Blacklisted?

[peppersasen]

Two years ago I did an internship at an intergovernmental organization. There were some badass office politics going on and I distanced myself from it, I just didn't want to get involved. Not because I was an intern and/or my position was temporary, I just didn't need the drama (if I were in a permanent position, I wouldn't have taken a different approach). The clique took it as a sign that I wasn't 'on their side' and ended up bullying me. One of the office bullies' friends threatened me. He said if I didn't do what he wanted me to do (play along and lie that certain misconducts were a "misunderstanding"), he would make sure I would never get a job in the sector ever again. He's well-connected (his wife is a founding partner of a BigLaw firm).

I had a nervous breakdown and was unemployed for most of 2010. And now I'm finally getting back on my feet (kind of, I still get anxiety attacks and cry, but I draft suicide notes MUCH less often). And I found this super duper awesome opportunity. Nearly everything I've ever wanted in a job (not really a job, but close). It's for one of the poorest areas in a Balkanized region (not to imply it's actually in the Balkans). Might require me to learn a new language and a new set of alphabets (or two sets). I looks super exciting. Or maybe a different area. It's a huge deal for me and might start in a few months. It's awesome and going to change my life. I can live frugally in a developing country. No problem.

So I start researching this organization and found their Facebook fan page. You know how Facebook always displays 6-9 random fans? Well one of them is one of the office bullies. The sector I work in is a very small community where people know people. I got anxious and nearly backed out. But I really want to do it. Frankly I'm terrified.

What are the chances that I have been blacklisted? How would he even do such a thing: would he circulate emails 'warning' people about me? Or would he wait for reference calls and then badmouth me? Or would they circulate rumors about me among their network? Or was he just bluffing all along? One of the people who said they'd recommend me suddenly stopped replying my emails since she lost her job at that organization (she was a victim of the office politics too (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)). I can't help but think she doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore because I have a bad reputation [already].

[mastermind23]

You cannot really know, but if you want the job that badly- it wouldn't hurt to try for it. It's hard to know whether people of your previous place of work would go into such extremes to prevent you from getting a job in the sector ever again w/o really knowing the circumstances of that sit., but I sense it was more of a coercion technique to get you to comply with what they wanted then an actual threat they meant to execute. You, of course, can judge whether this is the case better, but as I said, TRY...either way - you don't have much to lose by trying, and you stand to gain what you want (and test the waters at the same time). Wish you luck!

[Monte314]

I agree with mastermind23. If you try and don't get it, you'll be no worse off than if you don't try and don't get it. It seems to me that there is really no "down side" to giving it a go, IF you can handle the possible disappointment.

[therrirl]

I'd say the chances are probably pretty small Pepper . . . unless someone had a vendetta against you . . . personally. It takes effort and resources to black list someone. Two years is a long time to remain on anyone's lips too. I think you are probably ok.

[PrometheusENTJ]

pepper, I am sorry to hear the traumatic experiences you had in your previous position.

1. What people say to other people about you reflects more on them than it does on you. Therefore, I've rarely seen bullies spread the tale of their bullying. So the "blacklist" probably does not exist, particularly at lower levels.
2. Why do you need to give his name as a reference? Don't you know others? You might be better off saying things did not go well there because that way you're showing some self-awareness
Together, points 1 and 2 reinforce what others said: give it a shot.

3. May I ask why you still want to work in a sector that is close-knit and would require you to deal with the usual suspects on a regular basis? Even if you're a tad irrational (I had a friend who went through something similar to what you report), the sector probably is not a good choice for you.
4. I think you're a great person -- and I am certainly not saying that targets of bullying bring it upon themselves -- BUT before you go get a job, please consider thinking about what you would do differently if someone starts bullying you in your next job. Since it had a catastrophic effect on your self-esteem and personal well-being, you owe it to yourself to reflect and get to the root of it.
In summary, are you a deer walking into a lion's mouth?

[Missinglink]

I cannot really say much for your situation, but I have found the closer a group is the easier it is to eliminate a bothersome bully / drunken tart who will not keep her hands off of you. The burden of proof rest with your bully, not you. He or she, as Prometheus mentioned runs the risk of tarnishing their name as well. If the individual does go on the attack you have the option to pursue a slander case against them correct? They are attempting to tarnish your good name. Regardless as others have said, you will never know unless you try.

[peppersasen]

I think I have been blacklisted. I emailed the organization to ask some questions around a week ago. They told me that I should apply anyway to determine whether I qualify (given that they want "professionals"). They also said that I should recieve an email no matter what happens within a certain amount of days (I will be given further instructions if I qualify and given a list of other viable solutions/ways to get involved if I don't). It's past the amount of days/date on the timeframe they provided me, and I still haven't heard from them. Maybe they don't want my involvement at all.

This is very dissapointing. Because they specifically want nationals (of my passport) and they extended the vacancy's deadline because [I know] people from where I'm from would typically be extremely uninterested in doing things like this. People from where I'm from would only be interested in relocating to a different country if it were somewhere developed/glamorous. People who are wiling are rare. It's like they'd rather have nobody than have me. Even with the limited amount of applicants from the target group. It's over, I suppose. I'm never going to get back on track in my chosen career, never will travel, never move out. I'm stuck here for the rest of my life. I tried to prevent this by asking help from the only person who had no vested interest/loss-gain in office politics because he had nothing to lose, but he didn't.

Sorry, I should probably reply your posts individually, but I need time to cry or something. I'm overwhelmed.

[Ytterbium]

If you don't mind what's the organisation? I find it extremely strange. Sorry if I have any prejudice but they sound like a bunch of diva yuppies. Gosh I hate yuppies. Spineless, stupid (albeit well educated), selfish losers...
I liked working for the goverment myself. Great collegues and we were open about everything, non of that career bull.

I think you should try something completely different. Just as a break if not for widen your CV merits. I even worked as a morning paper carrier despite being overqualified. Worlds worst job probably but it had it's quirks and great collegues too except one or two Gollums I rarely saw. :p

[plotthickens]

I can understand where you're coming from. Please note that such hothouse political atmospheres frequently explode all over the inhabitants and the whole place falls to shit quite quickly. It's very likely that they not only don't care about you/remember you, but that they are no longer sustaining this crazy situation.

There will be other 'perfect jobs'. You will have many decades and many, many options for where to work.

[peppersasen]

I just realized something today. I was reading, sitting under a tree at my parents' garden, trying to calm myself down. But on my way home, I realized something: I think the sector is screwing with me. Before I left the internship, the intergovernmental organization asked me to provide technical support and they offered me payment. I didn't explicitly reject the payment, but I avoided the financial staff every time they approached me about (such as asking for my bank details). I avoided taking money from them (although I deseperatly needed money because I had been spending money on gas/parking for five months non-stop, full-time although I did do some freelance part-time work on teh side to pay for the expenses of the internship). I avoided taking money from them because they offered the money before I could get a meeting with taht one person who I thought had no vested interest and out of all people coiuld be impartial/neutral/just about it. I thought if I took the money, I would have less bargaining power because they paid me off. I was worried they'd use that against me and that the money was used to shut me up or a bribe to prevent me from pressing charrges.

the onely reason why i decided it was okayt fpor me to go back ant start applying in the sector was because early this year, a development agency contacted me and offered me a part-time job. i took it. i was so happy because i thought i was probably NOT blacklisted in ALL the oragnizations in the sector. but after i provided them with the technical support they wanted, they just disapeared. poof. and tehy haven't contacted me again. idk, what, do i now have a reputation for being wiling to do that sort of work without pay?

iot was very clear from the beginning taht it was a paid positionn. we had a negotiations about my pay (and it's not like i asked for a lot, i asked for a reasonable pay because i knew they were public sector, non-profit, and i was grateful to even get the offer at all). now they just run off with my work without paying me. i am so frusturated. how am i supposed to be able to stop being a burden to my parents and move out and be independent? i dont care about punctuation. i can barely see what i'm writing because my eyes are wet. what the fuck have i gotten myself into?

[PrometheusENTJ]

You need to leave this sector. What are you doing here, working for free and with so much heartbreak? You owe it to yourself to be happy, and this is not making you happy, that's the least I could say. Are you familiar with "Childhood's End" (the novel and the song)? Read below :) Good luck to you!

You shout in your sleep.
Perhaps the price is just too steep.
Is your conscience at rest if once put to the test?
You awake with a start to just the beating of your heart.
Just one man beneath the sky,
Just two ears, just two eyes.
You set sail across the sea of long past thoughts and memories.
Childhood's end,
Your fantasies merge with harsh realities.
And then as the sail is hoist,
You find your eyes are growing moist.
All the fears never voiced say you have to make your final choice.
Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why?
Some are born;
Some men die beneath one infinite sky.
There'll be war, there'll be peace.
But everything one day will cease.
All the iron turned to rust;
All the proud men turned to dust.
And so all things, time will mend.
So this song will end.

[Mike1975]

People i interview it looks bad if you bring up problems from your last position, never do that. You just think you loved your job worked as hard as you can and just moved on for more education or something.

Interns usually aren't important enough to get blacklisted. I wouldn't worry.

Whatever you got involved with at your last job and the misconducts try to say away from that.

If you call asking them questions about the position they are probably flooded with applicants that aren't qualified and don't want to waste time if you won't qualify. Apply anyhow.

It sounded like they were trying to pay you but you didn't let them.

I would try not to get so hard on yourself about it and just apply. It seems as though you may be blowing this up in your head over stress when you may be misinterpreting this all.

We had an intern and he didn't get hired right away. I gave him advice and he panicked and instead of listening to me went to the head office boss guy and told him everything I said word for word. Getting me in trouble. He still got hired but he needlessly made it all into a bigger stink than it was. It was huge to him but insignificant to all of the rest of us. This may all be legit on your end but I would stop take a deep breath and don't be so hard on yourself. Unless you were involved in some corporate theft or something just don't bring it up in interviews. I had someone in an interview tell me that her prior boss was abusive and she was treated unfairly for taking off for medical reasons all the time. Translated in my head Pain in the ass I don't want to deal with this.

[benr3600]

You can have an attorney give them a reference call. If they are slandering you, I guarantee the recourse will end it.

[peppersasen]

Look, I'm on the run and can't stay for too long, but I need to clarify some facts since I think I didn't make myself very clear last night because I was crying:

People i interview it looks bad if you bring up problems from your last position, never do that. You just think you loved your job worked as hard as you can and just moved on for more education or something.
The whole point of this thread is basically me trying to prove that I worked as hard as I can and trying to avoid leading people to think that there was something wrong with me (or even bringing up the fact that I got dragged into office politics despite avoiding). I would never mention the problems I had during the internship and have actually discussed ways to avoid giving people information about it if I were asked on this thread (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) (meaning I wouldn't voluntarily give up that sort of information without anyone asking). I may have been just an intern, but I'm not stupid enough to bring up information that would hurt me.

It sounded like they were trying to pay you but you didn't let them.
I don't think I was being very clear. Here's what happened:

In autumn 2009, by the end of my internship with an intergovernmental organization (IGO), I asked for a meeting with the director because I wanted to speak about the threats made to me (that I would be blacklisted, I normally wouldn't do such thing but I was so scared and I was cornered). I wanted to speak to HIM because I figured everyone at every single level (except technical staff) had vested interest. In fact the one person who I thought of as my role-model sister stabbed me in the back (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). I thought the director, having the throne and all wouldn't have any gain/loss so he (out of all people) would be impartial/neutral in handling the case and helping me prevent such blacklisting from happening. The director agreed to a meeting (claiming that he took bullying "seriously" in an email he sent me), I got a temporary (two month) job out of town, and I was under the impression that it would happen once I returned (around winter 2009), but the meeting never happened and I have been very worried about my reputation since.
The IGO I worked for had this advanced system where they could blacklist vendors (and possibly consultants). So if the vendor/consultant applied for a position/contract, they wouldn't be considered. Now I may be an intern, but I am as human as a consultant can ever be and I could be blacklisted as well.
In autumn 2009, before I left my internship this IGO hired me for a paid technical job. I dodged payment at that time (I wanted to sign the contract after I had a meeting with director because I figured if the IGO had paid me ANY amount of money that would lower my bargaining power). It was a difficult decision to make since at that point I had less than USD20.00 in my account, but I figured that being blacklisted would harm me more in the long-term than losing a couple of hundred bucks, right? But now I'm afraid I've developed a reputation for NOT needing money.
The woman who was mostly involved with me on that technical job was let go (her contract was not extended or something) and she moved to a development agency (DA)'s legal project. This DA is unrelated to the IGO. Strangely enough, the woman has stopped replying my emails on her Yahoo! Mail account (about references and my professionally-toned holiday greetings).
In summer 2010, the IGO calls me asks me to do temp work for them to organize some sort of meeting (I think my job was to lick envelopes and send around invites or something). I already had a gig that summer (for another FOAF in another industry and another project the following month) anyway and I've made a commitment to another employer, so I said I couldn't do it. I knew at least one of the bullies (my boss' boss' boss) was still head of that department and he would make my life a living hell. The anxiety attacks and suicidal thoughts just got worst. I was (and STILL am) very disappointed that the director never even delegated someone for 1-2 hours to speak about the threat. Seriously, is it that hard? If he didn't have time for a meeting, he could've emailed/called. I get that he's "important", but he's made it in HIS career and I had a long way to go. Part of me also thinks that I screwed things up even further (making them think I was unprofessionally hostile against them) by not taking the envelope-licking job. Another part of me thought this was yet another bribe/made-up position (seriously, a correspondence staff who's in charge of RSVP). :blank:
In spring 2011, the DA contacts me out of the blue and offers me to do the exact same technical support job I provided for the IGO (but dodged payment from). I send them my résumé, take the test, pass. Few weeks later, I'm helping them with their urban planning project, never missed a single deadline, was always humble enough to ask questions when I didn't understand (well, since I'm not an engineer, you know).
Now it's almost summer 2011, around two months later and the DA has never contacted me about my work OR payment. Seriously, if I did a bad job, AT LEAST have the decency to give me feedback and let me know how I could improve the quality of my work in the future! Cutting me off doesn't help me. They also never sent me any information on payment procedures (was I supposed to bill them, would they contact me and hound me for bank details like the IGO did?).
My friend works at a firm who works with the DA and she said they should have handed me a contract to sign (it's the DA's standard procedure to do so). Which never happened.


So the IGO and the DA are two different, unrelated organizations in the same sector. In fact while other DAs from other countries donate to the IGO, this particular DA I worked with has its own projects. I'm not complaining about the IGO not paying me here, I'm complaining about the DA not paying me. I offered myself at a cheap price (despite what everyone I know says about this particular DA being one of the best employers when it comes to compensation) because I was really grateful that any organization would even still want me at all. I wanted them to like me. Plus, it's public sector and non-profit. But I also don't appreciate not being paid ANYTHING at all, because I have bills to pay and I have a safety net I'm trying to build too. PLUS, I'm way too old to still be living with my parents and I feel like such a burden to them. :(

Considering the amount of money they owe me, it's not even about the nominal. It's the fact that they think they can get away with treating me like this and the idea that they think I deserve not to be paid that bothers me. What person deserves to work without pay? Fuck the 13th amendment, right? LOL.

---------- Post added 05-09-2011 at 07:25 AM ----------

You need to leave this sector. What are you doing here, working for free and with so much heartbreak? You owe it to yourself to be happy, and this is not making you happy, that's the least I could say. Are you familiar with "Childhood's End" (the novel and the song)? Read below :) Good luck to you!

You shout in your sleep.
Perhaps the price is just too steep.
Is your conscience at rest if once put to the test?
You awake with a start to just the beating of your heart.
Just one man beneath the sky,
Just two ears, just two eyes.
You set sail across the sea of long past thoughts and memories.
Childhood's end,
Your fantasies merge with harsh realities.
And then as the sail is hoist,
You find your eyes are growing moist.
All the fears never voiced say you have to make your final choice.
Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why?
Some are born;
Some men die beneath one infinite sky.
There'll be war, there'll be peace.
But everything one day will cease.
All the iron turned to rust;
All the proud men turned to dust.
And so all things, time will mend.
So this song will end.

Thank you. You remind me of my first boss (he's ENTJ without the stereotypical arrogance/narcissism). He always wanted the best for me and encouraged me to do more, and taught me a lot. :) I know you've asked me twice at this point why I still want to be around these people. It's only because I like to help disadvantaged and underprivileged people.

---------- Post added 05-09-2011 at 07:26 AM ----------

Sorry, I gtg now. I'll reply more later.

---------- Post added 05-09-2011 at 07:42 AM ----------

LOL. Forget what I was saying about the 13th amendment! The DA I'm working for is not an American organization. I'm just really excited about Daniel Day-Lewis' upcoming film (Abe Lincoln's biopic). :wacky:

[peppersasen]

I’m going to post an update because I don’t like talking shit about people without telling others that the situation has improved/when the offending parties have made an effort to make the situation better (I may be a bitch but I do have SOME sense of justice). So I emailed a very polite and civil email to the DA (not the IGO) asking them why they haven’t contacted me about my pay which started with a humble “if you have a problem with the quality of my work I would at least deserve some feedback” ending it with a "I truly hope this is all a misunderstanding/miscommunication and I hope to maintain good relations with your organization". And I CC-ed everyone I know at the DA. The highest-ranking person I emailed was the first one to reply all and briefly asked/delegated the others to clarify the matter.

None of the correspondence was hostile and they were actually very apologetic about it. And to make up for it, I get typed-in explanation in the email (instead of an SOP document) and I was told that I was not informed of the payment procedure because they "assumed I was already familiar with the DA’s financial procedures because they received my contact details and were recommended to use me via internal means." Their payment procedure is different from most employers I’ve worked with. Anyway, I am getting paid now which is good news.

See, now THAT is what a good leader does. If he’s too busy to fix the problem himself, he at least delegates. And his approach to it (move ASAP when his organization’s reputation is mildly at risk) was more of what I expect from a leader. Unlike the IGO.

I like to put myself in the shoes of others and try to empathize with them. And when I put myself in the shoes of my boss’ boss’ boss and the director (my boss’ boss’ boss’ boss), I just can’t understand how they behave the way they do. My boss’ boss’ boss for one stabbed me in the back. I don’t expect to be compensated for having back stabbed because I wish it just wouldn’t happen, but at least she can NOT ignore my emails about recommendations/my professional holiday greetings.

Even worst: the director.

In the private sector, apart from being "chop-chop" with disgruntled loyal customers, companies are also always careful about mistreating their employees [or at least letting word get out that they mistreat employees], because being a bad employer lowers your emotional appeal and people don’t want to spend on companies that: (a) violate human rights; (b) harms the environment; and (c) mistreat/abuse/exploit their employees. It’s bad for business. But the public sector, because of its “default” reputation for being altruistic organizations, they think they can get away with mistreating people every once in a while, in fact I think some of them probably feel they are entitled to being mean after all the “good” they’ve done.

It kind of surprises me how laid back the IGO is about my case. It’s like they know nothing about human psychology and publicity. There’s so much at risk: I could’ve spoken to the media, I could’ve self-published a book about it, I could’ve sued them if I could get a good lawyer. Plus, they had no idea who I was or what kind of person I am or whether I had integrity and how low I was wiling to slump to get back at them: what if my boyfriend was someone influential in one of their major donors and I wasn’t above getting him to pull strings to get back at the IGO? And what if I wasn’t so un-connected as they thought I was? I’m not saying something in the lines of “someday I might be their boss”, but every other kid my age can write about it in blog or something. I’m just saying that the IGO fails to see all the possibilities.

In reality, I do have journalist friends who are VERY interested in investigating misconducts at the IGO.

If you Google the director, you’d know that he’s been with IGO for over 20 years (consistently, like it’s been his family all that time). His lack of loyalty (the urge to protect the IGO’s reputation from bad publicity) just astonishes me sometimes. I think if I were him, I would invest some time in damage control:

Stay in touch until I was 110% sure the disgruntled person was no longer bitter (check-in with me until I have a steady job—even if I didn’t give a shit about the person personally I would at least ping them about us thinking of how he turned out after the incident);
If I didn’t have time for this, at least I would assign someone from “my side” [the bullies/HQ] to do the checking-in;
Ensuring that I won’t be blacklisted (there are ways, we’ve discussed it); and
Never offer/mention financial compensation in ANY form/way.

But good God, people are just so dumb. Have no fucking clue about human nature/psychology, image management, and damage control. How do they know I’m not a ticking time bomb waiting to explode? See how clueless they are about psychology? Useless HR department too. When I put myself in their shoes, it’s not even about feelings anymore; sometimes I just get SO frustrated at how CLUELESS and STUPID people are. Seriously, just because you’ve been around for 60 –ish fucking years doesn’t mean your reputation can survive blow after blow after blow. There are human rights organizations out there with divisions that especially investigate the IGO, how can they ignore that? How can you afford publicity as a [hypocritical] bad employer?

But no. I feel forgotten, like someone screwed my life and just let it happen because they had nothing to gain from me by helping prevent me from unfairly being blacklisted? I can’t even get equal treatment from volunteer organizations now.

Seriously. The IGO director could’ve at least done what the man at the DA did. The man at the DA sent the briefest email and actually solved the problem, and I got what was my right. They don’t get a reputation for being a bad employer, everyone’s happy. Is it really THAT hard? Is it? If other leaders can easily get their underlings from being screwed up, why can’t you spare a split second to write a brief email like the man at the DA did?

Come to think of it, one of these days, I will sing. Maybe I’ll name names too. Fuck it. The DA can ensure people’s rights, why the hell can’t the IGO?

---------- Post added 05-13-2011 at 04:58 PM ----------

I hope the IGO director has a bad mid-life crisis and he questions what real, tangible, sustainable contribution he's made to the developing world. And I hope he feels hollow about it. And I hope he loses a lot of money somehow too. :blank: He's like the Bill in Kill Bill on my books.

[flux88]

But it's cool because I don't want to have children.
I thought that way until I met you.

I wasn't intending on logging in and posting but your posts have made me. I know if you are an INTJ and there is something you are crying about it must be worthy of it. This breaks my heart. It sounds like a complex situation you are in. Though I'm confident you can keep moving forward and make the best decisions to get out of this. When you say you will never move out I know you don't believe that. Situations change quickly. An INTJ is the best type to make it happen.

Good luck. Thanks for sharing! I love you. I will be stalking you. Damn am I suppose to keep that part secret?

[peppersasen]

Woah. Actors can be blacklisted too? I just read this article "Tang's role in Chinese propaganda film in doubt (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)":

HONG KONG (AP) — "Lust, Caution" star Tang Wei's role in a Chinese propaganda blockbuster as the first love of Communist China's founding father, Mao Zedong, has reportedly been dropped, raising the prospect that the actress is still suffering backlash after playing a traitor in the 2007 World War II-era spy thriller.

While "Lust, Caution" gave Tang international exposure, her role as a student activist who warns a Japan-allied Chinese intelligence official about an assassination attempt allegedly offended Chinese film officials worried about lingering anger over Japanese wartime atrocities.

The film's director, Ang Lee, who won an Oscar for the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," was asked to edit dialogue so as to make the warning from Tang's character less explicit. And Tang herself was reportedly blacklisted, not releasing another movie until last year's Hong Kong-set romantic comedy "Crossing Hennessy."

In September, Tang's casting as Mao's girlfriend was announced, signaling her rehabilitation in China. She joined a star-studded cast in "Jian Dang Wei Ye," scheduled for release on June 15 to mark the 90th anniversary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese title translates roughly as "The Great Achievement of Founding the Party." The official English title is "Beginning of the Great Revival."

But as the release date nears, reports have surfaced that Tang was left out of the final cut.

Gao Jun, deputy general manager of Chinese theater operator New Film Association, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that Tang's role was cut because historians questioned the factual accuracy of her character. He cited "industry insiders," but declined to identify them.

Gao, however, said the decision had nothing to do with her "Lust, Caution" role.
"It's not a problem with the actress," he said.

While propaganda films were once considered boring and outdated fare, especially by youngsters, China Film Group has been able to reinvigorate the genre by injecting star power, and in the process lending credibility to its version of history. The Chinese-language film industry's biggest stars have been happy to comply, eager to please film officials who hold sway over the country's fast-growing theatrical market. A-listers like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Lau had cameo appearances in "The Founding of a Republic," which went on to make a whopping $62 million in China, helped by politically correct theater operators who flooded their properties with screenings.

I'm surprised this is happening in China considering their human rights record (non-pun insinuation intended *shoots death glare to IGO*). I feel sorry for her because she's like, what, 32 years old? All the hot roles you get between 21-37. But at least she's got international coverage and who knows if she'll get offers overseas. Plus, she's got publicity. I think it's probably less painful to be blacklisted when you can share your story and people are interested and believe you as opposed to nobody listening and never getting invitations for interviews.

I've been following the DSK case very closely. And I noticed that after this one big assault case (the one involving the hotel maid), other women he hurt (who stayed quiet and anonymous) are popping up all over the place and speaking up (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). So is it less painful when publicity is involved or does that just make things worst for the injured party?

---------- Post added 05-31-2011 at 08:58 AM ----------

Situations change quickly. An INTJ is the best type to make it happen.

Thank you for motivating me. You're like fresh air to me without belittling my situation. I'm sick of people belittling the situation and dismissing it. I'm giving the national DA a chance. They're only hiring me for support/technical services now, but I'll give them a chance to get to know me. If in X amount of years I don't get a professional position (researcher, officer), I'm leaving the public sector for good and never looking back. I still have no idea how long the X amount of years should be. But the private sector has been happy to accommodate me as an analyst. And I'm grateful for them. :)

[peppersasen]

What a hypocrite. The man who threatened me during my internship is on TV talking about anti-corruption on the news. There is no justice in the world. Isn't that great?

---------- Post added 08-04-2011 at 01:04 PM ----------

I'm sorry. I know this thread is dead. And I am trying to move on (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) with my life and forgive these people. But it's so hard watching them talk about noble things like that after what they've done to me. It really is hard. I'm going to go back to work now. I'm sorry. I just feel awful and I needed to talk about it. I odn't now who to talk to, anymor.

[eagleseven]

What a hypocrite. The man who threatened me during my internship is on TV talking about anti-corruption on the news. There is no justice in the world. Isn't that great?

---------- Post added 08-04-2011 at 01:04 PM ----------

I'm sorry. I know this thread is dead. And I am trying to move on (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) with my life and forgive these people. But it's so hard watching them talk about noble things like that after what they've done to me. It really is hard. I'm going to go back to work now. I'm sorry. I just feel awful and I needed to talk about it. I odn't now who to talk to, anymor.
Life's a bitch, huh?

As I told a rather distraught friend a while ago, if you have issues with corruption and hypocrisy, you won't last long, because this world is rife with both. Sad but true.

[Autumnleaf]

What happened to you wasn't right. Best for you to move on with your life.

Sometimes things not working out is a good thing in the long run. Just hang in there and don't give up.

[Malkavia]

Get out of there dearest. Don't let them hurt your life anymore.

Move on and where ever you go act with kindness and justice. That's how you can put a little justice in our world.

[Daoist]

The whistleblower at Enron, as far as I heard, never got hired since. If you're going to devote your life to fighting the system, you will not be financially secure. But who knows - it could be rewarding in its own way - especially since it sounds like you may not have a choice anymore. It seems like you're passionate about helping the global poor. You might at some point have to make the leap of faith that destroying the current system is the best thing you can do for them. (That might depend on what these people were initially so concerned about covering up.)

[Zsych]

Try first, worry later.

[Imagineering]

The whistleblower at Enron, as far as I heard, never got hired since. If you're going to devote your life to fighting the system, you will not be financially secure. But who knows - it could be rewarding in its own way - especially since it sounds like you may not have a choice anymore. It seems like you're passionate about helping the global poor. You might at some point have to make the leap of faith that destroying the current system is the best thing you can do for them. (That might depend on what these people were initially so concerned about covering up.)

That's sad. Did you see the Enron video where all the workers are laughing when they jump up the gas prices and people are panicking? It's awful.

---------- Post added 09-05-2011 at 04:16 PM ----------

I mean the energy prices.

[Daoist]

I think the bigger issue is what everybody has to fear from hiring her.

[Tyrant Soup]

If you don't mind some good intentioned, blunt honesty, I think you are making too much of a minor incident. You were subjected to what appears to be workplace bullying by a minor bureaucrat. You need to learn how to deal with these minor issues efficiently rather than obsessing over them to a degree that you suffer a mental breakdown. It's part of everyday work life.