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Medium: My name is Dan Mahoney. I was born and raised in New York. I am a proud member and employee of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union that represents backstage crew and technicians in entertainment.
10 comments:
Alex Talbot
said...
I saw this article on Twitter a few days ago, and I thought that it was another interesting anecdote about Trump and not just how he treats those in stagecraft unions, but unions and the working class in general. If he refuses to address the concerns of IATSE members, how will he treat the working class and the unionized as a president? This article, while rather limited in its scope and its view on the candidate, is an interesting anecdote on Trump and his general attitude towards unions and workers rights. He acts as if he represents the common man and his interests, but with anecdotes like this it is clear that in many circumstances he doesn't represent the working class unionized workers if they go against his interests. Although this article was limited, I think it accurately represented the attitude Trump displays towards the working class and those who are against his interests.
I thought this article was a very unique perspective. We look at Donald Trump as a candidate now and often only keep in mind what the possibilities for the future are. His past is frequently forgotten. He is a businessman, but what kind of a businessman in he? This article and countless others repeatedly prove he is not a businessman that is on our side. His attitude is to make more, build bigger but what is the cost? The "little people" make that larger people and disregarding the hard working unions behind the magic truly speaks to his character. It is another example of the horrendous "us versus they" attitude. As Americans, we are a holistic team. It is sad to see how Trump treats his team in the past. I would be scared to see it on the scale of the entire United States. I'm glad this article came up because it is a very valid point in assessing the character of our possibly future president.
Wow. This letter, short and sweet, says more about the presidential campaign than I’ve heard from any ad, news story, and interview combined. This man witnessed the straight-up neglect and selfishness, which many people are basing their anti-Trump campaigns on, in person. I really like this letter, and I wish it was titled with a less click-bait and stereotypical headline. Maybe a more effective way to spread the word would be to have a whole database of these letters for people who already have been exposed to and affected by Trump’s decisions. I feel like saying you are going to be affected and making claims about how different life is going to be holds so much less weight than personal past experiences. Before this presidential race, Trump was already a big name in the media and definitely interacted with thousands of people, and maybe it would be a good idea for these thousands of people to go public and show who the real Trump really is.
This man has said everything that everyone has wanted to say about Donald Trump and the 2016 political campaigns in less than a page. I am so glad to have read this, because I have really been struggling with this presidential election. Being from South Carolina I feel as if I am branded Republican. I feel as if I am branded racist. I feel as if I am branded so many things. My geographic location has no sway over my political stance. I am southern but I do not support Donald Trump. I am southern but I support abortion rights. Donald Trump will not get my vote because when I look at that man I see a lier and a cheat but I do not brand this as a geographical thing. When the election roles around I will be casting my vote for Hillary in Pennsylvania because I care about this nations future and I cannot look at four more years of crossing picket lines and looking down on the men and women that primp your hair and press your shirts. Thank you for posting this article yet again.
This is not very long, and it isn't very detailed but it says all the right things. What scared me the most about Mr. Trumps campaign is that there are people in this country who believe that he is going to work for the middle class family, and for the people of unions. More than that it scares me that there are people who aren't exposed to enough to learn that what they believe is not true. We have to start teaching people around the country enough so that they can make an educated vote, and they can understand everything that is happening. I try very hard to be involved and do the best I can to never fall behind in the world, but access has to be better for everyone, especially people who aren't as lucky to attend a high level collegiate institution. I really appreciate what this man has to say, and I agree with all of it, but unfortunately it does not put me at ease for the future of our country at all. For every one of him there is another person who is a Trump supporter, and that is terrifying.
So, I don’t mean to get too political with what I put out to the world, but I usually fail in that endeavor. That being said, take anything you hear me say about the matter with a grain of salt, and know that, though I believe in understanding as many perspectives as I can, I personally have a bias towards a more liberal and left leaning perspective when it comes to American politics.
I think that this letter, quite frankly, sums up the argument against Mr. Trump as a candidate for the most powerful position that a person can hold in the western world, and arguably, the world. The letter shows the perspective of a working man who labored for Mr. Trump, petitioned for fairness, and was completely dismissed by the man who’s theme song (aside from the songs he plays without permission, but that’s another article) is ‘For the Love of Money’. This shows a man unwilling to make sacrifices to his bottom line so that the people who worked for him could get a union contract in New York. It shows a man who does not care about those who put time and effort into refining a craft, a man who does not care about the working class.
I feel like this is the perfect counter point to everyone who claims Trump cares about the middle class and is the best option for them. He can say that all he wants but this story shows he very clearly does not care about working people. Like Alex said, this letter shows the perspective of the very people Trump claims to represent. Trump loves to talk about what a great boss he is and how well taken care of his employees are but clearly that isn’t the case since letters and articles like this one keep showing up. I agree with Kim that a database of all these letters would be fantastic. As it stands now all of the responses like this are far to spread out to have the impact they could have, and it doesn’t help that they normally only show up in places that were already anti-Trump.
I am very glad that this article has been posted on the blog. It is short and to the point, but it is very impactful. I think this is important for all of us to read, because it is very likely that the majority of us will be working on a crew like this at some point in our careers, if we have not already. This article puts the presidential campaign in a very real perspective. This story is from before Trump's political campaign, before all of the very public lies being fed to the nation. This is how Trump runs the things that he is in charge of. He does not care about the average worker or their basic needs to survive (insurance, etc.). Someone else had mentioned that it would be very beneficial if there were a website or blog of stories and testimonies collected from lower workers that have had to interact with Trump in a setting like this. This is so telling of his actual beliefs and actions than any of his speeches could be.
This article is very interesting, especially since I am on the fence about minimum wage topics like that at hand. I do believe that every American should have a living wage, but I am not sure if that wage should be fifteen dollars. But the fact that Trump was making millions while the people working for this show were struggling, it shows that actions speak louder than words. Trump has said so much during this election, but he has also done much more. He takes back so many things that he has said and claims he stands for certain things that his actions show otherwise. This article was a prime example of how politicians, not just Trump, tend to contradict themselves on a regular basis. As a technician in the theatre entertainment industry, reading this article made me want to do the opposite of vote for Trump. Many people, including Dan, have given examples of these actions to show that he is completely different speaking to an audience of whom he just wants votes from. The basis that I got from this article though is to make sure everyone votes. Considering how this election is going, it is important for every citizen in the United States who can vote to vote. It is also important to look at a candidates actions, not just what they have to say on a camera.
I think it is so interesting that the first time that I am allowed to vote for a presidential candidate Donald Trump is unfortunately on the ballot. This article, along with so many others, details in a concise way how unfortunate it is that Donald Trump is the republican presidential candidate. Specific to this article I was unaware that any television show that functioned and was produced in Los Angeles was not under union contract. Especially on a show so large such as The Apprentice. This article details for me in the simplest way why Donald Trump is truly unfit to run our country. Aside from being a REALITY television star, he is a rude, selfish human with aggressive tendencies. The fact that people cannot separate reality from Reality television makes me fearful for the next generation of this country. People who use what they see on television as their base for what actually goes on in real life are dangerous. I am most fearful for middle class americans like those mentioned in this article that are voting for Trump. Though he talks a big game he has no plan to implement a strong plan that supports the lives of anyone below the 1%. It is my hope that tonight, and throughout the debates that he is exposed for his true self.
10 comments:
I saw this article on Twitter a few days ago, and I thought that it was another interesting anecdote about Trump and not just how he treats those in stagecraft unions, but unions and the working class in general. If he refuses to address the concerns of IATSE members, how will he treat the working class and the unionized as a president? This article, while rather limited in its scope and its view on the candidate, is an interesting anecdote on Trump and his general attitude towards unions and workers rights. He acts as if he represents the common man and his interests, but with anecdotes like this it is clear that in many circumstances he doesn't represent the working class unionized workers if they go against his interests. Although this article was limited, I think it accurately represented the attitude Trump displays towards the working class and those who are against his interests.
I thought this article was a very unique perspective. We look at Donald Trump as a candidate now and often only keep in mind what the possibilities for the future are. His past is frequently forgotten. He is a businessman, but what kind of a businessman in he? This article and countless others repeatedly prove he is not a businessman that is on our side. His attitude is to make more, build bigger but what is the cost? The "little people" make that larger people and disregarding the hard working unions behind the magic truly speaks to his character. It is another example of the horrendous "us versus they" attitude. As Americans, we are a holistic team. It is sad to see how Trump treats his team in the past. I would be scared to see it on the scale of the entire United States. I'm glad this article came up because it is a very valid point in assessing the character of our possibly future president.
Wow. This letter, short and sweet, says more about the presidential campaign than I’ve heard from any ad, news story, and interview combined. This man witnessed the straight-up neglect and selfishness, which many people are basing their anti-Trump campaigns on, in person. I really like this letter, and I wish it was titled with a less click-bait and stereotypical headline. Maybe a more effective way to spread the word would be to have a whole database of these letters for people who already have been exposed to and affected by Trump’s decisions. I feel like saying you are going to be affected and making claims about how different life is going to be holds so much less weight than personal past experiences. Before this presidential race, Trump was already a big name in the media and definitely interacted with thousands of people, and maybe it would be a good idea for these thousands of people to go public and show who the real Trump really is.
This man has said everything that everyone has wanted to say about Donald Trump and the 2016 political campaigns in less than a page. I am so glad to have read this, because I have really been struggling with this presidential election. Being from South Carolina I feel as if I am branded Republican. I feel as if I am branded racist. I feel as if I am branded so many things. My geographic location has no sway over my political stance. I am southern but I do not support Donald Trump. I am southern but I support abortion rights. Donald Trump will not get my vote because when I look at that man I see a lier and a cheat but I do not brand this as a geographical thing. When the election roles around I will be casting my vote for Hillary in Pennsylvania because I care about this nations future and I cannot look at four more years of crossing picket lines and looking down on the men and women that primp your hair and press your shirts. Thank you for posting this article yet again.
This is not very long, and it isn't very detailed but it says all the right things. What scared me the most about Mr. Trumps campaign is that there are people in this country who believe that he is going to work for the middle class family, and for the people of unions. More than that it scares me that there are people who aren't exposed to enough to learn that what they believe is not true. We have to start teaching people around the country enough so that they can make an educated vote, and they can understand everything that is happening. I try very hard to be involved and do the best I can to never fall behind in the world, but access has to be better for everyone, especially people who aren't as lucky to attend a high level collegiate institution. I really appreciate what this man has to say, and I agree with all of it, but unfortunately it does not put me at ease for the future of our country at all. For every one of him there is another person who is a Trump supporter, and that is terrifying.
So, I don’t mean to get too political with what I put out to the world, but I usually fail in that endeavor. That being said, take anything you hear me say about the matter with a grain of salt, and know that, though I believe in understanding as many perspectives as I can, I personally have a bias towards a more liberal and left leaning perspective when it comes to American politics.
I think that this letter, quite frankly, sums up the argument against Mr. Trump as a candidate for the most powerful position that a person can hold in the western world, and arguably, the world. The letter shows the perspective of a working man who labored for Mr. Trump, petitioned for fairness, and was completely dismissed by the man who’s theme song (aside from the songs he plays without permission, but that’s another article) is ‘For the Love of Money’. This shows a man unwilling to make sacrifices to his bottom line so that the people who worked for him could get a union contract in New York. It shows a man who does not care about those who put time and effort into refining a craft, a man who does not care about the working class.
But in all fairness, that’s just my perspective.
I feel like this is the perfect counter point to everyone who claims Trump cares about the middle class and is the best option for them. He can say that all he wants but this story shows he very clearly does not care about working people. Like Alex said, this letter shows the perspective of the very people Trump claims to represent. Trump loves to talk about what a great boss he is and how well taken care of his employees are but clearly that isn’t the case since letters and articles like this one keep showing up. I agree with Kim that a database of all these letters would be fantastic. As it stands now all of the responses like this are far to spread out to have the impact they could have, and it doesn’t help that they normally only show up in places that were already anti-Trump.
I am very glad that this article has been posted on the blog. It is short and to the point, but it is very impactful. I think this is important for all of us to read, because it is very likely that the majority of us will be working on a crew like this at some point in our careers, if we have not already. This article puts the presidential campaign in a very real perspective. This story is from before Trump's political campaign, before all of the very public lies being fed to the nation. This is how Trump runs the things that he is in charge of. He does not care about the average worker or their basic needs to survive (insurance, etc.). Someone else had mentioned that it would be very beneficial if there were a website or blog of stories and testimonies collected from lower workers that have had to interact with Trump in a setting like this. This is so telling of his actual beliefs and actions than any of his speeches could be.
This article is very interesting, especially since I am on the fence about minimum wage topics like that at hand. I do believe that every American should have a living wage, but I am not sure if that wage should be fifteen dollars. But the fact that Trump was making millions while the people working for this show were struggling, it shows that actions speak louder than words. Trump has said so much during this election, but he has also done much more. He takes back so many things that he has said and claims he stands for certain things that his actions show otherwise. This article was a prime example of how politicians, not just Trump, tend to contradict themselves on a regular basis. As a technician in the theatre entertainment industry, reading this article made me want to do the opposite of vote for Trump. Many people, including Dan, have given examples of these actions to show that he is completely different speaking to an audience of whom he just wants votes from. The basis that I got from this article though is to make sure everyone votes. Considering how this election is going, it is important for every citizen in the United States who can vote to vote. It is also important to look at a candidates actions, not just what they have to say on a camera.
I think it is so interesting that the first time that I am allowed to vote for a presidential candidate Donald Trump is unfortunately on the ballot. This article, along with so many others, details in a concise way how unfortunate it is that Donald Trump is the republican presidential candidate. Specific to this article I was unaware that any television show that functioned and was produced in Los Angeles was not under union contract. Especially on a show so large such as The Apprentice.
This article details for me in the simplest way why Donald Trump is truly unfit to run our country. Aside from being a REALITY television star, he is a rude, selfish human with aggressive tendencies. The fact that people cannot separate reality from Reality television makes me fearful for the next generation of this country. People who use what they see on television as their base for what actually goes on in real life are dangerous. I am most fearful for middle class americans like those mentioned in this article that are voting for Trump. Though he talks a big game he has no plan to implement a strong plan that supports the lives of anyone below the 1%. It is my hope that tonight, and throughout the debates that he is exposed for his true self.
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