As you've probably guessed, I'm talking about the Alaskan news anchor and owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, Charlo Greene, who quit live on air a couple nights ago. With simple, yet elegant, "F*ck it, I quit" and a shrug, she sashayed away toward a new career in pot-rights activism. If only we could all be so selfless.
Let's remind ourselves of her grand act of civil disobedience, and of how funny it is when people swear on local news (exhibit A).
But before we give Charlo too much credit, let's remember those who paved the way for her epic exit. Yes, let's honour those who came before.
Steven Slater
"The diva quitter"My favourite of all the quitters is former JetBlue flight attendant and ultimate stunt queen Steven Slater. The plane was taxi-ing at the gate. A lady was prematurely trying to get her hand luggage down from the overhead compartment. As he tried to get her to sit down, a suitcase fell and knocked him on the head. That's when he lost it, grabbed two beers from the fridge, released the emergency slide and slid down in a blaze of glory.
Just brilliant. The fact that anyone in a post 9/11 world would have the balls to do this restores my faith in humanity.
What tickles me so much about this story is Steven's particular breaking point. It happened after a small, but sudden, bit of physical pain. That's what I can relate to the most. We've all had those days. You're just managing to keep it together when BAM, you stub your toe and that's it, you unleash your inner beast.
Joey DeFrancesco
"The triumphant quitter"
Want to make something mundane feel glorious? Add a marching band. There's nothing a marching band can't make triumphant. Former Renaissance Providence Hotel employee Joey DeFrancesco understood this. He also knew that his time as an overworked room-service-monger was over.
This video makes the list mainly because of the look on boss Jared's face when Joey hands him his notice letter. It also helps that Joey is a bit of a JamesFranco/JohnMayer-style hunk.
Marina Shifrin
"The ironic quitter"
As a digital content creator myself (HA!), I completely get Marina's reason for quitting. She was working for a company that made online videos, but all her boss cared about was views, views, views (not necessarily the quality of the content). So, she decided to give her two weeks' notice using a medium her colleagues were familiar with: a viral video.
The irony is that Marina's video now has more than 18 million views, something her bosses could only dream of.
Ryan (surname unknown)
"The first time quitter"
When I found this on YouTube, I felt compelled to share it here. Sure, it might not match the grandeur of the disgruntled employees showcased above. But Ryan's decision to "resign" sends a message to 16-year-olds everywhere. It shows them how 20 seconds of uncomfortable conversation can lead to a lifetime of freedom.
Actually, you might be surprised just how many brilliant quitting videos I found online. Or, if you've ever had a bad job, then maybe you won't be surprised at all.
Here are some more quitting videos worth watching:
- Boombox + partial striptease + Star Wars theme + Queen = I quit!
- Vanilla Ice + dancing on the counter + I haven't really thought this out = I quit!
- Radio DJ + 'Do It To It' by Cherish + $6/hour = I quit!
- Star Wars credits + being creepy + naked dancing = I quit!
- Warehouse intercom + bad sound quality + giggling cameraman = I quit!
- Banana costume + violins + dancing = I quit!
I think I love all these people because we've all dreamt of quitting our jobs in the grandest, wittiest, most cutting ways possible. It's the stuff of movies (classic scene). It's a chance to stick it to the man and become an office legend at the same time. For decades, they'll talk about you around the watercooler. You'll be the best thing that ever happened to that place!
But then, we think rationally and settle on a typical "it's been a pleasure working here" notice letter.
What makes these folks so great is that they completely throw caution to the wind. They know there could be bad consequences (e.g. no reference for the next job, never getting a job again, etc.), but they plough forward anyway. Mad respect.
In other news:
Autumn — It's arrived. If you're American, you might know it better as 'Fall'.
Boardwalk Empire — Final season. So far, so good. Glad I stuck with the show. It's fantastic.
War — Another one has started in Iraq. Pretty terrible / déjà vu
Water bottle — Ordered one on Amazon. Another year-28 goal: drink more water!
Tesco — Massively overstated its forecasted profits. Purposeful deceit or honest mistake?
Italy— I'm going there for Christmas!
Lentil curry w/ fresh naan bread — I broke character and made something that required more than three ingredients. The result? Delicious.
Cheers,
Margaret
Margaret
2 comments:
love that you're blogging again! I fully support this 28-year blogging resolution :)
Thanks Michelle! It feels good to be back in the game.
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