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September 07, 2018 - Image 4

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P

apa John’s has received
significant
media
attention in the past
couple of months, largely due
to their outspoken leader,
John
Schnatter.
Schnatter
made headlines in December
2017
after
he
criticized
the NFL’s handling of the
national anthem protests. He
infamously termed the whole
affair a “debacle,” ignoring
the purpose of the protests

which
were
intended
to
call
attention
to
the
disgraceful policing practices
throughout African-American
communities.
Investors
and consumers reacted to
his
remarks:
Papa
John’s
shares fell 11 percent and
sales dropped an estimated
5
percent
in
the
weeks
afterward. Schnatter, feeling
the pressure, stepped down as
CEO but retained his position
as chairman of the board.
Schnatter made headlines
again in July 2018 when the
media reported on his use
of the N-word, along with
other controversial remarks,
during
a
conference
call
with an external marketing
firm. During the call, he
claimed he wasn’t a racist
but ended up using the racial
slur, “explaining that KFC
founder Colonel Sanders used
that word, but Papa John’s
didn’t.”
Schnatter
resigned
as chairman the day after the
story broke, but he has been
fighting the board to try and
come back ever since. In July,
the company’s sales suffered
a 10.5 percent decline in its
North American market.
Along with covering his
use of the N-word, Forbes
released “The Inside Story of
Papa John’s Toxic Culture”
by
reporter
Noah
Kirsch.
The
piece
shed
light
on
the
problematic
culture
found at Papa John’s and at
organizations across the globe.
Kirsch wrote about the “bro
culture” that was pervasive
at
the
company.
Female
employees were mocked and
asked time and time again if
they were menstruating. Male
executives
made
repulsive
references
to
“gangbangs”
and comments about whether
women wanted “to jump on
the train.” Employees at the

firm explained that it was
Schnatter’s close circle of male
executives that perpetuated
this despicable culture.
Forbes’s
coverage
of
Papa John’s is of particular
importance for two reasons.
First, it’s clear that racism
and
racial
insensitivity
is
alive and well even in the
21st
century.
People
can
choose to believe that racism
is a thing of the past, but
Schnatter’s remarks — at least
in my mind — demonstrate
the unwillingness of certain
individuals
to
realize
the social impact of their
ignorance. Second, the culture
that
permeates
through
Papa John’s likely permeates
through
scores
of
other
organizations. The degrading
and
disrespectful
remarks,
which
contributed
to
the
“bro culture” at Papa John’s,

can certainly be overheard at
other organizations.
You can say that one man
doesn’t speak for an entire
organization – that Schnatter’s
remarks shouldn’t define the
abstract entity that is Papa
John’s – but I would disagree.
Leaders — especially leaders
of multinational corporations
with thousands of employees
and millions of consumers —
must recognize the impact
they have on how individuals
think and act. Instead of
perpetuating
arrogance,
ignorance
and
dominance,
leaders like Schnatter should
use their global platforms to
encourage more positive and
constructive values.
The
#MeToo
movement
has played an important role
throughout the coverage of
cultural failings at not only

Papa John’s but also several
notable
organizations.
Earlier this year, The New
York Times published a piece
about the firing of several
male
executives
at
Nike
after women revolted over
the company’s inhospitable
culture. The authors discussed
the
company’s
culture
by
mentioning that staff outings
often ended at strip clubs and
bosses were reported to have
“referenced a staff member’s
breasts in an email.”
Nike’s corporate culture
may not have been much
different than Papa John’s,
but leaders at each respective
organization could not have
acted
more
differently.
Leaders at Nike decided to
act and reform themselves
internally
before
the
bad
publicity hurt its bottom line.
The company has even been
able to maintain stable stock
price growth since The New
York Times first published the
piece in April.
Nike should serve as an
example
for
organizations
everywhere on how to react
to
the
increasing
social
awareness and consciousness
in
our
current
society.
Gloria Feldt, co-founder and
president of Take the Lead,
wrote an incredible piece in
Time
magazine
about
how
organizations should respond
to the #MeToo movement. She
writes, “…leaders will have
to create work environments
where women aren’t objectified
and where implicit bias is at
least recognized and at best
eliminated
from
recruiting,
hiring and retention practices.”
I hope the coverage of
Papa John’s, along with the
ongoing
coverage
of
the
#MeToo movement, will cause
more
companies
to
reform
themselves. I hope this serves as
a warning sign to organizations
across the globe that racial
insensitivity and “bro culture”
are not sustainable principles
to maintain in our current
society. Leaders can choose
to do the right thing — while
avoiding embarrassment — by
reforming themselves and their
organization’s culture.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Friday, September 7, 2018

Emma Chang
Ben Charlson
Joel Danilewitz
Samantha Goldstein
Emily Huhman

Tara Jayaram
Jeremy Kaplan
Lucas Maiman
Magdalena Mihaylova
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland

Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Alex Satola
Ali Safawi
Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger

DAYTON HARE
Managing Editor

420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

ALEXA ST. JOHN
Editor in Chief
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND
ASHLEY ZHANG
Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

SAM KOLE | OP-ED

To the disillusioned student
A

t a time in history when
every
political
norm
has been upended and
replaced with partisanship and
personal attacks, we remember
the American hero, Sen. John
McCain, R–Arizona. McCain,
a selfless public servant for six
decades, had an unwavering
optimism
in
our
political
system and its ability to do good
work for the American people.
McCain was regarded as “the
maverick of the Senate” for his
uncommon courage to defy
party lines and vote with his
conscience. McCain will forever
be remembered for his shocking
Senate vote against the repeal of
the Affordable Care Act, which
McCain opposed on principle
but voted to keep in place for
the good of the country over the
good of his party.
Respected by many, McCain
rose above ad hominem attacks
to focus on the issues important
to the people of Arizona and the
rest of the country. His style and
class are of a bygone era when
issues of policy and substance
dominated
headlines.
John
McCain’s patriotic spirit is what
must be reignited on college
campuses across the country.
Optimism in our system has
fallen out of favor. Academia’s
harsh criticism of politicians
and the U.S. government over the
past two decades has forestalled
our generation’s optimism that
through our democracy we
can effect change in pursuit
of a more perfect union. Look
across historically politically-
active campuses and notice the
frightening lack of patriotism
or belief in the government
as a positive agent of change.
The
student
movements
of
Berkeley and Ann Arbor in the
’60s have been replaced with

hashtags
and
social
media
“like activism.” Students have
John McCain to look to as an
example of how a dedicated
civil servant and politician can
move our democracy forward.
Change takes decades to enact:
We need to be proactive in
pushing advocacy and strive
toward making our campuses
and communities better places
to live and study.
Our 2017 campus protests
against
the
administration’s
policies and directives were
merely reactive. As students,
we need to be proactive in
our approach and continue to
participate all year long, rather
than just when it is popular or
trending to do so.
The
next
generation
of
American taxpayers has become
jaded and bored by our political
system. Too often, we forget
that those on the other side
of the debate are also patriots
interested in what’s best for our
country. As students, we ought
to recognize the humanity of
our opponents and respect their
positions. As former President
George W. Bush said in his
eulogy for McCain: “He was
honorable, always recognizing
his opponents were still patriots
and human beings. He loved
freedom with a passion of a
man who knew its absence. He
respected the dignity inherent
in every life.” Even in the most
fraught
of
circumstances,
McCain never gave into the
personal
attacks
that
have
come to dominate presidential
politics. Instead, he embodied
decency in his respect for his
opponents and continued to
debate the issues of the day.
In his farewell statement,
McCain articulated this best:
“We are three-hundred-and-

twenty-five million opinionated,
vociferous
individuals.
We
argue
and
compete
and
sometimes even vilify each other
in our raucous public debates.
But we have always had so much
more in common with each
other than in disagreement.
If only we remember that and
give each other the benefit of
the presumption that we all love
our country we will get through
these challenging times. We will
come through them stronger
than before. We always do.”
The spirit of John McCain
survives through the voices of
campus activists who speak
up for the policies they believe
in and then turn out to vote
those policies into law. Engage,
lean in, turn on and activate
yourself to become a force for
good and an impetus for change
and reform. We do this not
because it is easy or convenient
but because it is our duty as
an
engaged
citizenry.
Our
democratic system requires us
to show up to vote instead of
dismissing the effectiveness of
one vote, as this lazy response
is reserved for the uninterested.
The “like activism” politics of
today is mere virtue signaling
intended for social media sites
and is not enough. Hashtags do
not effect change. Liking posts
is not enough.
Take responsibility for the
campus, community, state and
country you live in. Former
President
Barack
Obama
addressed
audiences
at
the
DNC admonishing the nation,
saying, “Democracy is not a
spectator sport.” We owe it to
ourselves and to our future to
get informed and get involved.

Takeaways from the recent Papa John’s disaster

ERIK NESLER | COLUMN

It’s time for new Democratic leadership

MARGOT LIBERTINI | COLUMN

I

t’s been two years of
soul-searching
and
restructuring
for
the
Democrats
since
the
2016
election
when
Republicans
won the presidency,
the
House
of
Representatives and
the
Senate.
Now,
it is time to enact
the
strategy
they
have
formulated
throughout
these
past two years in
order to try and
win the House and Senate
back
in
November.
Thus
far, this strategy has been
to largely focus messaging
on the economy, as it is a
salient and relatable issue.
Economic inequality is rising,
causing
major
resentment
and unease. The Democrats
are certainly the major party
that is more likely to address
this inequality, as they have
a
stronger
background
of
enacting such policy.
In a perfect world, that
would be all that matters.
Democrats have the better
policy
for
the
issues
of
today, and thus, they should
be
elected.
However,
the
messaging is not always so
easy. In fact, much of the
messaging has nothing to do
with the economy, or policy
at all, because our era is
so insanely polarized that
all of that takes a back seat
to partisan politics. What
rallies Republicans together
more than anything? Shared
disdain
for
Democratic
leadership,
namely
Rep.
Nancy
Pelosi,
D–Calif,
the minority leader in the
House. More than a third
of
Republican
attack
ads
are focused on Pelosi, and
she is a major aspect of the
Republican
strategy
for
keeping control of the House
in November. The ads link
Democratic House candidates
to Pelosi and then attempt
to link Pelosi to a host of
ridiculous accusations, such
as secretly being in support
of
MS-13.
Unfortunately,
this strategy is influential,
and Democrats are not in a
position to take any risks in
this election. Thus, I would
encourage Pelosi to remove fuel
from the fire and step down
before November midterms.
Further, many Democrats
aren’t particularly enthused

about
the
leader,
either.
This is especially true of
Democrats in swing states,
such as Ohio and
Pennsylvania,
because
the
moderate vote is so
important, and the
anti-establishment
message
is
loud.
Notably, these are
states that Donald
Trump
won
in
2016,
and
they
are
important
to
potentially
flip
the House. The connection
to Pelosi appears toxic for
those in tight races. Some
candidates have gone so far as
to say they will not vote for her
if elected, while others simply
speak vaguely of new leadership.

Clearly,
she
is
not
presently a popular political
figure — but why? Of course,
some of it is pure Republican
strategizing.
Their
party
is
split
between
Trump’s
nationalist
populism
and
the more traditional fiscal
conservatism — two economic
visions that are quite at odds.
Thus, rather than bridge that
divide through seeking middle
ground candidates or smart
policy, they have decided to
unite through use of a common
enemy found in Pelosi. But
why is her own party turning
on her? Of course, a good
portion of the animosity is
both ageist and misogynistic.
She’s a 78-year-old woman,
and thus people believe her
time has passed. We rarely
hear that a man is getting
too old for the job, so this
aspect of the Pelosi problem
is unfortunate and unfair.
However, it is not entirely
about
her
age
or
gender.
Nancy Pelosi has been the
House Democratic leader for
16 years, including during

the 2010 elections, when the
Democrats
lost
63
House
seats — a loss the party has
yet to recover from. From that
perspective, it does not seem
that she has been particularly
effective in rallying voters.
The Democratic Party lost
the past four House elections,
even
as
they
won
the
presidency in 2012 with the
re-election of then-President
Barack Obama. Furthermore,
after serving as leader for
so long, Pelosi truly is the
establishment.
She
has
consistently rejected a turn
toward left-wing economics,
even as the party has shown
an enthusiasm for it through
the popularity of Sen. Bernie
Sanders, D–Vt., in 2016 and
the recent primary elections
of
progressive
candidates
such as Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez.
These
reasons
support the notion that she
should
step
down
before
November
in
order
to
reinvigorate Democrats and
cut off a core Republican
strategy.
With
fresh
messaging
should
come
fresh
faces.
This
cannot
be
the
Democratic Party of 2016
unless we want to lose like
the
Democratic
Party
of
2016. We need to update
our leadership to represent
the party of economic and
social justice for the whole
country.
Rep.
Tim
Ryan,
D–Ohio, challenged Pelosi
after the 2016 election, and
he has indicated he might
do so again. Having party
leadership from a Rust Belt
state rather than California
or New York would be a
refreshing
and
welcome
change for the party.
Above all else, we need
party leadership that can
ensure a win in November.
Between separating families,
continuing corporate tax cuts,
defending our adversaries,
the state of the Democratic
Party and the country as a
whole is incredibly dire. The
Republicans are using Pelosi
as a way to fire up their
voters, and there is too much
at stake to lose any votes.
Hopefully, Pelosi will step
down and allow room for
another Democrat to rise and
carry this party forward.

JOIN OUR EDITORIAL BOARD

Our Editorial Board meets Mondays and Wednesdays 7:15-8:45 PM at
our newsroom at 420 Maynard Street. All are welcome to come discuss
national, state and campus affairs.

Margot Libertini can be reached at

mliberti@umich.edu.

MICHIGAN DAILY MASS MEETINGS

Attend a mass meeting to learn more about The Daily and our various
sections!
September 11, 13, 17 and 19th at 7pm in The Michigan Daily newsroom at
420 Maynard

MARGOT
LIBERTINI

I would encourage
Pelosi to remove
fuel from the fire
and step down
before November
midterms.

Leaders can
choose to do
the right thing
by reforming
themselves
and their
organization’s
culture.

Sam Kole is an LSA junior.

Erik Nesler can be reached at

egnesler@umich.edu.

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