Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

Courtesy of Rogers Cadenhead's Cruel Site of the Day
www.cruel.com

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040101/COLUMN/31231017

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2754374/detail.html

ASPEN, Colo. -- An Aspen Times columnist has been fired from her
job as a snowboard instructor at Snowmass after mocking her students
and their parents in a recent column.

In her Jan. 1 column, Alison Berkley described one student as a
"fat retarded kid" and "whale boy," and said students' "ultrawealthy"
parents "think I'm a miracle worker because their brain-dead kid
actually got excited about something besides video games for the
first time since the day she turned 13."

--
//-Walt
//
// http://www.bushtax.com/

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

Walt wrote in
:


Courtesy of Rogers Cadenhead's Cruel Site of the Day
www.cruel.com

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs....40101/COLUMN/3
1231017

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2754374/detail.html

ASPEN, Colo. -- An Aspen Times columnist has been fired from her
job as a snowboard instructor at Snowmass after mocking her students
and their parents in a recent column.

In her Jan. 1 column, Alison Berkley described one student as a
"fat retarded kid" and "whale boy," and said students'
"ultrawealthy" parents "think I'm a miracle worker because their
brain-dead kid actually got excited about something besides video
games for the first time since the day she turned 13."


Just read her comments from the aspentimes link. Her attitude reinforces
the the negative snowboarder stereotype. She probably should never have
been teaching if she really did talk to/about her students that way. If
she were teaching my kids and spoke to them the way she brags about in
the article, I'd have reported her to the management at the very least.
--
Chuck
Remove "_nospam" to reply by email

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

In her sort-of defense, she was obviously writing as a "character" in the
the column. How fictional the character was, I can't say.

On the other hand, it's pretty stupid to write things like that (whether or
not in character) under your own name if you have an interest in keeping
your instructor job. Which suggests that either shed didn't have much
interest in keeping her job, or that she's pretty stupid. I suspect it was
the former.

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

"Walt" wrote...

Courtesy of Rogers Cadenhead's Cruel Site of the Day
www.cruel.com


ASPEN, Colo. -- An Aspen Times columnist has been fired from her
job as a snowboard instructor at Snowmass after mocking her students
and their parents in a recent column.

In her Jan. 1 column, Alison Berkley described one student as a
"fat retarded kid" and "whale boy," and said students' "ultrawealthy"
parents "think I'm a miracle worker because their brain-dead kid
actually got excited about something besides video games for the
first time since the day she turned 13."

--
//-Walt
//
// http://www.bushtax.com/

Maybe if she were a better instructor her students wouldn't flounder so
much?

The tone of the column suggests that she was not a first year instructor. I
have to wonder why the ski/snowboard school hired her back after her first
season?
--
mark

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

"sjjohnston" wrote ...
In her sort-of defense, she was obviously writing as a "character" in the
the column. How fictional the character was, I can't say.

On the other hand, it's pretty stupid to write things like that (whether
or
not in character) under your own name if you have an interest in keeping
your instructor job. Which suggests that either shed didn't have much
interest in keeping her job, or that she's pretty stupid. I suspect it was
the former.


She may have been writing as a character, but nonetheless I sensed a great
deal of hostility toward her students. The woman struck me as a self
centered, spoiled brat, no better than the worst of the students she
depicted.
--
mark

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

That article would have been funnier if it was published on April 1, and not
Jan. 1 (peak tourist season). I'm sure most found it offensive as well as
pointless. The editor should be fired for running the piece as it stands.


"mark" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Walt" wrote...

Courtesy of Rogers Cadenhead's Cruel Site of the Day
www.cruel.com


ASPEN, Colo. -- An Aspen Times columnist has been fired from her
job as a snowboard instructor at Snowmass after mocking her students
and their parents in a recent column.

In her Jan. 1 column, Alison Berkley described one student as a
"fat retarded kid" and "whale boy," and said students' "ultrawealthy"
parents "think I'm a miracle worker because their brain-dead kid
actually got excited about something besides video games for the
first time since the day she turned 13."

--
//-Walt
//
// http://www.bushtax.com/

Maybe if she were a better instructor her students wouldn't flounder so
much?

The tone of the column suggests that she was not a first year instructor.
I
have to wonder why the ski/snowboard school hired her back after her first
season?
--
mark

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired (SATIRE!)
 

Chuck wrote in message . 4...

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040101/COLUMN/31231017

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2754374/detail.html

ASPEN, Colo. -- An Aspen Times columnist has been fired from her
job as a snowboard instructor at Snowmass after mocking her students
and their parents in a recent column.

In her Jan. 1 column, Alison Berkley described one student as a
"fat retarded kid" and "whale boy," and said students'
"ultrawealthy" parents "think I'm a miracle worker because their
brain-dead kid actually got excited about something besides video
games for the first time since the day she turned 13."


Just read her comments from the aspentimes link. Her attitude reinforces
the the negative snowboarder stereotype. She probably should never have
been teaching if she really did talk to/about her students that way. If
she were teaching my kids and spoke to them the way she brags about in
the article, I'd have reported her to the management at the very least.

satire - noun
1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or
scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice
or folly

Did anyone bother to read her OTHER articles? If you did I think you
would see a trend. In one, she says she would like to be a trophy wife
who does nothing but attend to her husband (in return for material
possessions and financial backing). It's pretty obvious that she is be
subversive in her article... ok may not *obvious* since a lot of
people don't realize she is not seriously in what she's saying, she is
actually condeming this mindset by "satirizing" it... kind of like
Gulliver Travel's... ok, I guess not everyone realizes that's a satire
(check out http://www.godsoframen.com/lisa/gulliver.html). Errr...
George Orwell, like 1984 or Animal Farm... right? I apologize for my
poor memory as it's been a while since high school English.

I think people are showing a knee jerk reaction to what upon a quick
glance appears to be an inflammatory article. However, if you actually
look more closely, you see that it is very careful in it's use of
slang such as "I don't gots to" and other such terms since the article
overall has proper punctuation, spelling and grammar. So either she is
a well-educated sk8ter girl that has an editor to proofread, or she is
doing this intentionally and if you actually read some of her articles
before passing judgment you would realize no one could possibly be
this outrageous.

So anyways... I don't think she should have been fired, but I can see
how a company afraid to stand behind a low-level employee would not
want to support her, even thought she isn't in the wrong because they
get bad "incorrect" press and that's bad for them. It's just like how
some companies fire whistlerblowers because they make too much noise
and attract unwanted bad publicity (even though it's for the common
good). I'm not saying that EVERY person and EVERY companies is like
this, just that it happens sometimes.

--Arvin

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

sjjohnston wrote:
In her sort-of defense, she was obviously writing as a "character" in
the the column. How fictional the character was, I can't say.

On the other hand, it's pretty stupid to write things like that
(whether or not in character) under your own name if you have an
interest in keeping your instructor job. Which suggests that either
shed didn't have much interest in keeping her job, or that she's
pretty stupid. I suspect it was the former.

If she was in this country, UK, I suspect she would have a very good case
for unfair dismissal.
I don't see how writing a satirical article could be grounds for dismissal
unless there was a specific clause in her contract. However as US employment
law is very different I would have thought she should have shown the ski
school managment the article before submitting it.


--
Chris *:-)

Downhill Good, Uphill BAD!

www.suffolkvikings.org.uk

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

"MoonMan" wrote in message
If she was in this country, UK, I suspect she would have a very good case
for unfair dismissal.

Very true, but if she was in the UK she woulndn't have been fired anyway,
for god's sake, she's only taking the **** out of herself. Hopefully
another ski school will employ her on the strength of that article alone, I
certainly would.
Lifes too short.
--
David Brown :o)
http://kitemap.co.uk/stack

Self-described Snowboard Whore Fired
 

I agree.

Top posted because of your signature :)

Chris *:-)

Baka Dasai wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 11:11:09 -0500, Walt said (and I quote):

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs..../COLUMN/312310
17

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2754374/detail.html

I'm having trouble understanding other posters negative reaction to
the instructor's original article. It's a naive fantasy to expect
that everybody loves their job all the time, and that students are
always bundles of fun.

It's just an instructor having bitching about her students. Doesn't
everybody bitch about their jobs now and then?

I'm speaking as a parent who puts my child in ski school, and I'd
have no qualms about having her taught by the writer of the article.
She sounds like she's got a pretty healthy attitude if you ask me.