Gaga slams Jennifer O'Neill

[Allison M 357]

Who cares about this lady...

All I need to know is... WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ED

Last I saw Ed was with Avril Levine (I think I spelled her name wrong)

[fede ARTPOP 6,418]

:O

[OldSchool 0]

It's perfectly possible that 75k is considered standard for a celebrity personal assistant.  Why should she get more than the going rate that others in the same field get?  How much Gaga makes is immaterial.  Without Gaga the personal assistant job doesn't exist at all.

 

Your corporatist mindset is disconcerting. I hope most Gaga apologists don't discard their principles for the sake of defending Gaga. According to your logic, it's reasonable to exploit a personal assistant's labor because they're dispensable and agreed to a menial base salary. Gaga's wealth is not immaterial. A moral crusader for progressive causes should adhere to the values they espouse.

[giskardsb 12,565]

Your corporatist mindset is disconcerting. I hope most Gaga apologists don't discard their principles for the sake of defending Gaga. According to your logic, it's reasonable to exploit a personal assistant's labor because they're dispensable and agreed to a menial base salary. Gaga's wealth is not immaterial. A moral crusader for progressive causes should adhere to the values they espouse.

 

Just because Gaga and her fans tend to be Social Progressive does not in any way imply that she or her fans are economic progressives.  For all you know she is a libertarian.  I'm no right wing corporatist, but Gaga should not feel the need to pay an assistant double or triple the going rate just because she can.   There is certainly a standard wage for that type of position and probably a standard expectation that it is a salaried position and an upfront understanding that an assistant is on-call all the time.  If O'Neil didn't like it she should have quit.

[OldSchool 0]

Just because Gaga and her fans tend to be Social Progressive does not in any way imply that she or her fans are economic progressives.  For all you know she is a libertarian.  I'm no right wing corporatist, but Gaga should not feel the need to pay an assistant double or triple the going rate just because she can.   There is certainly a standard wage for that type of position and probably a standard expectation that it is a salaried position and an upfront understanding that an assistant is on-call all the time.  If O'Neil didn't like it she should have quit.

Correction: Social and economic issues are intertwined. Social progress requires economic security. Social welfare, labor standards, and poverty alleviation are economic AND social issues. You're conveniently ignoring the larger picture. Some people do have economic mobility and can leave their job for a different one...but that does NOT justify their exploitation. And that's exactly what you're doing: justifying Gaga's outrageous demands and the shameful treatment of her employee.

[giskardsb 12,565]

Correction: Social and economic issues are intertwined. Social progress requires economic security. Social welfare, labor standards, and poverty alleviation are economic AND social issues. You're conveniently ignoring the larger picture. Some people do have economic mobility and can leave their job for a different one...but that does NOT justify their exploitation. And that's exactly what you're doing: justifying Gaga's outrageous demands and the shameful treatment of her employee.

 

poverty alleviation is not going to be helped by getting highly salaried people paid overtime.  Getting salaried people converted to hourly won't solve that problem.  Low wage jobs are already hourly and paid overtime, by law.  Child labor in China is exploitive.  A personal assistant being paid more than many americans to babysit whichever pop diva they are babysitting is not.

 

In any case the courts will rule whether O'Neill's case has any merit or if she is just attempting a money grab because she didn't like the terms of her contract.  I'm willing to bet her lawyers expected a quick settlement rather than ending up going to court.  Many lawsuits are filed simply with the belief that the defendant would just as soon settle than go to court, especially with deep pocket defendents.  Gaga and her team apparently are pretty strong in their belief that O'Neill has no basis.  If Gaga abused the relationship based on industry expectations of a PA's job then she should pay.  If she didn't, then O'Neill will get stuck with legal fees for a nuisance lawsuit.

[Sunbather 0]

This reminds me of the drummer that sued John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) because he didn't get some sort of nice hotel room and benefits, amongst other things.
As well as many other similar cases.
It sounds like someone who finds out they don't want to work the extra mile in the industry wanting an easy cut from the closest source. If Gaga was in the wrong, I'd say so immedeatly as I never let biases change my judgement, but this is just stupid.

[HYPERCRUSH 42]

   

[Celina 118]

Correction: Social and economic issues are intertwined. Social progress requires economic security. Social welfare, labor standards, and poverty alleviation are economic AND social issues. You're conveniently ignoring the larger picture. Some people do have economic mobility and can leave their job for a different one...but that does NOT justify their exploitation. And that's exactly what you're doing: justifying Gaga's outrageous demands and the shameful treatment of her employee.

Outrageous demands? Shameful treatment? What exactly makes you think any of that is necessarily true? Based on what pretty much all of Gaga's employees or former employees have to say about her, and also based on the kind of person she has proven to be, I personally wouldn't trust what Jennifer O'Neill is claiming.

If anything, she may have been more comfortable with making requests to O'Neill because they were, at some point, close friends. Also don't forget that O'Neill's living expenses were probably small when she was with Gaga.

[OldSchool 0]

poverty alleviation is not going to be helped by getting highly salaried people paid overtime.  Getting salaried people converted to hourly won't solve that problem.  Low wage jobs are already hourly and paid overtime, by law.  Child labor in China is exploitive.  A personal assistant being paid more than many americans to babysit whichever pop diva they are babysitting is not.

 

In any case the courts will rule whether O'Neill's case has any merit or if she is just attempting a money grab because she didn't like the terms of her contract.  I'm willing to bet her lawyers expected a quick settlement rather than ending up going to court.  Many lawsuits are filed simply with the belief that the defendant would just as soon settle than go to court, especially with deep pocket defendents.  Gaga and her team apparently are pretty strong in their belief that O'Neill has no basis.  If Gaga abused the relationship based on industry expectations of a PA's job then she should pay.  If she didn't, then O'Neill will get stuck with legal fees for a nuisance lawsuit.

 

I'm afraid you missed the point, again. I never implied Ms. O'Neill was impoverished and I never advocated for converting salaried incomes to hourly incomes. I merely pointed out that economic issues and social issues are intertwined. Also, I'm concerned if you believe low-wage workers are always treated/compensated fairly by employers and that exploitation does not exist here. Look no further than corporate conglomerates like Wal-Mart.

 

It doesn't matter whether you believe Ms. O'Neill's salary was fair or not. The fact is that she felt exploited, demeaned, and underappreciated. Considering the outrageous crap she endured, I would argue that her pay was not adequate. Not only does Gaga justify her outrageous demands and Ms. O'Neill's low pay, but she scrutinizes Ms. O'Neill's character and qualifications in public. Classy. In the end, my argument is not about poverty alleviation, salaried vs. hourly pay, or labor standards. It's about the principle of doing the right thing. When you're in a position of prestige, authority, and wealth (like Gaga), you should take it upon yourself to treat your employees with respect during and after their employment. And you should not make a stink about chump change. Principle matters.

 

Outrageous demands? Shameful treatment? What exactly makes you think any of that is necessarily true? Based on what pretty much all of Gaga's employees or former employees have to say about her, and also based on the kind of person she has proven to be, I personally wouldn't trust what Jennifer O'Neill is claiming.

If anything, she may have been more comfortable with making requests to O'Neill because they were, at some point, close friends. Also don't forget that O'Neill's living expenses were probably small when she was with Gaga.

 

It would make sense that Gaga's employees sing her praises, right? Also, there's more than one former employee that has mentioned Gaga's unreasonable behavior and demands.

 

I treat my close friends AND acquaintances with respect. I would never feel comfortable asking them for petty favors or menial tasks, even if I was their employer. My friendship with them would be more of a reason to pay them fairly and treat them with dignity and respect. Your suggestion that O'Neill's living expenses were "probably small when she was with Gaga" is highly speculative and unfounded. Therefore, it lacks merit.

[Celina 118]

 

It would make sense that Gaga's employees sing her praises, right? Also, there's more than one former employee that has mentioned Gaga's unreasonable behavior and demands.

 

I treat my close friends AND acquaintances with respect. I would never feel comfortable asking them for petty favors or menial tasks, even if I was their employer. My friendship with them would be more of a reason to pay them fairly and treat them with dignity and respect. Your suggestion that O'Neill's living expenses were "probably small when she was with Gaga" is highly speculative and unfounded. Therefore, it lacks merit.

 

I certainly don't remember many justified complaints.

 

Gaga's just not the kind of "diva" who puts herself on a pedestal so she can mistreat others. It's just not "her." Yes, she had an outburst when talking about O'Neill, but she was upset and angry that she had to deal with this in the midst of her tour and already hectic schedule, and it was extremely out of character for her. No matter who we are, we've all made mistakes, and her outburst was one of them. However, I don't believe for one second that she treated her like that as her employer.

 

Also, I didn't mean that Gaga's friendship was a valid reason for her to disrespect O'Neill. What I meant was that some of the "requests" such as sleeping in the same room were likely due to that, and when put in that context, it's not nearly as bad as it seems. Telling some random employee you just hired that they have to sleep in the same bed with you would be extremely strange and possibly disrespectful, but telling your best friend is... well, fairly normal for some people.

 

As for the living expenses, do you believe O'Neill paid for hotel expenses, or even most of her food considering she was (supposed to be) with Gaga pretty much 24/7? I will admit that the suggestion is based on speculation but keep in mind that it's speculation based on how she's known to treat her current employees, friends, etc. She paid for another former assistant's Dr./chemo bills, actually, and she's usually quite generous with her money.

[faux 2,190]

She should stop 

[popper 3]

She should stop 

I thought this was new but no

[Conqueror 14]

I don't think Jennifer deserves all the hate, some but not all of it. On the other hand, she does come across as lazy and not to mention, that she was under-qualified. 

[Bleachella 2,932]

September 2013

/thread