— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
This is capitalism at its finest: Timbuk2 had a party at their Shotwell office/factory yesterday and had their wage slaves to working in the back (presumably sober) while their office staff poured beers from two kegs and ate Chex Mix. The worst part of the whole thing is that actually sectioned off the workers with Caution tape, as if to say “DANGER: THAR BE ETHIC DIVERSITY OVER THAR.” In the above picture, you can clearly see a sea of gawk schmoozing and drinking while nice asian ladies ‘make the company dollars’ while risking cutting their hands open with machinery. On my way out of the place, I mentioned the horrors of the backroom to the two company bros at the front door. Their collective response? A laugh and a mumbled “yeah, well…”
Timbuk2 is the ultimate metaphor for America: make Asian people do the real work while you sit back and enjoy the show.
Comments (31)
Let me guess:
You took the pictures, and judging from the “quality” of the two pics, they were taken by an iPhone and after a few beers thank you very much.
After that, you were soooo outraged that you immediately left in protest of such an incredible outrage.
Right?
that’s a pretty low bar for the “outraged” tone.
Yeah, I left screaming and manically calling for people to do a mass walkout with me. Didn’t work!
Um. You apparently have never worked for a company in your life, so let me break the news to you: most companies at one time or another put on events where management or marketing or sales host their customers, while most other employees keep working. I feel so exploited.
One time I went to a bar, and there were people behind the counter who had to serve me drinks while I got to hang out with my friends. Sucks to be them, right?
I agree it looks bad, but part of the draw for the event was that they paid their sewers to stay later to do on-the-spot repairs and custom bags. They were pretty upfront about this in their press release.
Also, most asian ladies aren’t interested in drinking PBR with a bunch of gringos anyway (or “gwailos” as they would say). If the event featured a Karaoke machine with a decent Cantonese selection, that might have been considered a bit inhumane.
Didn’t get the press release. Must be because we’re not a real blog :(
Someone just told me about it and I went there without any context. I’m not outraged by it’s pretty ironic. Especially after taking so many classes about outsourcing labor in college… asian women at sewing machines? It’s just too much.
“Gringos Gets Drunk”
Must be hard to concentrate on grammar while drowning in self-importance, eh?
Drowning in alcohol, but thanks for the catch!
Want to apply for the copy editor position?
Fact: Timbuk2 bags blow (not the good way/kind) and they don’t get it.
That being said, I totally went because there was going to be free beer. Call me a sucker for cheap and easy.
Thoughts on the Timbuk2 shindig.
1. There was maybe 30 people there
2. The snacks were all gone.
3. The person manning the PBR keg should be fired for serving me a beer that is poured terribly-so much foam. (I reminded myself that it was free, pounded it then asked for another.)
4. Of the 30 people there-they all looked bored, confused and dare-I-say painfully un-hip. (Unlike me of course, who is pretty much the coolest bi-spectated lady in town.)
5. Finally, for a party that was billed to go on “til you leave” http://missionmission.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/timbuk2-bike-to-work-day-…, we got kicked out before 8 p.m. Proving that Timbuk2 people are dorky, old men.
6. I didn’t even notice the azns. Does that make is worse?
All in all, the party sucked. That being said, if they had another one with free beer, I’d probably go. Guess I’m just a SUPER, bratty hater. Sorry broz. Anyone wanna hang out?
Sorry you bought a Timbuk2 bro. That was your mistake.
But I don’t want to be in an internet comment fight with you any more. I would be so embarrassed!
the worst post on UA ever? and that’s really saying a lot…
this is really really dumb kevmo…and i think you know it.
xo
Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be here all week!
What does the worker’s race have to do with anything at all? I could only assume a short sided, sheltered, and privileged person such as yourself could make such a unquestionably racist remark. Perhaps the worker was hired based on their skill-set and desired wage, and not on their skin tone or ethnic background.
Maybe they should fire all the Asians and hire white people so people like you don’t have to carry so much (rich) white boy’s guilt.
Congradulations on not picking up on the outsourcing labor to China joke! You win the prize of the commenter’s dunce cap!
How can you call this a joke? The only thing that’s a joke here is your intellect. The fact that you are defending yourself calling this a “joke” further illuminates the fact that you are a racist fuck. The commenter is right, and if it WERE a joke, it wasn’t funny at all, just racist. You can’t assume that we all share in your COMPLETE lack of logical thinking. You are self absorbed and diluted.
Oh and by the way, I’m white, and its fucks like you that give the rest of us a bad name, as white people, San Franciscans, AND americans. I hope you sterilize yourself on your fixed gear bike with the seat too high, you stupid hipster.
Explain how it is racist to say someone is Asian?
s’cuse you: ‘an’ unquestionable blah blah blah
This is San Francisco. Do you know how many “brown people” live here? I’ll bet most of them still need jobs. The shindig I’m sure was to show how much work is done “in house” rather than OVER SEAS!! Grow up and stop looking at the PBR as half foamy!!!
troll toll.
Using race as satire is pretty bad though. I am disappointed.
Of course YOU are disappointed since you work there. Timbuk2 got a lot of industry heat for outsourcing their bags to Asian, which made this even more amusing (to me, at least).
(not saying Timbuk2 isn’t the only company in the bike / bike apparel industry to do that and take heat. Cannondale and Santa Cruz all looked bad when they left too)
Seems to me, if you don’t get the sense of humor in this post, then you should probably just move a long and stop reading this blog. Because this is obviously HILARIOUS. If you don’t see the irony, even if it’s superficial, then you’re clearly DULL and have no sense of humor.
Also, probably would have been nice if the two company dudes Kevin made his joke to, told him about the “on-site repairs” and what-not referenced in the press release. That probably would have mitigated the confusion, while their awkward laughter and “oh right,” and giggles only added to it.
The fact you deny that there is a large number of sweatshops in Asian is astounding. Merely playing off that is not racist. For a less academic approach, watch http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473107/ There is a decent subplot of the move regarding Asian sweatshops.
And anon wasn’t me, but thanks for playing. I’m especially humored by you first saying “you both” and then declaring that anon is me.
Comparing the asian american worker being payed SF cost of living is not just naive, but it’s also racist. Ask your mom.
“So you made a shitty joke on your shitty blog”
…. that you just happen to be trolling and taking time to comment on.
hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
i love the smell of hate in the morning! tastes like PBR and victory!
Kevin’s parents are blue collar, but nice try. That was a really mature and creative insult.
I don’t get how the post racist, in tone or content.
I also don’t get how you deal with these assholes everyday, Kevin.
By the standards of the people in this thread, eating Chinese food would make someone “racist.”
This is why my blog doesn’t have comments.
Can we all just close the cosmic circle on all this here controversy and throw a shindig at the Tsing Tao offices in Brisbane?
I’m Asian and I don’t think this qualifies as racism. Oh shit, I just acknowledged my race, am I racist too? I don’t even know anymore. Seriously, save the R-bomb for people who actually deserve it.