker had an open plate of food on her lap. Correct?

Plate of food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would the reaction have been different if the Metro employee was white? I thought the rules were the same for everyone.

Maybe. In that case, folks would have been talking about how whites people can get away with grubbing it up onboard, maybe?

Indeed.

Folks here would be talking about white privilege and bs and bs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also some clarification here:

The worker had an open plate of food on her lap. Correct?

Plate of food?

pLAtE oF fOoD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who think the employee was the problem:

Barry Hobson, the chief of staff for the Metro workers union — Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 — said in a statement the Metro employee was taking her meal break while in transit from one assignment to another. The statement notes operators have "an average of 20 minutes to consume a meal and get to their next access point to ensure all buses and trains are on time, safe, and ready to serve the riding public.”

From the article posted by OP.

Well then that needs to be addressed in the CBA.
But as a union worker, I can smell the typical BS a mile away. It’s his job to cover for his people. It makes them all look bad when a member is called out.

Give me a break there are a lot of rules that are rules for the public but are different for employees.
Cops can run red lights on the way to A service call
And ambulance can run a red light on the way to device call
I’ve been in lots of doctors offices in which the public is not allowed to use their cell phones but the employees are allowed to use their phones
Been to plenty of public buildings where it says restrooms for employees only
There are plenty of circumstances, contexts, environments in which there are separate rules for those who work there and those who patronize there
if you don’t know the difference, if you don’t get it that’s on you

Exactly! How many of you are taking pics of cops running red lights, speeding, etc then sending the pics in to get them fired?

A black officer speeding or running a red light is rushing to help. Why would I take a pic of that?

How do you know he is black? How do you know he is rushing for help?

Do you take a picture of the flight attendant standing up when the fasten seat belt light is on?

No. In both cases they are doing their jobs. The black flight attendant is doing their job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So - a DC woman tweeted out a photo of a uniformed metro employee eating on the Metro, noting that Metro prohibits eating on the metro, and complaining about a metro employee violating the same rule metro employees ask riders to respect. The tweeter is Arab American and the metro employee she complained about is a black woman. Now her publisher and book distributor are cancelling her novel's publication as a result. (See Post article below: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/05/11/dc-pundit-shamed-metro-worker-eating-train-now-her-book-deal-is-jeopardy/?utm_term=.804898e5dbb8).

So, I agree her tweet was unnecessary and thoughtless: metro employees are low wage workers who get very short breaks, and this poor metro employee could now get fired.

But a) Metro does enforce its no eating policy, often in absurd and horrible ways, often against people of color, so is it really inherently horrendous for the tweeting author to highlight that this is a bit hypocritical? (see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-transit-police-arrest-teenager-for-carrying-chips-and-lollipop-into-station/2016/10/19/1360a014-9627-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html?utm_term=.fe6adc99091b)

And b) If she had instead posted a photo of a uniformed DC cop breaking a law that other people go to jail for breaking (maybe having an open container of alcohol, or peeing in an alley), would everyone be calling her a racist if the cop in her photo was African America - as opposed to thanking her for highlighting police hypocrisy?

And c) Her book was cancelled, WTF? Even if you think her tweet was completely thoughtless, should this really lead to her book being nixed?

I consider myself very much on the left and I think both commuters and metro employees should be able to eat on the metro without fear of arrest or discipline, and I also think low wage workers get a shitty deal, and low wage African American female workers get a particularly shitty deal. But I also think it's frightening that this tweeter's NOVEL has been cancelled because of a tweet that was, at worst, thoughtless, for which she has already apologized.

Am I missing something?

While we don’t want to jump on the race bandwagon, many Arabs are racist. They will often be obsequious to white people but dismissive or outright rude to black people. Is this writer racist? I don’t know. Would she have taken a picture of a white employee eating? I don’t know the answer to that either. I do have an issue with her publishing the employee’s picture. Regardless of the fact that she was breaking the rules, she doesn’t deserve to be shamed publicly. Metro has a system in place for complaints, and she should have gone that route.

See the bolded statement. That one gross generalization about an entire group negates the rest of your entire post. Too bad, because you had a point there when you say she should have filed a complaint rather than posting online. But blathering that "many Arabs are racist" is so vastly general and nasty that it paints you pretty poorly. Fill in any other group for "Arabs" there and it's an equally stupid generalization, and those kinds of blanket statements only make today's antagonistic environment worse, never better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So - a DC woman tweeted out a photo of a uniformed metro employee eating on the Metro, noting that Metro prohibits eating on the metro, and complaining about a metro employee violating the same rule metro employees ask riders to respect. The tweeter is Arab American and the metro employee she complained about is a black woman. Now her publisher and book distributor are cancelling her novel's publication as a result. (See Post article below: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/05/11/dc-pundit-shamed-metro-worker-eating-train-now-her-book-deal-is-jeopardy/?utm_term=.804898e5dbb8).

So, I agree her tweet was unnecessary and thoughtless: metro employees are low wage workers who get very short breaks, and this poor metro employee could now get fired.

But a) Metro does enforce its no eating policy, often in absurd and horrible ways, often against people of color, so is it really inherently horrendous for the tweeting author to highlight that this is a bit hypocritical? (see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-transit-police-arrest-teenager-for-carrying-chips-and-lollipop-into-station/2016/10/19/1360a014-9627-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html?utm_term=.fe6adc99091b)

And b) If she had instead posted a photo of a uniformed DC cop breaking a law that other people go to jail for breaking (maybe having an open container of alcohol, or peeing in an alley), would everyone be calling her a racist if the cop in her photo was African America - as opposed to thanking her for highlighting police hypocrisy?

And c) Her book was cancelled, WTF? Even if you think her tweet was completely thoughtless, should this really lead to her book being nixed?

I consider myself very much on the left and I think both commuters and metro employees should be able to eat on the metro without fear of arrest or discipline, and I also think low wage workers get a shitty deal, and low wage African American female workers get a particularly shitty deal. But I also think it's frightening that this tweeter's NOVEL has been cancelled because of a tweet that was, at worst, thoughtless, for which she has already apologized.

Am I missing something?

While we don’t want to jump on the race bandwagon, many Arabs are racist. They will often be obsequious to white people but dismissive or outright rude to black people. Is this writer racist? I don’t know. Would she have taken a picture of a white employee eating? I don’t know the answer to that either. I do have an issue with her publishing the employee’s picture. Regardless of the fact that she was breaking the rules, she doesn’t deserve to be shamed publicly. Metro has a system in place for complaints, and she should have gone that route.

See the bolded statement. That one gross generalization about an entire group negates the rest of your entire post. Too bad, because you had a point there when you say she should have filed a complaint rather than posting online. But blathering that "many Arabs are racist" is so vastly general and nasty that it paints you pretty poorly. Fill in any other group for "Arabs" there and it's an equally stupid generalization, and those kinds of blanket statements only make today's antagonistic environment worse, never better.

Many blacks are racist too.

We can admit that, right?

[Anonymous]

I love the metro employee for this:

"You worry about yourself."

That is perfect advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who think the employee was the problem:

Barry Hobson, the chief of staff for the Metro workers union — Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 — said in a statement the Metro employee was taking her meal break while in transit from one assignment to another. The statement notes operators have "an average of 20 minutes to consume a meal and get to their next access point to ensure all buses and trains are on time, safe, and ready to serve the riding public.”

From the article posted by OP.

Well then that needs to be addressed in the CBA.
But as a union worker, I can smell the typical BS a mile away. It’s his job to cover for his people. It makes them all look bad when a member is called out.

Give me a break there are a lot of rules that are rules for the public but are different for employees.
Cops can run red lights on the way to A service call
And ambulance can run a red light on the way to device call
I’ve been in lots of doctors offices in which the public is not allowed to use their cell phones but the employees are allowed to use their phones
Been to plenty of public buildings where it says restrooms for employees only
There are plenty of circumstances, contexts, environments in which there are separate rules for those who work there and those who patronize there
if you don’t know the difference, if you don’t get it that’s on you

Exactly! How many of you are taking pics of cops running red lights, speeding, etc then sending the pics in to get them fired?

A black officer speeding or running a red light is rushing to help. Why would I take a pic of that?

How do you know he is black? How do you know he is rushing for help?

Do you take a picture of the flight attendant standing up when the fasten seat belt light is on?

No. In both cases they are doing their jobs. The black flight attendant is doing their job.

But you aren’t allowed to stand up and run red lights. The metro employee was on her way to her job with a 20min break. They allow her to eat on the train. She was doing her job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be awesome if we lived in a society where race didn't matter, but we live in a society where Black people routinely have the police called on them for....existing in public.

Barbeque with your friends at a grillin a park? A white lady will call 911

Stand on the sidelines of your son's soccer game? A white lady will call 911

Let your 8 year-old daughter run a water/lemonade stand without a permit? A white lady will call 911

Take your child to your own apartment complex pool? A white lady will call 911.

It is in this context that Metro Molly invoked authority to punish a Black woman for a minor infraction that may have not even been an infraction at all.

Huh? for many years Metro has very clearly said that eating in Metro cars is prohibited, period. No exceptions for employees. Where do you get the "might not have been an infraction" stuff?

And comparing this to the other examples above is a false equivalency and you should know that. Lemonade stands, pools, grilling in the park? Nothing at all like a uniformed employee sitting there in full view of everyone breaking a rule so basic that all riders know it, even if those riders want to break it too. That is not at all similar in any way to the cases you cite above. Don't try to make it another "white lady will call 911" case. And you fail to note: The woman who posted is not a white lady. Did you pay any attention to the specific details of this story, or is it just easier for you to pretend this is the same "white lady" who calls 911 on everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be awesome if we lived in a society where race didn't matter, but we live in a society where Black people routinely have the police called on them for....existing in public.

Barbeque with your friends at a grillin a park? A white lady will call 911

Stand on the sidelines of your son's soccer game? A white lady will call 911

Let your 8 year-old daughter run a water/lemonade stand without a permit? A white lady will call 911

Take your child to your own apartment complex pool? A white lady will call 911.

It is in this context that Metro Molly invoked authority to punish a Black woman for a minor infraction that may have not even been an infraction at all.

Huh? for many years Metro has very clearly said that eating in Metro cars is prohibited, period. No exceptions for employees. Where do you get the "might not have been an infraction" stuff?

And comparing this to the other examples above is a false equivalency and you should know that. Lemonade stands, pools, grilling in the park? Nothing at all like a uniformed employee sitting there in full view of everyone breaking a rule so basic that all riders know it, even if those riders want to break it too. That is not at all similar in any way to the cases you cite above. Don't try to make it another "white lady will call 911" case. And you fail to note: The woman who posted is not a white lady. Did you pay any attention to the specific details of this story, or is it just easier for you to pretend this is the same "white lady" who calls 911 on everyone?

Wow, someone with a brain on dcum.