Knock the Hustle
January 12th, 2006
I read about 55 pages of this book and had to put it down. Because I started thinking I was going soft. My kids are soft. I mean I haven’t got a clue what is like to haul 50 pound bags of concrete in the rain for eight hours a day. I don’t have to scrub toilets and make beds for $5.72 an hour. I happen to love my life’s work. There is nothing corporate about it at all. No glass ceilings around here or undermining personal agendas. In fact there is a fine line between working and having fun in my life. So when I hear people complaining about how stressed and overworked they are — I really have to wonder. We don’t have a clue about stress and hard work in the white-collar world. Imagine you wake up tomorrow and find yourself digging ditches with one of those really loud machines that rattles every bone in your body. Now that’d be some stress.
Other posts by Robbin.
Betsy Palmieri says:
I really should get back to work but just had to reply Robbin. I appreciate your viewpoint but I have to say that there really are stressed out white collar workers and they aren’t wimpy and soft. I used to work with them. Good, smart people, often women, getting squeezed into doing more and more work as their employers cut staff. Trying to fulfill their responsibilities to their employers, families, communities, etc. Trying to hang on to their health insurance. True, they’re not on their feet all day waiting tables or doing construction, but it’s stress just the same. It’s a killer. Look forward to reading that book when they do another print run. Thanks for the post.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:02 pmRobbin says:
I’m not sure the book is worth buying. I put it down about 20 minutes into it. Spike is reading it now so he might be able to review it as a whole. I just run across so many people who wear “BUSY and OVERWORKED” like a girl scout badge that it really stuck a nerve. Your point about hanging on to health insurance is certainly valid.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:02 pmDavid Burn says:
My man, Danny G., has an entirely differnt perspective on the book. http://www.adpulp.com/archives/2005/11/knock_the_hustl.php I have yet to read it, but I plan to when I get my hands on a copy.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:02 pmN Word says:
Gee, you seem to have conveniently ignored one of the main points of the book; clearly articulated even in the first 55 pages–the inherent racism in the worlds of branding and advertising.
Of course, Brains on Fire is based in Greenville SC, with a black population of 33.94%. And you have exactly 0 minority employees, out of 15.
You, in your own small-minded way, are just as bad (in reverse) as Mayor Ray Nagen of New Orleans yesterday: “It’s time for us to rebuild New Orleans–the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans,” the mayor said. “This city will be a majority African-American city. It’s the way God wants it to be. You can’t have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn’t be New Orleans.”
So, a chocolate New Orleans and a vanilla Brains on Fire. It’s God’s will, apparently.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:03 pmRobbin says:
First of all, thank you for reaching out to me. You’re right. My brief comment on the book did not begin to capture its meaning. But the point I recounted hit a chord with me on a late night, cross country flight — a day that was far from one of my best. My words were intended to be good ones about the book and how it shed some light on the soft ways of corporate America when the majority of us have no idea what real, get-your-hands-dirty work is all about. Brains on Fire is world’s away from the companies Hadji Williams described in detail in his book. So I found his message intriguing and disturbing on many levels. You’re also right about the lack of diversity here at Brains on Fire. It is something that weighs heavy on my heart. Over the last seven years we have had exactly two black members of our team. Both amazing and wonderful women. We lost one after about two years to Washington, DC. And the other left us to follow her calling in public service. She was hired specifically to work on the Teen Anti-Smoking movement, Rage Against the Haze (an account of ours that lets us work directly with teens in SC – most of which are minorities - and has directly resulted in full scholarships for at least two so far). We all miss her talent, style and perspective. I am far from perfect. But I don’t think it’s fair for you to throw rocks from a distance. We hire people from all over the country based solely on their skills – not on race, gender, or sexual preference. South Carolina – and Greenville – has a lot to work on, as do many places around the country. In the meantime, if you would like to talk to me in person, my numbers are on our website. Honest conversation with open minds — and without anger and judgement — is the only way to really change our far from perfect world. Perhaps we can learn something from each.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:04 pmDanny G says:
I couldn’t quite tell by Robbin’s original comments whether she liked the book, didn’t like it, or just didn’t feel up to continuing to read it, but there’s no reason for “N Word” to make snide comments about her personally. I think most of the people who read this blog regularly can see the folks at Brains on Fire are genuinely good people. Like David said, I thought this was one of the best books I’ve ever read about the ad industry. It is a pretty intense read, and the first 55 pages don’t reflect everything Hadji talks about, so I’ll be interested to see what Spike thinks after he’s done with it. There are positive lessons we can all take away from the book and apply to our own lives and careers.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:04 pmMark Tully says:
N Word, just for the sake of professionalism, why not go ahead and spell Mayor Ray Nagin’s name right? It’s God’s will.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:04 pm