So, let’s take the SA out of the equation, not discounting or downplaying that, it’s abhorrent and vile, no one is disputing that, neither here nor on any other website, but it isn't dealing with the issue \that i keep seeing about "Red flags" and how others "should have known".
Now, let’s break this down:
- Owner of a small business (it’s small in employee numbers) hires people he may or may not be sleeping with, in a consenting (to the outside viewer) and/or paid relationship (however dysfunctional it is or seems) with employees/subordinates.
Same owner shows strong narcissistic (true narcissism, not the weird definition of it that seems to have permeated the world where everyone thinks all it means is selfishness or being self involved) traits (at best. Probably full blown narcissism or BPD) treats everyone in the company like trash, gaslights, abuses, berates, condescends. So when he does it to his lovers within the company, nothing seems out of sorts to how you yourself get treated.
Let’s be real, we, the audience, have witnessed team members have their physical traits mocked on air (“the giant head of Lady Clavin"), their food preferences (Steve), their ability to pronounce words, generally those of another language (Fiasco), their opinions on things (“you can have your opinion but it’s WRONG!” Or “you think X but you’re wrong because I think Y and my opinion is the right one” - sound familiar? These are practically direct quotes from shows that I’ve heard over the last 9 years of watching/listening) and just general mockery.
If someone is willing to do this ON AIR, can you even imagine what is said away from the adoring public?!
- I touched on it above but let’s dig a little deeper… said owner hires men he is or wants to sleep with. Is this a red flag if it happens at a mid-sized company? Sure. But small businesses often hire friends/family/loved ones to work for them.
Is it also a red flag that Teresa, owner’s SIL, was hired?
Kevin, other owner’s boyfriend at the time?
No one seems to think John was wrong to hire Kevin… and not one person here or on the other website (from the 4th thread, I didn’t read back through 1-3) has mentioned that it was “red flags” to have hired Teresa, or Kevin for that matter.
So tell me again, why is it up to Craig, Ryno, or anyone else within the company to have raised issues when the owner of the company decides to hire his boyfriends? It’s not unheard of in small businesses, and it’s absolutely not the place of other employees to raise concern.
So, back to it… if we take out the SA, which Dustin and Sean have both admitted they never disclosed to anyone, much less their peers and colleagues within the DIS, and the treatment of ALL employees was practically uniform, with flavours of the month either being doted on, or absolutely reamed on a daily basis, AND the fact that it isn’t out of the ordinary for small business owners to hire loved ones, what on earth is it that you’re asking of Craig and Ryno and the rest to have
A. Seen and spoken up about
or
B. Stopped?
Seriously.
Think about this logically and take the emotion out of it.
Red flags may have been obvious to us, the viewer, but when that is the known and accepted culture within the team, what is it exactly you’ve expected the guys to have done? I don’t even know what people wanted others to do?
Dustin has said this multiple times, but for the cheap seats in the back, let me spell it out:
NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THE SA!!!
So, again, can we please just stop now with the red flags arguments, it gains nothing, it helps no one and even IF something could have been said/done, it is in the past, it cannot be changed.
