Epic Mormonism Live on Rosebud Accusations

[consiglieri]

"If"

Listen. Don't be sad that John only told you half the story. It's not personal, it's just business as far as John is concerned.

Screw you, Patterson.

I don’t rely on what people tell me.

I rely on facts.

Facts I can produce and show to others.

Not something you would understand.

[Lem]

There has been a bit of proof. In the text exchanges posted, a superior did seem to ask a woman who worked for him to leave her job because of their romantic entanglement. If that is an accurate reading, then regardless of any impropriety on the part of the woman, that would constitute sexual harassment on the part of the superior at my university. Rosebud wasn't able to take her objections further, apparently because of New Hampshire's rules on employee count, and because the Open Stories Foundation Board apparently reviewed it and decided their actions and responses were sufficient. In my opinion, the Board didn't handle this well, but I do acknowledge it is difficult to have an informed opinion with so much innuendo swirling around.

It happened ten years ago, so although I agree there was sexual harassment, it seems Rosebud did what she could and needs to move on. It's not fair, but not much is. She's by far not the only professional woman to struggle with something like this.

[drumdude]

The messages I read were ambiguous at best. John said "Please leave" which can be interpreted as "Please leave our relationship" or "Please leave Open Stories Foundation." Only John and Rosebud can know what was meant.

[Kishkumen]

The board didn’t handle it well for obvious reasons. The board primarily existed for the purposes of being able to have a non-profit. They were in way over their heads, and they were dealing with a guy who is, no offense, pretty unprofessional. He was dumb enough to get tangled up with Rosebud, and so I think he was dumb enough to try to maneuver her out in a way that protected his interests more than hers. Open Stories Foundation policies were crap—to the extent they even existed, and the whole organization was mostly about him and his family at the end of the day. When this fecal mound hit the fan, Brooks worked with John to make it go away in the way they thought was workable and reasonably ethical. They are lucky to have survived this, and I think they are still pretty clumsy about the way they are dealing with it. Natasha was pretty loose with that “we” on Mormonism Live.

All that said, I am really tired of the drama and vendettas. People suck.

[Dr Moore]

There has been a bit of proof. In the text exchanges posted, a superior did seem to ask a woman who worked for him to leave her job because of their romantic entanglement. If that is an accurate reading, then regardless of any impropriety on the part of the woman, that would constitute sexual harassment on the part of the superior at my university.

If I understand the chain of events and your point above, then it was the asking to leave part where JD made a crucial error and potentially crossed the line into harassment. (??)

Prior to that, it appears to have been her chasing him. Would JD have had a legitimate harassment claim at that point, not the other way around? Would he would have been smarter, at that point, to confess everything to the board, claiming harassment first? I mean, assuming the consensual relationship up to that point was nothing more than bad judgment on both of their parts.

Or is it just reality that in his power position, any relationship constitutes harassment, regardless of who initiated and/or however consensual?

[Kishkumen]

The messages I read were ambiguous at best. John said "Please leave" which can be interpreted as "Please leave our relationship" or "Please leave Open Stories Foundation." Only John and Rosebud can know what was meant.

YES!

Again: both John and Rosebud were supposed to resign and be rehired as private contractors. Rosebud did not like her contract. Of course, she had only been employed there for 8 months and it was not unreasonable to suppose that 8-month employment did not entail the ability to set the terms of her future responsibilities to her exact liking. That said, Open Stories Foundation might have tried harder to appease the crazy person. I think they underestimated exactly how commitedly unhinged this nut job is when they calculated what to do about her. She really was prepared to scorch the earth and set herself on fire at the same time. That threat was not merely bluster.

[Kishkumen]

If I understand the chain of events and your point above, then it was the asking to leave part where JD made a crucial error and potentially crossed the line into harassment. (??)

Prior to that, it appears to have been her chasing him. Would JD have had a legitimate harassment claim at that point, not the other way around? Would he would have been smarter, at that point, to confess everything to the board, claiming harassment first? I mean, assuming the consensual relationship up to that point was nothing more than bad judgment on both of their parts.

Or is it just reality that in his power position, any relationship constitutes harassment, regardless of who initiated and/or however consensual?

Good question, and it sometimes seems like some people really do think the power differential is decisive to an unreasonable extreme.

[Dr Moore]

That said, Open Stories Foundation might have tried harder to appease the crazy person. I think they underestimated exactly how commitedly unhinged this nut job is when they calculated what to do about her. She really was prepared to scorch the earth and set herself on fire at the same time. That threat was not merely bluster.

A little due diligence before hiring goes a long way.

[consiglieri]

Cray-cray lurks deep sometimes.

[Kishkumen]

A little due diligence before hiring goes a long way.

So glad that I never went to work in that kind of environment, and I still have to wrangle with crazy too much.