this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
636 points (96.8% liked)

News

23261 readers
4342 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is trying a unique strategy to get remote workers to return downtown: insulting them.

“I don’t know if you saw this study the other day,” Frey told an audience of 1,000 at Minneapolis Downtown Council’s annual meeting on Wednesday. “What this study clearly showed … is that when people who have the ability to come downtown to an office don’t — when they stay home sitting on their couch, with their nasty cat blanket, diddling on their laptop — if they do that for a few months, you become a loser!”

The comment was a “complete joke” and the study was made-up, the Minneapolis mayor’s office told Fortune, but there are serious facts to back up Frey’s worry about the impact of remote work on Minneapolis’ downtown economy.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world 236 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (13 children)

The comment was a “complete joke” and the study was made-up, the Minneapolis mayor’s office told Fortune

Ah yes the typical "what? It was just a joke, why's everyone mad at me?" reaction to saying something only an asshole would say, fuck this guy. So sorry rich people are going to make less money off of their real estate investments, boo fucking hoo, how about adapting to technological and cultural changes better? 🤷‍♂️

[–] thisisnotgoingwell@programming.dev 18 points 9 months ago

He went with the "it was just a prank bro" strategy, which has in the last decade been very successful

load more comments (12 replies)
[–] thesystemisdown@lemmy.world 134 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Insulting a key demographic of your constituency in a ranked choice system is an interesting strategy.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 40 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Yeah but businesses are probably paying him more.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world 101 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh no, my feelings are so hurt ... Hearing a politician teach me about work is like hearing a priest teach me about sex with an adult.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Thrillhouse@lemmy.world 83 points 9 months ago

People just don’t want to spend what little time we have on this earth commuting, paying $10 for a shitty Subway sandwich for lunch, and listening to Elderly Manager Brian talk about his glory days to a captive audience.

[–] winterayars@sh.itjust.works 79 points 9 months ago (8 children)

What the fuck is wrong with this guy.

[–] PanArab@lemmy.world 64 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Clearly owns commercial/office real estate in the city.

[–] just_change_it@lemmy.world 51 points 9 months ago (4 children)

and is funded by owners of said properties (FOR SURE)

Never forget who the real influencers of decisions are: The wealthy owners of property in this country.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 24 points 9 months ago

Oddly enough Hennepin County doesn't let you search property by owner or property tax payer.

https://www16.co.hennepin.mn.us/pins/?articleId=by_address

[–] finkrat@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago

This is what happens when your education is CEO-pandering articles on Forbes and Fortune shoving "the workers are the problem and work-from-home is lazy and will kill your business" agenda so they get more views

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] Drusas@kbin.social 74 points 9 months ago (3 children)

This just in: mayor of Minneapolis is completely out of touch with modern society

[–] tal@lemmy.today 28 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I think it's more that he runs Minneapolis.

If your business model is being a city that has a bunch of office buildings that workers commute into from surrounding suburbs every day, and then one day, people decide that they don't need to do that commute, kinda dicks up your business model.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] kellyaster@kbin.social 67 points 9 months ago (1 children)

He sure has a lot of boomer energy for a guy who's only 42.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 53 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Boomerism is more a state of mind than it is an actual age

[–] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago (1 children)

At least actual boomers have the excuse of being 90% lead for most of their childhood.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 65 points 9 months ago

I guess making his downtown a good place to live and work might take some effort, while insults are free. Good use of economic resources.

I hope this guy gets stuck in traffic enough that his policies don’t get traction, and someone more capable gets elected next.

[–] Clent@lemmy.world 64 points 9 months ago (14 children)

What the fuck is a "nasty cat blanket"

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 46 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 46 points 9 months ago

Nah, it's class contempt. All of us rubes working from our slums, when we should be content to bask in the glory of the Corporate Office...

load more comments (13 replies)
[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 61 points 9 months ago

This dude just called every c suite exec a loser ...lol

[–] Desistance@lemmy.world 55 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Shows his desperation. Adapt or die.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] XTornado@lemmy.ml 54 points 9 months ago

Stop man... You had me at cat blanket, no need to say anything else, I will continue from home.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 53 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yeah.... No. The real losers are the asshats that have to get up, shower, get lunch together, drive to a factory, inhale shit all day, fantasize about unrealistic things like unicorns, homeownership, and retirement, and then drive home.

Source: Me. Am loser, driving, breathing shit, and all with no cat blanket...

[–] Moosely@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Would you like a cat blanket in these trying times?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 53 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Man, if you become a loser in a few months what does that make me since I've been fully remote for six years, and more than 50% remote for eleven years.

Also, here's the problem as defined by Minneapolis:

Gen Z prefers laptop diddling and nasty cat blankets to going out

What does "going out" entail? Visiting a bar and overpaying for drinks in a noisy bar? Overpaying at a restaurant that doesn't even have plates?

Gen Z doesn't have any money. Going out requires money. So unless they're gonna subsidize meals at restaurants, people will stay home and diddle on their laptops because at least that doesn't cost money.

[–] karashta@kbin.social 31 points 9 months ago

It's the same with a lot of us millennial people.

I graduated into a job market still largely crushed by the dotcom bubble bursting, had my entire life and career path destroyed by the GFC, then another destroyed by covid.

Let me just spend a third of my monthly food allowance on food I can make better myself to please the downtown economy god, I guess lmfao.

[–] SpicyLizards@reddthat.com 49 points 9 months ago (5 children)

I call politicians scumbags that just lie and steal, but whatever

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] pan_troglodytes@programming.dev 47 points 9 months ago (3 children)

minneapolis mayor can foresee the coming commercial real-estate bubble collapsing - they must get a lot of tax dollars from businesses

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago

Wouldn't be surprised if he himself or any number of people who fronted the money to get them elected are invested in that business

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] thesporkeffect@lemmy.world 45 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Minor nit pick overall, but 'diddling' is a revealing choice of words

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 45 points 9 months ago

What a fucking tool

[–] Kushia@lemmy.ml 42 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Being a loser sounds pretty great actually.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 41 points 9 months ago (5 children)

I can't read this article, but I've seen (and posted) other articles about this. Governor Walz responded with "I guess I'm a nasty cat blanket person then". The DFL isn't a sack of shit, but Mayor Frey sure is. And he got re elected last time because he's about as conservative as can win here and the downtown businesses threw a bunch of money in his campaign.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 40 points 9 months ago (1 children)

He is from the Democratic Farmer Labor Party which is an affiliate of the Democratic Party. This is not exactly a labor supporting statement.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago (14 children)

There is a growing resentment from traditional labor which cannot work remotely against the knowledge labor force which is able to work remotely. If the educational divide between GOP and Dems is fleeting, he's betting on his party's historic strength.

load more comments (14 replies)
[–] LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 35 points 9 months ago (1 children)

but there are serious facts to back up Frey’s worry about the impact of remote work on Minneapolis’ downtown economy.

Yeah idk what I expected from Fortune

[–] bcgm3@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

One study showed that at least 72% of remote workers in the area did in fact own a "nasty cat blanket."

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 35 points 9 months ago

Fuck you, dude.

[–] Silverseren@kbin.social 34 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"impact of remote work on Minneapolis’ downtown economy"

So nothing about the impact of remote work on actual productivity and output, which studies show are greatly improved. F your downtown, man.

[–] yeahiknow3@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

If "downtown" were a carless urban greenscape, it would be thriving, particularly if folks had control over their own busy schedules. Instead, this idiot presides over a traffic-jammed, smog-filled, noisy, ugly, colorless concrete jungle and he's sad it's dying? Yeah, because most cities are hideous blight zones.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 32 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Lol. Lmao even.

Working remotely has let me support local businesses more than before. I'm helping out a community I want to live in, not one I'm forced to commute to and just work in.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] athos77@kbin.social 28 points 9 months ago

Oh, the loser who was on the Minneapolis city council for years before becoming mayor and then doing shit-all for a couple years before multiple cops in his city murdered George Floyd? The city that had so many civil rights violations that they're now operating under a consent decree? Why should I care what that guy says?

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 22 points 9 months ago

My nasty cat blanket is warm af thank you.

[–] agent_flounder@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago

Oh look another politician that doesn't know what work is.

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You mean happy losers that don't let corporations control their lives?

Maybe the world needs more losers then ...

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›