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I am an Uber survivor

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Re: I am an Uber survivor

#131

Post by CPLX »

jordigh wrote: post #122
CPLX wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The word has lots of original meanings, many of which are quite disparate: "Large price increases could trigger demands for even larger wage increases." "His unpleasant remark triggered an argument that almost cost them their friendship" "Studies show that lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue for Americans." And so on. The usage you're citing is relatively recent jargon.

Yes, that's exactly the problem: it's psychological jargon. People started using it in a jargon way to try to explain to others what PTSD is like. It was supposed to evoke compassion from people if they understood what triggering someone was. Instead it became a point of ridicule and mockery, "oh, I hurt your feelings ? Did I trigger you, sweetheart?"

Then I suppose it hasn't worked has it. Efforts to unilaterally redefine common words are not always successful.

The word, when used as a verb, originally refers to a consequential relationship between two entities. According to Webster's something triggers when it "initiates, actuates or sets off" another thing. It appears her usage of the word is entirely and completely correct.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#132

Post by leggomylibro »

>Travis is well known to protect high performing team leaders no matter how abusive they are towards their employees. The HR team was known to be deftly[sic] afraid of Travis’s tendency to blame and ridicule the women and yell at HR whenever they went in with complaints of abuse. I heard about Travis personally congratulating Mike#2 for meeting strict deadlines months after I complained to HR about my abuse.

This is why I'm skeptical of Uber's promise to investigate these allegations. When I heard that they had retained Eric Holder to investigate, my knee-jerk reaction was petty and cynical: "Great, retain a Chicago politician so you know you'll get the answer you're paying for."

I was a little disappointed in myself at the time, but damn. With this company, I'm starting to think that impression might have been on the money.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#133

Post by antisthenes »

harryh wrote: post #31

Why would someone write an anonymous blog post but then declare that they are: 1) A woman in her late 20s 2) Who used to work at Uber in Engineering working on database and networking scalability 3) Went to a top private college 4) has a Masters in Information Systems 5) previous to Uber worked as a Data Analyst in a tech company in the Midwest and left when it was acquired by a Chinese firm 6) Is 5 foot 7 Caucasian…

This reads like #SJW #cismale_hate porn. I'm inclined to believe the entire blog is complete fiction, and with changed names, it might as well be.

It does nothing but cater to confirmation bias of those already inclined to hate Uber culture (with or without good reason. I'm not an insider, so the original allegations may be 100% correct, but that is completely orthogonal to this blog).

Fiction like this is incredibly harmful to those who have legitimate concerns about company culture and have actually been harassed without consequence, because it drowns their voices in pandering fanfic that reads like it was written by a teenager with a savior complex.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#134

Post by reledi »

Amy, many people believe your story. But based on the flags this story is getting, many don't, at least not yet.

Is there any way you can verify the authenticity of your story without losing your anonymity to the public? For example, would Susan be able to verify you as an ex-employee?

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#135

Post by 1337biz »

jordigh wrote: post #95

> tried to trigger me Man, I really wish the internet hadn't decided that "trigger" means to anger or upset someone instead of the original meaning: provoke an anxiety or panic attack, like lighting firecrackers around war veterans. Not that what Uber is doing here to "Amy" isn't despicable. I'm just a little bothered by this relatively frivolous usage of the word "trigger" compared to the original purpose for using…

I actually think this is a very important process in order to get rid of the weight a word carries. The "triggered" lead us to "triggered snowflakes". "Fake news" has undergone a similar transformation, ie from a term of old media brands branding themselves as the "real news" authority, towards now an ironic term for anything you don't like. What impresses me the most is how fast these tonalities change.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#136

Post by mpweiher »

nappy-doo wrote: post #45
joezydeco wrote: post #28

"In essence, the HR department blackmailed me that if I make noise, I’d be fired. I was distraught by the HR department’s response especially considering that most of the HR folks I dealt with were women." Say it over and over, say it loud, and say it to every single person entering the US workforce from day one: H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS. Amy's situation was grave, and k…

> H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS. You're right, and here's the thing. It seems both women who've come forward would have open-and-shut cases against Uber for multi-millions in damages. It's surprising to me that neither have pursued Uber in this regard. Similarly, it's surprising to me that Uber HR hasn't done the mental calculus to figure out that these women have a solid cas…

> multi-millions in damages. It's surprising

> to me that neither have pursued Uber in this regard.

I also find this surprising to the point of puzzling. Yes, HR (+legal) works for the company, ALWAYS. However, protecting the company from multi-million dollar lawsuits and potential negative publicity certainly falls within the remit, and removing offenders and mollifying victims would be the way to go.

So something doesn't quite add up, and I have a hard time believing "oh, we know that they won't sue" would be sufficient. Then again...hubris.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#137

Post by Mithaldu »

jordigh wrote: post #95

> tried to trigger me Man, I really wish the internet hadn't decided that "trigger" means to anger or upset someone instead of the original meaning: provoke an anxiety or panic attack, like lighting firecrackers around war veterans. Not that what Uber is doing here to "Amy" isn't despicable. I'm just a little bothered by this relatively frivolous usage of the word "trigger" compared to the original purpose for using…

For some people i know who have PTSD and/or deal with people with PTSD, an attack can mean complete personality and identity disassociation that absolutely requires police involvement and in the aftermath of which having neither them nor anyone else die is a blessing. And that's with people who're entirely excellent at any other minute in their life.

As such, i entirely agree that frivolous use of the word is at best annoying when it comes from people who have no idea what it means.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#138

Post by muglug »

mjolk wrote: post #61
frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If the culture at Uber was as rampantly ridiculous as described in this blogpost, men and women would be falling over themselves to tell their stories. Is this post not proof of that? Especially so soon after Ms. Fowler's account. Perhaps the floodgates are now open.

> Is this post not proof of that? Especially so soon after Ms. Fowler's account. Perhaps the floodgates are now open. The difference being that Susan Fowler's story was realistic. This blogpost is absurd and just adds noise that would compete with credible accounts.

What evidence do you have that it's absurd? Do you think men don't ever act like that in professional settings? Because I have know a ton of women who can assure you that they do.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#139

Post by gnicholas »

joezydeco wrote: post #28

"In essence, the HR department blackmailed me that if I make noise, I’d be fired. I was distraught by the HR department’s response especially considering that most of the HR folks I dealt with were women." Say it over and over, say it loud, and say it to every single person entering the US workforce from day one: H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS. Amy's situation was grave, and k…

> H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS.

Hopefully the recently-revealed experiences at Uber will be taken as a wake-up call by HR folks whose calculus tells them that the best option is to cover up problems.

It should now be apparent that buried issues will eventually come to light, so the short-term gain of coverups won't be worth the long-term risk.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#140

Post by bphogan »

leggomylibro wrote: post #132

>Travis is well known to protect high performing team leaders no matter how abusive they are towards their employees. The HR team was known to be deftly[sic] afraid of Travis’s tendency to blame and ridicule the women and yell at HR whenever they went in with complaints of abuse. I heard about Travis personally congratulating Mike#2 for meeting strict deadlines months after I complained to HR about my abuse. This is…

Exactly. It's not an independent investigation if you hire the investigators.
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