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Monday, January 22, 2018
What happens if you insult a Morning Joe ‘technician’
MSNBC: Sam Stein learns a thing or two about what happens if you blame the 'technician.'
Wow go TV news technicians! This is a great example of the under appreciation and low recognition that I think so many behind the scenes technicians and workers get handed every day that they go into work. It is always nice to get a little recognition from the people that the public sees as "making the news" or "making the movies", but I think it would be so much better if TV and movie viewers were really able to have access to a platform through which they could actually understand what Hollywood technicians, camera people, stage hands, etc. really do. As someone who has been so interested in the "behind the scenes" of the theatre world growing up, I always wished that designers, production staff, etc. of big movies could be interviewed on TV just like actors and directors so often are so that I could get some insight into their processes too. Overall, I am glad to get a little humor from the morning news and to see some technicians get some recognition.
This was my first year going to the women's march as I was somewhat unimpressed by the people who organized the one last year in Chicago. I went to this one because I feel I have been lazy in my engagement with the resistance since coming to school. The women's march is a really weird place for me because I really have no choice but to protest. My identity as a black non binary person means that I am always protesting just by deciding to live my life outside of the confines of the gender binary. At the women's march, I was alienated by signs that falsely equivocated female bodies with womanhood and white women angrily looking at my sign (which reminded them that the majority of white women who voted voted for Trump). I think that stories like this leave out the voices of those who need to be uplifted. I really hope that the media coverage of all of the recent feminist undertakings would seek to center women and genderqueer people on the fringes because we deserve to be seen too.
This article was definitely not what I thought it was though I am soooooooooooooo glad that I clicked on it. It is so nice seeing a whole host team of the Morning Joe show backing up the technician. I am so glad that this wasn’t a call out alone but showed the control room. Technicians work too hard to be not recognized by the general public. Technicians, designers, and managers don’t necessarily work to be in the spotlight but a spotlight needs to be shown to these workers who make the entertainment industry run! One of my favorite moments from the Golden Globes' opening speech was when Seth Meyers called thanks to the technicians and crew working on all the shows. This will also hopefully lead to people understanding and talking about technician issues of working in abusive workplaces and dealing with sexual harassment. It is great that the #metoo campaign and times up campaign is happening but a lot the articles being published don’t talk about how things could be improved for technicians. The times up campaign is focusing on all sexual harassment, which is good but I don’t know how much change will happen for technicians.
That could possibly be one of the most phenomenal morning news clips I have ever seen. The co workers of that man had not only turned what he said right back on him but also did so much more. They managed to show the crew which just doesn’t happen and applaud their work with recognition and grateful words of thanks. They even then got the crew a gift card as retribution for blaming the technicians. However, this also goes to show a couple of things that occur in this and similar industries, one of which being that of blame and its hierarchy. Many think that if trouble comes along it is okay to blame the person directly below them and this can travel one person or all the way to the intern or lowest working technician in that line of people. Someone who may not have been involved at all can be hurt this way. It is also brings up the unknown value of the technicians working on any given thing as technicians are often highly valued when it comes to conversations but are rarely shown appreciation for what they do. In the end it was quite great that the technicians got to have a little fun with it and probably really enjoyed what was going on.
This is just great. This video seriously makes me so happy. Knowing that I am going to be going into a business that is notorious for being cut throat and an often thankless job to boot, it is uplifting to see people like this standing up for the people who so often go unnoticed. I love the fact that the booing lasted so long. That was just great. In light of all the negative news that has been circulating throughout almost every news outlet for weeks about the entertainment industry, it is a nice breath of fresh air to read see things like this that just make you feel good about the career path that we have chosen for ourselves. We kind of help to support the people whose faces are actually front and center and who often get most of the publicity, and it feels nice to know that there are people out there who genuinely appreciate what we do.
I found this article both very cringey and hilarious. Cringey because I cannot imagine how awkward it must be for Sam as his colleagues rightfully scold him for blaming the technician. Funny because he totally deserves it! I love that the other hosts are supporting the crew and acknowledging the handwork and hours that is put in to create this show. Technicians become technicians knowing that it is a field of little recognition and credit. Fame is not why someone becomes a technician and I believe that a good technician disappears into the shadows to create the unseen backbone of a show. Because of this, people often forget that it is still possible for the technician to make their presence known in a very obvious way. Because we work in the business of making things run smoothly, we are also capable of making things shut down - as hilariously shown in this clip. Without technicians, those screens wouldn't be working and there would be no sound coming out of those mics. It takes a lot to put on a show and a lot of that work is a technician's job so it is always great to see a story like this once in a while when the backstage people get to be front and center. Sam better have gone out and bought those Starbucks gift cards..
This article was amazingly entertaining! I am so happy to see that most of the hosts on Morning Joe understand that technicians are people too. I love seeing people get what is coming to them, and in this scenario it was swift and merciless. I hope that the technicians were having as much fun as it looked. When they started messing around with his voice I couldn’t help but laugh. I really cannot understand why Sam Stein thought that it was okay to blame the technician in the first place, or why he kept with it even after his co-hosts told him it was wrong; all the while having the stupidest grin I’ve seen in a long time plastered on his face. It feels great to see technicians get the thanks that they truly deserve. Hopefully they get the starbucks cards that the other hosts were promising. And I hope that Sam ends up paying for them too.
I don’t think that I have ever laughed so hard in my life at a video as that one. You never blame the technician. Those people are in the room hours before you are, under extreme stress to get it all right and perfect and making sure that everything works even before your sloppy butt gets in the room and then when something goes wrong, you want to blame them? Ha! Nope, not on my watch! As a TD for a large venue in my life before grad school, I ran sound and lights for a lot of groups that used the space. Graduations, lectures, concerts, shows, movies. We did it all. The team I had were all volunteer and were always professional, polite, and ready to assist without complaint and wow did I have to deal with some complainers. For some people nothing can ever be right and if they screwed up, it was always someone else’s fault. As a lead, you don’t forget the names and faces of people yelling at your crew when you come walking into the room and treating then as less than a human because they may be a star. It is never ok to treat the people who are there to help you as subordinates who are to do your bidding. If you are that kind of person you need to rethink your career choice.
I often wonder what it will be like to work as a professional technician or designer in the entertainment industry. Popular culture often portrays the technician and performer relationship as a power hierarchy in which performers abuse techs and take their position for granted. Howver, while some people are like this, as evidenced by the clip, it heartens me to see the immediate and unforgiving backlash at blaming the technician by other anchors on the show. Part of creating an equitable society for all is a fundamental respect for all people, regardless of their sex, gender, nationality, religion, skin color, or their job title. Without that respect, there cannot be any progress towards equity. Thus, seeing the other hosts defend technicians with vigor really just made my day! Not only did they rebuke the pay, but they demanded recompense for the rude host's comment about the tech in terms of monetary punishment.
The gull of this guy, this proves the lack of respect that is encouraged in this new political environmental climate. But I could not be prouder of the host of the Morning Joe for promptly rejecting the notion that its ok to degrade the people who work the hardest to make their show happen every day. At the level that a tv station such as Morning Joe must operate at, what ever caused the delay was most likely out of the control of the technicians anyway. They probably did the best the could to fix the the timely manner. The point is that this guy probably had no clue what was going on and should not speak on things he doesn’t know about. It is so sad the lack of common sense that a professional speaking on national TV, would so blatantly pass the blame on something so trivial. I hope they never invite him back to interview on that show. Or any other show, for that matter.
Wow, what a greatly encouraging video. I feel like it's people like this Sam Stein person who are really reinforcing this dated stereotype of blaming "the technician" for their own shortcomings. I mean, he really is an ungrateful bastard. So it's both hilarious and comforting to see him get his comeuppance so swiftly and resoundingly, and on broadcast TV as well. I also found it hilarious how the technicians jump in on the fun and start screwing with his visual and audio cues. I've always enjoyed watching morning Joe and feel that the hosts have always done a good job of staying lighthearted with all the challenges of today's news, so this just gives me another reason to like them and their show. Way to go Morning Joe! We need more people like this who are willing to call out Jackasses like Sam Stein. The more people like Joe and Mika the better off we'll all be.
Wow, I am very impressed by these news anchor’s response to this man’s mistake! It is pretty incredible that they all decided to chime in together and correct his thinking. I hope that he understands the reason why any sort of entertainer, performer, or anchor should never blame the technician while in front of an audience. I recently saw Kendrick Lamar perform at his tour in Atlanta. Travis Scott opened for him, but was yelling at the technicians throughout his entire set! He screamed to turn off the smoke and to make the spot red multiple times because it was bothering him. I am not sure if he has ever BEEN TO A CONCERT BEFORE, but those things come with performing! If he had asked nicely, it would have been different, but in between songs, he berated the technicians, saying, “I don't know why we even rehearse if you guys are just going to f*** it up anyway.” Knowing he was in front of fans who idolized him, he was definitely power tripping. I didn’t listen to his music before, but now I certainly won’t. Morning Joe has done it right by including that rule in their constitution.
This post is funny, but I really don't understand what the big uproar about . Sure, Technicians deserve recognition for the work they do behind the scenes to make the show work as it's supposed to, but really who cares if he blamed "the technician" as a joke. Nobody know the person's name, nobody's gonna look up the crew list of the show and think "Oh I bet it was that person who slacked off on the show". I think it's really much ado about nothing. He wasn't berating his technicians like another commenter described, or really power tripping at all. Now, admittedly, I don't watch TV at all, and I don't know Sam Stein at all either, I don't know if he's a good or bad person, but I do know that all this uproar about the treatment of "the poor technician who's just trying to do their job" seems like virtue signaling to me. Who knows, maybe it was the technician's fault.
13 comments:
Wow go TV news technicians! This is a great example of the under appreciation and low recognition that I think so many behind the scenes technicians and workers get handed every day that they go into work. It is always nice to get a little recognition from the people that the public sees as "making the news" or "making the movies", but I think it would be so much better if TV and movie viewers were really able to have access to a platform through which they could actually understand what Hollywood technicians, camera people, stage hands, etc. really do. As someone who has been so interested in the "behind the scenes" of the theatre world growing up, I always wished that designers, production staff, etc. of big movies could be interviewed on TV just like actors and directors so often are so that I could get some insight into their processes too. Overall, I am glad to get a little humor from the morning news and to see some technicians get some recognition.
This was my first year going to the women's march as I was somewhat unimpressed by the people who organized the one last year in Chicago. I went to this one because I feel I have been lazy in my engagement with the resistance since coming to school.
The women's march is a really weird place for me because I really have no choice but to protest. My identity as a black non binary person means that I am always protesting just by deciding to live my life outside of the confines of the gender binary. At the women's march, I was alienated by signs that falsely equivocated female bodies with womanhood and white women angrily looking at my sign (which reminded them that the majority of white women who voted voted for Trump).
I think that stories like this leave out the voices of those who need to be uplifted. I really hope that the media coverage of all of the recent feminist undertakings would seek to center women and genderqueer people on the fringes because we deserve to be seen too.
This article was definitely not what I thought it was though I am soooooooooooooo glad that I clicked on it. It is so nice seeing a whole host team of the Morning Joe show backing up the technician. I am so glad that this wasn’t a call out alone but showed the control room. Technicians work too hard to be not recognized by the general public. Technicians, designers, and managers don’t necessarily work to be in the spotlight but a spotlight needs to be shown to these workers who make the entertainment industry run! One of my favorite moments from the Golden Globes' opening speech was when Seth Meyers called thanks to the technicians and crew working on all the shows. This will also hopefully lead to people understanding and talking about technician issues of working in abusive workplaces and dealing with sexual harassment. It is great that the #metoo campaign and times up campaign is happening but a lot the articles being published don’t talk about how things could be improved for technicians. The times up campaign is focusing on all sexual harassment, which is good but I don’t know how much change will happen for technicians.
That could possibly be one of the most phenomenal morning news clips I have ever seen. The co workers of that man had not only turned what he said right back on him but also did so much more. They managed to show the crew which just doesn’t happen and applaud their work with recognition and grateful words of thanks. They even then got the crew a gift card as retribution for blaming the technicians. However, this also goes to show a couple of things that occur in this and similar industries, one of which being that of blame and its hierarchy. Many think that if trouble comes along it is okay to blame the person directly below them and this can travel one person or all the way to the intern or lowest working technician in that line of people. Someone who may not have been involved at all can be hurt this way. It is also brings up the unknown value of the technicians working on any given thing as technicians are often highly valued when it comes to conversations but are rarely shown appreciation for what they do. In the end it was quite great that the technicians got to have a little fun with it and probably really enjoyed what was going on.
This is just great. This video seriously makes me so happy. Knowing that I am going to be going into a business that is notorious for being cut throat and an often thankless job to boot, it is uplifting to see people like this standing up for the people who so often go unnoticed. I love the fact that the booing lasted so long. That was just great. In light of all the negative news that has been circulating throughout almost every news outlet for weeks about the entertainment industry, it is a nice breath of fresh air to read see things like this that just make you feel good about the career path that we have chosen for ourselves. We kind of help to support the people whose faces are actually front and center and who often get most of the publicity, and it feels nice to know that there are people out there who genuinely appreciate what we do.
I found this article both very cringey and hilarious. Cringey because I cannot imagine how awkward it must be for Sam as his colleagues rightfully scold him for blaming the technician. Funny because he totally deserves it! I love that the other hosts are supporting the crew and acknowledging the handwork and hours that is put in to create this show. Technicians become technicians knowing that it is a field of little recognition and credit. Fame is not why someone becomes a technician and I believe that a good technician disappears into the shadows to create the unseen backbone of a show. Because of this, people often forget that it is still possible for the technician to make their presence known in a very obvious way. Because we work in the business of making things run smoothly, we are also capable of making things shut down - as hilariously shown in this clip. Without technicians, those screens wouldn't be working and there would be no sound coming out of those mics. It takes a lot to put on a show and a lot of that work is a technician's job so it is always great to see a story like this once in a while when the backstage people get to be front and center. Sam better have gone out and bought those Starbucks gift cards..
This article was amazingly entertaining! I am so happy to see that most of the hosts on Morning Joe understand that technicians are people too. I love seeing people get what is coming to them, and in this scenario it was swift and merciless. I hope that the technicians were having as much fun as it looked. When they started messing around with his voice I couldn’t help but laugh. I really cannot understand why Sam Stein thought that it was okay to blame the technician in the first place, or why he kept with it even after his co-hosts told him it was wrong; all the while having the stupidest grin I’ve seen in a long time plastered on his face. It feels great to see technicians get the thanks that they truly deserve. Hopefully they get the starbucks cards that the other hosts were promising. And I hope that Sam ends up paying for them too.
I don’t think that I have ever laughed so hard in my life at a video as that one. You never blame the technician. Those people are in the room hours before you are, under extreme stress to get it all right and perfect and making sure that everything works even before your sloppy butt gets in the room and then when something goes wrong, you want to blame them? Ha! Nope, not on my watch! As a TD for a large venue in my life before grad school, I ran sound and lights for a lot of groups that used the space. Graduations, lectures, concerts, shows, movies. We did it all. The team I had were all volunteer and were always professional, polite, and ready to assist without complaint and wow did I have to deal with some complainers. For some people nothing can ever be right and if they screwed up, it was always someone else’s fault. As a lead, you don’t forget the names and faces of people yelling at your crew when you come walking into the room and treating then as less than a human because they may be a star. It is never ok to treat the people who are there to help you as subordinates who are to do your bidding. If you are that kind of person you need to rethink your career choice.
I often wonder what it will be like to work as a professional technician or designer in the entertainment industry. Popular culture often portrays the technician and performer relationship as a power hierarchy in which performers abuse techs and take their position for granted. Howver, while some people are like this, as evidenced by the clip, it heartens me to see the immediate and unforgiving backlash at blaming the technician by other anchors on the show. Part of creating an equitable society for all is a fundamental respect for all people, regardless of their sex, gender, nationality, religion, skin color, or their job title. Without that respect, there cannot be any progress towards equity. Thus, seeing the other hosts defend technicians with vigor really just made my day! Not only did they rebuke the pay, but they demanded recompense for the rude host's comment about the tech in terms of monetary punishment.
The gull of this guy, this proves the lack of respect that is encouraged in this new political environmental climate. But I could not be prouder of the host of the Morning Joe for promptly rejecting the notion that its ok to degrade the people who work the hardest to make their show happen every day. At the level that a tv station such as Morning Joe must operate at, what ever caused the delay was most likely out of the control of the technicians anyway. They probably did the best the could to fix the the timely manner. The point is that this guy probably had no clue what was going on and should not speak on things he doesn’t know about. It is so sad the lack of common sense that a professional speaking on national TV, would so blatantly pass the blame on something so trivial. I hope they never invite him back to interview on that show. Or any other show, for that matter.
Wow, what a greatly encouraging video. I feel like it's people like this Sam Stein person who are really reinforcing this dated stereotype of blaming "the technician" for their own shortcomings. I mean, he really is an ungrateful bastard. So it's both hilarious and comforting to see him get his comeuppance so swiftly and resoundingly, and on broadcast TV as well. I also found it hilarious how the technicians jump in on the fun and start screwing with his visual and audio cues. I've always enjoyed watching morning Joe and feel that the hosts have always done a good job of staying lighthearted with all the challenges of today's news, so this just gives me another reason to like them and their show. Way to go Morning Joe! We need more people like this who are willing to call out Jackasses like Sam Stein. The more people like Joe and Mika the better off we'll all be.
Wow, I am very impressed by these news anchor’s response to this man’s mistake! It is pretty incredible that they all decided to chime in together and correct his thinking. I hope that he understands the reason why any sort of entertainer, performer, or anchor should never blame the technician while in front of an audience. I recently saw Kendrick Lamar perform at his tour in Atlanta. Travis Scott opened for him, but was yelling at the technicians throughout his entire set! He screamed to turn off the smoke and to make the spot red multiple times because it was bothering him. I am not sure if he has ever BEEN TO A CONCERT BEFORE, but those things come with performing! If he had asked nicely, it would have been different, but in between songs, he berated the technicians, saying, “I don't know why we even rehearse if you guys are just going to f*** it up anyway.” Knowing he was in front of fans who idolized him, he was definitely power tripping. I didn’t listen to his music before, but now I certainly won’t. Morning Joe has done it right by including that rule in their constitution.
This post is funny, but I really don't understand what the big uproar about . Sure, Technicians deserve recognition for the work they do behind the scenes to make the show work as it's supposed to, but really who cares if he blamed "the technician" as a joke. Nobody know the person's name, nobody's gonna look up the crew list of the show and think "Oh I bet it was that person who slacked off on the show". I think it's really much ado about nothing. He wasn't berating his technicians like another commenter described, or really power tripping at all. Now, admittedly, I don't watch TV at all, and I don't know Sam Stein at all either, I don't know if he's a good or bad person, but I do know that all this uproar about the treatment of "the poor technician who's just trying to do their job" seems like virtue signaling to me. Who knows, maybe it was the technician's fault.
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