Cowboy Who?

Sara Fischer, Axios:

MSNBC, the progressive cable network owned by NBCUniversal, is rebranding to MS NOW, an acronym that stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World.

The rebrand is part of a wider effort by NBCU to create a distinction between the cable networks it plans to spin out and the remaining NBCU parent company. As part of the rebrand, select cable networks that will be spun out into Versant, including CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, MSNBC and SportsEngine, will all drop the iconic peacock logo that has for decades served as NBCU’s logo.

There’s a lot to unpack here. First, “Versant” itself is a pretty bad name (feels so vague — seems like the name of a fake company in a movie or TV show) so it’s no surprise that the same nitwits are botching Versant’s rebranded properties. But given that NBCUniversal is apparently forcing MSNBC to take the “NBC” out of its name, “MSNOW” isn’t a bad new name. But it’s not a good new name either. And they’re apparently using a space: “MS NOW”, yet also seem confused (or haven’t even decided yet) whether it’s supposed to be pronounced letter-by-letter (em ess en oh dubya) or as two letters and a word (em ess now). Saying the “NOW” as the word now makes sense for a 24/7 channel, but if it’s a word, the whole name should be styled “MS Now”. (Fox News styles their name as “FOX News” in some places, but never pretends the f-o-x is an acronym.)

The “My Source News Opinion World” backronym is so dumb it boggles the mind. I genuinely wonder if someone had ChatGPT do that. You can have a series of letters as a name — especially as a TV channel — without those letters really standing for anything. CNN is technically an acronym for “Cable News Network” but they’ve effectively just been “CNN” for decades now. The name “MSNBC” came from the fact that, at launch in the 1990s, it debuted as a collaboration between Microsoft’s MSN and NBC News. But Microsoft hasn’t been involved with the cable channel for 20 years — the “MS” in “MSNBC” hasn’t stood for anything since 2005. (In fact, MSN itself is another good example. It originally stood for “Microsoft Network”, even though Microsoft has never styled their name with a camel-cased S.¹ But it’s really just “MSN” now.)²

Tom Gara, writing on Threads:

The only real fuck up with the MSNBC rebrand is that they made up a dumb sounding fake acronym. It’s completely unnecessary! Just say “we’re changing our name to MS NOW to reflect the urgency of the moment.” Nobody has ever thought about what the old acronym stood for and nobody needed a new fake one.

There is another fuck up, though: the logo is atrocious. What is that flag? It looks like the Austrian flag (🇦🇹), not America’s. But are we sure it even is a flag? Maybe it’s a paper receipt and the red stripes are those marks when it’s time to replace the roll? Jonathan Hoefler, on Threads:

My personal benchmark for a logo is that it shouldn’t look like a pension fund.

The oddest part about the whole situation is that CNBC is being spun out into Versant, too, but while they’re losing the NBC peacock logo, they’re just keeping their name, unchanged. From CNBC’s own coverage of MSNBC’s rebranding:

While MSNBC and NBC News will have duplications in coverage, CNBC’s news organization is already separate enough from NBC News that executives decided it didn’t need a name change. Also, technically, the “NBC” in “CNBC” never stemmed from National Broadcasting Co. Rather, CNBC stands for “Consumer News and Business Channel.”

Lastly, shoutout to M.G. Siegler for coining the term peacockblocked to describe MSNBC’s branding plight.

The decision in Tarrant County comes amid growing concern about GOP efforts to limit voting access ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

San Antonio’s Ruby City is a hidden gem, just beyond walking distance from the city’s hyper-touristy River Walk. This handsome, postmodern contemporary art space would be comfortably at ease on New York City’s 5th Avenue Museum Row. But even those intrepid visitors that do make it here might still miss the institution’s humble annex right across the street: a single room exhibition space, The Studio, cozily nestled in a shaded art park. Currently, this space presents Synthesis & Subversion Redux, an intimate and conceptually rich exhibition that brings together works by five contemporary Latinx artists.

Synthesis & Subversion Redux takes as its inspiration a 1996 exhibition hosted by the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) and curated by Dr. Frances Colpitt, a vocal advocate of contemporary conceptual art. Redux revisits the themes of that exhibition, and is occasioned in part by a gift of artworks from Colpitt’s estate to the Linda Pace Foundation. Like the 1996 exhibition, this show features works by five Latinx artists with close ties to San Antonio.

The artists showcased in Synthesis & Subversion Redux are diverse in their disciplines and artistic intent, largely utilizing comparatively humble mediums in their work, often repurposing found objects and harnessing materials perhaps more traditionally situated within the orbit of craft rather than “fine art” (though now the boundary between the two is increasingly and rightfully fluid).

Stepping into the exhibition space, visitors will first encounter Jenelle Esparza’s The Family Room. This multimedia assemblage presents an array of textiles and household (and farmyard) tools affixed to the wall, displayed like artifacts in a museum. Her work is largely textile-based, an homage to the historical significance of cotton, referencing the generations of laborers who harvested cotton in South Texas. But many of these objects have been altered and manipulated in ways to make them visibly distorted, scarred, and sometimes functionally useless. Esparza metamorphoses these domestic and familiar objects into forms that are counterintuitive, unexpected, and sometimes threatening.

José Villalobos presents an emotionally resonant ensemble of works traversing photography, film, and sculpture. Among these is an imposingly large black-and-white photograph of a man serenely wearing a cowboy hat blazing with fire, a reference to the indignities once endured by Mexican dayworkers who crossed the border and upon arrival were fumigated with toxic chemicals. It’s a subject he also addresses in his silent video performance The Dust Was Wet and Slid Over Their Faces Like A Bridal Veil. Here the artist poses with a bridal veil over his face, allowing it to be gently blown by the wind; it’s a slow, poetic, and peaceful film, which belies the historical cruelty and inhumanity the film obliquely references.

Both Barbara Miñarro and Angeles Salinas utilize fiber art in their sculptural works. Miñarro’s Between You and I is a large suspended sculpture scaled to the dimensions of a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The rungs of the fence are fabricated from “bricks” (more like pillows) of found fabrics sourced from both sides of the border, the floppy nature of the material subverting the structure’s function as a barrier and recalling some of the playfully floppy sculptural works of Claes Oldenburg. A second fiber work by Miñarro, We Are Staying Put, is a winding column of stuffed bricks/pillows (fabricated from clothes and textiles sourced from the artist’s friends and family) that winds its way down from the ceiling to the floor, bending as necessary to adhere to the space it occupies. This work of varied dimensions adapts to whatever architectural space it’s presented in.

Angeles Salinas similarly straddles the boundary between fiber art and sculpture in a pair of deeply layered and personal works. Quilting together repurposed clothing, in The Space Between Salinas creates a topographical map of a section of the Rio Grande inspired by her experiences of flying between the United States and Mexico. A second piece, Anatomical Dissection, comprises several vertically suspended embroidered textiles that when viewed straight on (much like the transparent overlays in an anatomy book) gives the viewer a multi-layered, though highly symbolic and abstracted, autobiographical portrait of the artist. It’s an intricate work that visually represents and speaks to the complexities and layers we all have. Some components specifically address hybridity; Mexican pesos are sewn together with American dollars, for example.

Juan Carlos Escobedo is represented with a large ensemble comprising many individual works. Escobedo creates what could be called sartorial sculpture; here we see an ensemble of wearable shirts, hats, and shoes fabricated mostly from cardboard (and sometimes plastic). These works invite close inspection. These articles are elaborately decorated with layered domestic architectural structures, and evoke the landscapes and cityscapes of El Paso, where Escobedo was born. Some ostentatious and clearly visible structures are obviously for the affluent; but almost unnoticeably blended into the cardboard are less visible, humble structures representing homes of the lower classes. Despite being fabricated out of the unassuming medium of cardboard (a considered material by the artist, since cardboard is both regarded as disposable, yet tough), Escobedo’s complex landscapes and architectural settings are wonderfully articulated. These works address a host of issues, such as gentrification and aspirations of upward mobility.

Most of the works (and ensembles of works) in the show are large scale, snugly and comfortably making use of all the gallery’s contours. As a result, this is a visually satisfying exhibition. These works are highly personal and autobiographical, but united in their shared use of unexpected materials and underlying theme of hybridity and fluidity between borders (geographical or otherwise). Synthesis & Subversion Redux is introspective and thoughtful with an overall tone of indefatigable self-assertion and resilience. Against the matrix of shifting political discourse, which seems increasingly antagonistic to hybridity and immigration, this celebration of local Latinx contemporary visual culture makes the show poignantly relevant. 

 

Synthesis & Subversion Redux is on view at Ruby City in San Antonio through September 28, 2025.

The post Review: “Synthesis & Subversion Redux” at Ruby City, San Antonio appeared first on Glasstire.

Joe, why don’t you sit the rest of the movie out?

Texas Democrats returned to the state after a two-week standoff, enabling Republicans to advance their redistricting plan, which critics argue will dilute minority representation. What do you think?

The post Texas Democrats Return To State appeared first on The Onion.

SIDNEY, B.C. – Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told supporters Tuesday that she won’t be leading the party into the next election, after Green Party leaders, members, and staff told her exactly the same thing in no uncertain terms. “I am definitely making this announcement of my own volition, completely unrelated to the tidal wave […]

The post Elizabeth May says she won’t lead Green Party in next election after Green Party tells her same thing appeared first on The Beaverton.

What he says: Thank god football’s back.

What he means: I miss my friends.

What he says: Can you believe Travis Kelce is going as late as the seventh round in a lot of leagues?

What he means: I’ve never been more anxious about the passage of time. I graduated from college ten years ago, yet it feels like yesterday, and I fear the next ten years will go by even faster.

What he says: I know I’m reaching for Lamar Jackson in the first round, but it’s worth it just for the excuse to watch him play every week.

What he means: I want to buy a motorcycle.

What he says: I’d rather have the tenth pick than the first pick.

What he means: My brain has been poisoned by a constant stream of content that mocks being interested or passionate in anything. I bought a film camera last summer and I’ve taken it outside twice. Not because I’m lazy. Not because life’s busy. But because I’m scared of strangers seeing me and thinking “Look at that hipster loser. He thinks he’s so artsy. I bet there’s not even any film in there. He just wants to impress girls.” I want to say therapy’s helping, but we talk about it every session, and I’ve still only taken like, ten pictures.

What he says: Jaydon Blue is this year’s sleeper pick. Just wait.

What he means: I want to ask my girlfriend to move in with me, but I’m scared she’ll think it’s too soon.

What he says: My buddies and I are all taking the Wonderlic Test to determine our draft order this year.

What he means: I thought my forties would be the worst years of my life, but they’ve honestly been the happiest.

What he says: Would it be weird to take Chubba Hubbard in the fifth round?

What he means: Is it possible to love your children but also regret having them?

What he says: I think Jayden Daniels is going to have a sophomore slump.

What he means: I got passed for a promotion last month and haven’t told anyone.

What he says: I don’t care if it’s in the final round, do not let me draft Kyle Pitts again.

What he means: I lost half my savings in Bitcoin, and I am forever haunted by this.

What he says: It’s risky, but I love having my QB and WR1 on the same team.

What he means: I lost half my savings in Bitcoin, and I’d do it again.

What he says: We should do a destination draft next year.

What he means: I don’t love my wife anymore.

What he says: I think Sam LaPorta will bounce back this year.

What he means: I love my wife more than ever before.

What he says: Wow, I can’t believe you’re drafting Dak Prescott again.

What he means: Our friendship is one of my life’s greatest joys. Your successes feel like my successes, and I’m constantly rooting for you. We may live on opposite coasts, but every time we chat, it feels like we’re back in that shitty apartment we shared on Grant Street. I love you.

What he says: This is the Lions’ year.

What he means: We should go fishing soon.

What he says: Watch me draft Aaron Rodgers.
.
What he means: My sister hasn’t spoken to me since the election.

What he says: Most fantasy experts have Tank Bigsby’s auction value at six dollars. That’s such a steal. He was quietly one of the most efficient rushers on a per-carry basis throughout the second half of last season—much greater than current starter Travis Etienne Jr.—and the Jaguars have since added the offensively minded Liam Coen as head coach and play caller. Rumors from training camp and early preseason performances suggest Bigsby could win the early down and goal-line roles. If he and the Jags offense improve throughout the season, he’s a league winner.

What he means: Last night, I ate an entire bag of peanut-butter-stuffed pretzels.

What he says: This season, whoever comes in last should run a marathon while wearing a shirt that says I SUCK AT FANTASY FOOTBALL.

What he means: I recently paid for Strava Premium.

What he says: The only thing better than Joe Burrow’s arm is his pregame fits.

What he means: I recently paid for Tinder Premium.

What he says: Would you rather take Drake London or A. J. Brown?

What he means: Do you think it would be stupid for me to quit my job and drive an ice-cream truck? I’m serious. I can’t spend my days staring at Google Docs anymore. I want to be part of my community. I want to use my hands. I want to look back on my career and think, I might not have had a corner office, but I made kids smile.

What he says: I just don’t think Christian McCaffrey is the alpha dog he used to be anymore.

What he means: My son beat me in one-on-one basketball last week. I pretended I wasn’t trying my hardest, but I was. I really was.

What he says: Josh Allen. Hell of a player.

What he means: Josh Allen. Hell of a player.

The Right loves to claim that socialists want a bunch of “free stuff.” On some level, they’re right. We do. But so do they.

---

After Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary, conservatives dusted off their favorite insult: socialism is just “free stuff,” and Mamdani only won because that’s what he promised. (See here and here.) Donald Trump Jr, echoing his dad, sneered that no amount of “free stuff” will fix the city.

Yes, Mamdani’s program does have the audacity to offer New Yorkers free bus rides and free childcare. But it’s curious that the Trumps are so quick to ridicule the very idea, since Donald Trump himself received over $400 million of free stuff from his father. More broadly, as much as 50 to 60 percent of wealth in the West is simply inherited. Inheritance is the purest form of free stuff: you don’t earn it; you just get it because of who your parents are. Strangely, conservatives never seem to mind that. Free buses are socialism run amok; a trust fund is the American dream.

What’s going on when critics scoff at “free stuff”? I’m a philosopher. It’s my job to look for arguments and carefully analyze them. So let’s look to see what sense we can make of this ubiquitous conservative refrain.

Maybe it is just the old saying: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Even if a bus ride or childcare is free to the user, someone must pay for it. But nobody, least of all Mamdani, is under the illusion that these programs cost nothing. If that is all the conservatives are getting at, then they are attacking a straw man.

Senator Rand Paul takes it further. In his book The Case Against Socialism, he warns against the “siren call of free stuff” and says we should put our “faith in the individual, and in liberty.” He claims that a capitalist free market system means that wealth is “to a large degree, based on merit,” whereas socialism hands out benefits to people who haven’t earned them.

There is at least an argument here. Put in utterly explicit form:

Anti-Socialism Argument

Premise 1: Any system in which free stuff goes to people who did nothing to earn it is bad.

Premise 2: Under socialism, free stuff goes to people who did nothing to earn it.

Conclusion: Socialism is bad.

But if this is really the argument, then it actually demonstrates more about the hypocrisy of the critics than it does about alleged faults of socialism. Given that Western capitalist systems allow inheritance (and, indeed, the United States barely even taxes that particular form of income), it is certainly a system in which free stuff goes to those who have done nothing to earn it — unless you think that these people deserve credit for having chosen the right parents.

The logical point is that anyone who actually believes the Anti-Socialism Argument must also affirm this argument:

Anti-Capitalism Argument

Premise 1: Any system in which free stuff goes to people who did nothing to earn it is bad.

Premise 2: Under capitalism, free stuff goes to people who did nothing to earn it.

Conclusion: Capitalism is bad.

Unless the capitalist wants to abolish inheritance, the second premise is undeniably true. The first premise of the Anti-Capitalism Argument is exactly the same as the first premise of the Anti-Socialism Argument. Therefore, the critic cannot affirm it when thinking about socialism but then conveniently ignore it when it comes to inheritance under capitalism.

So at least at first glance, the only proposed argument against socialist free stuff is hopelessly bad: if the capitalist is thinking with even a moderate degree of consistency and rationality, they must see that their premises would undermine capitalism as well.

Perhaps the capitalist will say I have misunderstood their argument, for their claim is about what governments do rather than individuals. The revised argument:

Anti-Socialism Argument 2.0

Premise 1: Any system in which government gives free stuff to those who did nothing to earn it is bad.

Premise 2: Under socialism, government gives free stuff to those who did nothing to earn it.

Conclusion: Socialism is bad.

This avoids the inheritance issue, since that’s family money, not government. But now we have a new question: Why should we believe the narrower edition of the first premise rather than the more general version?

Perhaps the thought is that government always does things badly and that it is always best to leave economic transactions to the market. That simply begs the question: the critic presupposes that the free market is always best and government should stay out of it. That’s just to assume that socialism is wrong. Talk of “free stuff” masquerades as an argument when it is only a misleading rhetorical flourish in what is actually just a statement of faith about the superiority of capitalism.

To conservatives, free buses are socialism run amok; a trust fund is the American dream.

For the conservative argument to hold any water, there needs to be a reason that free stuff from the government is bad but free stuff from individuals is not. Why would that be? When people like Senator Paul rage against free stuff, the concern seems to be the effect it will have on the recipient — that handing out free stuff promotes laziness. Why would a free bus ride turn working-class people into freeloaders but a trust fund make rich kids into innovative entrepreneurs? This makes sense only if you have already decided that poor people are lazy and rich people are inherently better.

Any capitalist who doesn’t want to abolish inheritance rejects the first premise of the first version of the Anti-Socialism Argument. Unless you have either simply presupposed that capitalism is the better system or have assumed that rich people are genetically superior, you have no reason to believe premise one of the revised Anti-Socialism Argument 2.0.

So let’s be clear: The “free stuff” line isn’t an argument. It’s a smoke screen. It’s a way to sneer at programs that help ordinary people while keeping quiet about the much larger freebies that flow to the wealthy every day. Mamdani’s win shows that more and more New Yorkers see through the hypocrisy.

---

After the Trump administration confirmed a rumor that the US is planning to buy a 10 percent stake in Intel, US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) came forward Wednesday to voice support for the highly unusual plan, finding rare common ground with Donald Trump.

According to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the plan would see the US disbursing approved CHIPS Act grants only after acquiring non-voting shares of Intel and likely other chipmakers. That would allow the US to profit off its investment in chipmakers, Lutnick suggested, and Sanders told Reuters that he agreed American taxpayers could benefit from the potential deals.

"If microchip companies make a profit from the generous grants they receive from the federal government, the taxpayers of America have a right to a reasonable return on that investment," Sanders said.

Read full article

Comments

#Kento #Mia #Ully #Rowen #RoninWarriors

Five-minute short film from Apple, about people with severe hand tremors from Parkinson’s disease using the iPhone’s Action mode to shoot steady video — including filmmaker Brett Harvey, who was diagnosed at the way-too-young age of 37. There’s also a brief short with Harvey explaining the settings to shoot in Action mode by default, or to use voice controls to avoid needing to tap buttons.

Apple at its very best. If this doesn’t hit you, you’re not hooked up right.

Joe V’s Smart Shop’s newest location opens this morning at 10241 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77037. Located at the corner of West and I-45, Joe V’s takes the space most recently occupied by Fry’s Electronics. The grocery store is the low-cost banner of HEB and operates with a more limited selection than a traditional HEB store at a lower price point. Before this location, HEB had planned for a Joe V’s in East Aldine, but ...

The order bars Paxton from prosecuting O’Rourke’s nonprofit or otherwise bringing legal action aimed at revoking Powered by People’s charter.

Texas' Senate Bill 10, which requires the commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in the state, is set to take effect Sept. 1. U.S. Judge Fred Biery, in a temporary injunction issued Wednesday, blocked several school districts in the Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio areas from following the new law.

In initial 2025-2026 budget projections, county officials said they expect to lower outsourcing costs by several million dollars as the population at the Harris County Jail has seen a significant dip this year — about 1,200 fewer inmates since early February.

Paxton accused O'Rourke's group of improperly funding the quorum break by Texas House Democrats.

HONOLULU—Calling his portrayal of a Native Hawaiʻian chief “straight out of the 1700s,” critics, scholars, and fans alike praised Chief Of War star Jason Momoa this week for the historical accuracy of his ass. “Of all the period dramas that have come out in the past two decades, this is by far the most realistic historical ass I’ve seen,” said University of Hawaiʻi historian Douglas Hale, who stated that Momoa had evidently spent hundreds of hours studying 18th-century sketches, lithographs, and texts depicting and describing the asses of great warriors like Kaʻiana, whom he plays in the new Apple TV+ series. “Normally, you expect Hollywood to take a lot of creative liberties with this type of story, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much care and research had clearly gone into authentically representing those cheeks. My hope is that Chief Of War will get a lot more people interested in studying the asses of the past.”  At press time, the series was facing backlash after fans had reportedly become frustrated by the show’s historically inaccurate lack of full swinging hog.

The post Jason Momoa Praised For Historical Accuracy Of ‘Chief Of War’ Ass appeared first on The Onion.

Foregoing any flowery language about reigniting the passion in your marriage, we’re just going to come out and say this secluded vacation rental is perfect for fucking in. Loudly!

Reference #90210

The post We Want You To Fuck Here appeared first on The Onion.

The White House ordered a sweeping review of Smithsonian museum exhibits to ensure alignment with President Trump’s vision of American exceptionalism, even as the Smithsonian affirms its scholarly mission. What do you think?

The post White House Evaluates Smithsonian For Alignment With Trump appeared first on The Onion.

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Dare: go into a loud bar and only make goat noises during 3 hours of communication, and see if anyone notices.

Today's News:

Get your copy of A City on Mars signed in person in Charlottesville, VA on August 23rd!

Visitors have unearthed more than 35,000 diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park since 1972.

OLLU started the fall semester on Monday with 19 fewer degree programs than it had in the spring. Students in one of the cut programs say the university isn’t meeting its obligations to them.

Republican lawmakers are pursuing the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan amid pressure from President Donald Trump to protect the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House.

The GOP push to redraw the state’s congressional maps isn’t just a partisan move but one that deeply affects how Texans are represented in Congress.

The US actress says life is "a daily struggle", seven months after husband Jeff Baena's suicide.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Employees recording conversations without consent

I used to share an office with a group of other managers. One of them was very disgruntled at the time and, unbeknownst to me, was keeping his phone open and recording all the various conversations happening in the office, I think hoping to catch someone in something he could get them in trouble for. I found out about this and brought it to my manager. I felt that it was an invasion of my privacy and felt pretty violated and annoyed. My manager framed it as, “Well, this is a one-party consent state, so there’s nothing we can do.” It was an extremely demoralizing response and one of many ways in which I felt unsupported by my boss. I didn’t realize until later that “one party” means someone in the conversation needs to be one of those parties. Someone can’t just record two people having a conversation they are not involved in themselves. I wish I would have known that at the time and pushed back more!

Anyway, that was an old job that I have thankfully left. However, a friend of mine is in a very similar situation where her employee has recorded multiple one-on-one conversations with my friend. Since that employee is one of the parties in the conversation, my understanding is that this is legal, but is it also realistic to want to shut this down and discipline the employee? My old boss would not have done that; he said since it was legal, there was nothing he could do. So really, my question is twofold: what would you do about the employee who recorded multiple people talking in an office, and what could my friend do to address her employee recording their conversations?

One-party recording laws refer to whether it’s illegal to record someone without their knowledge or consent. It has nothing to do with whether an employer can choose to have policies against surreptitious recording in their own office! An employer absolutely could prohibit that and discipline or fire someone for it, regardless of whether they’re in a one-party-consent state or not. Your manager was being ridiculous and was wrong when he said there was nothing they could do.

As for your friend, at a minimum she needs to tell the employee that she’s not permitted to record in their office without the consent of the people being recorded (or of management, or whatever makes sense for the situation). She also should figure out why the employee was recording her: does the employee feel the manager is saying one thing but then doing another, harassing her, or otherwise engaging in some form of misconduct? Or is it a purely adversarial move? Either way, your friend can prohibit the recording, but figuring out what’s behind it is important to figuring out whether something more than that needs to be done.

2. My team keeps asking me about my feelings

I would love some advice on how to deal with my new “touchy-feely” work group. In the past few months, my immediate team of three people was moved from Division #1 to Division #2. I actually like most of the people I’ll be working with in Division #2 on an individual basis, but the problem is that the division as a whole has a very “touchy-feely” culture that is making me uncomfortable. The thing I’m most uncomfortable with right now is that they start every meeting by asking everyone how they feel that day, and anyone who indicates they’re feeling less than “good” that day is asked if they want to talk about it. As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression (and is in a profession that is being seriously negatively affected by the current administration), I hate this. I don’t want to share my feelings at work, especially in a meeting of 6+ people.

The problem is exacerbated because everyone else almost always indicates that they are feeling “good” at the beginning of every meeting. I’m usually the only one who indicates that I’m feeling “neutral” or “bad.” I feel singled out, and I also feel like I’m going crazy because apparently everyone else is having a great day, even though our profession is going up in flames!

Should I just pretend like I’m feeling “good” at every meeting, or is there a way to get them to stop asking about my feelings all the time?

Yeah, if you say you’re feeling “bad,” it’s virtually guaranteed that any halfway considerate person is going to ask more about it, out of basic politeness if nothing else. The very easy way to solve this is to say you’re “good.” You’re not obligated to provide an honest answer about how you’re feeling if it’s not something you want to get into. (In fact, I’d argue that even if you did want to talk about it, a team meeting wouldn’t necessarily be the place for it anyway.)

So from here onward, your answer is always that you’re “pretty good” or “good” or “doing well” or so forth, and that solves the problem.

I do think it’s probably notable that you’ve felt compelled to answer honestly despite hating it, and it would be interesting to know if you’re overlooking other situations where bland niceties are permissible and would make your life easier!

3. My manager frequently mistypes words

My manager very frequently misspells words, names, and acronyms, or flip flops words in a sentence. For example, he might spell Robert as “Robret” or DHS as “DSH.” Typically there is at least one incorrect spelling per day in his emails. I think it makes our team look unprofessional, but readers can typically still understand the meaning of the email with the incorrect elements. Sometimes, this adds more work for me, because I have to review edits he makes to my documents with a fine-toothed comb. I have a hunch he may be dyslexic or have a similar disability, but he has never shared anything about that with me. Is there anything I can do here to improve the situation?

If you’re good at proofreading and like doing it, you can let him know you like to proofread and are always happy to proof things before they’re sent out, but otherwise no. (And if we’re mostly talking about internal emails, it’s unlikely to be a big deal, assuming your company didn’t hire him as, you know, a proofreader.)

If you were his manager, you could suggest he turn on spellcheck and read things over more carefully, but as his employee it’s not really yours to fix.

For the edits he makes to your work, though, a lot of programs have a Compare Documents function where you can compare two versions of the document and easily see what changed.

Related:
are senior execs too busy for spelling and grammar?

4. LinkedIn is watering down its hate speech policy

Just read this article about LinkedIn removing protections for trans people from their terms of service and wondered if it sparked any thoughts about LinkedIn, or whether your readers might want to know about this if they didn’t spot an article about it.

For people who didn’t click: LinkedIn’s “Hateful and Derogatory Content” page used to include language prohibiting the “misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.” Sometime recently, they quietly deleted it. They also edited their “Harassment and Abusive Content” section to remove “race or gender identity” from what comments targeting others will fall under their hate speech rules.

Yeah, it sparks some thoughts about LinkedIn, and those thoughts are that actively going out of your way to roll back protections on marginalized groups is a real shit move.

5. Including things from elementary school on a resume

My son is a rising college senior. He has been in a pre-health-professions major until this summer but decided that he does not want to continue in that direction (grad school and such). But the demands of the track he’s been on, including requirements for trainings and certifications, job shadowing, and so on mean that his resume is very thin in the work history area. He’s got a job now and so he has a year to improve that aspect, and we can package the trainings and field experiences to show, more or less, that he is trainable and maybe has some skills relevant to what he might want to do. But it’s still a short resume, mostly summer service jobs before this year, and he is applying now for a position that would start after his graduation that requires he submit a current resume.

His dad is recommending that he include some volunteer activities he did a few times in elementary school (“shows he is a good person”) and a national athletic title he won in eighth grade (“shows dedication”). I feel like the risk of having it come out that these were childhood experiences isn’t worth it. I see that you didn’t make strong recommendations about including or omitting hobbies on resumes, and recommended including volunteer activity only it it is relevant. In this situation, balancing the fear of presenting a thin resume with the worry about the filler being quite outdated information, what would you tell him to do?

He 100% should not include anything from elementary school or the eighth grade. It’s just not done on resumes. Work experience from high school, maybe in some cases. But before that, no — and definitely not as far back as elementary school. It would make his judgment look really off and cast him in a childish light.

A short resume with mostly summer jobs is fine for a current college student!

Related:
what to put on a resume when you have zero work experience

The post employees recording conversations, team keeps asking me about my feelings, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

Hey, check this out! This is pretty wild! #CowboyWho