Via Gawker: Considering the profound social unrest surrounding just about every aspect of their entire existence, AIG disseminated the following memo to their staffers to help them avoid getting hoisted by their necktie the nearest lamppost.
I’m not sure this list was entirely comprehensive. Feel free to add your additional suggestions to AIG employees in the comments.
AIG Corporate Security’s Tips for Surviving an Angry Mob [Gawker]
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clearly this is all the medias fault /biggest eye-roll ever/
@jscott73: That’s exactly what I was thinking. They have cause and effect backwards. They are getting increased media scrutiny because of increased public attention. This is just like the hostage taker killing a hostage and blaming the police.
@ColoradoShark: I would have preferred “Because of those dicks in the financial products division…”
and later in the memo “If you see an angry mob, quickly melt into the group and direct them to George’s office. Cuz’ it’s all his fault anyhow.”
Wow…quite surprising that a company doesn’t want it’s employees to wear logo attire. But it’s not surprising that the one company that doesn’t is AIG.
“Due to increased public attention…”
Apparently, attention=anger now.
The sad thing is that there are some scary people out there. No matter what problems people have with AIG as a company, or with what decisions individuals working there made, the individuals working there don’t deserve to be stalked and beaten because of it.
I worked for a company that went through a series of owners who each made poor financial decisions getting the company farther and farther into debt. After several months of struggling and getting farther and farther behind on any money owed, there were a lot of people pissed at that company. The receptionist ended up getting a phone call that someone was “coming down there right now” with some vague threats. Blinds were closed, curtains drawn, building secured and all non-essential staff sent home. Supervisors were discouraging people from exiting the building for anything other than leaving for the day, and if anyone was leaving for the day, someone watched to make sure they made it safely to their car. It was nice that management took the threats seriously, but pretty scary to have to be in that kind of environment. The really unfortunate part is that the people who made the decisions that got the company into that state didn’t work in the building or even in the same state. So they were safely out of harm’s way.
@valor77:
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
@Justin Larson: Oh yeah, I forgot that the Executive Branch writes bills, skips past the Congress, and signs them into law. Oh wait, that’s not how it happens. The Democrat congress wrote the TARP bill, with no provisions for restricting AIG bailouts. Now they’re trying to cover up their own stupidity by distracting us with AIG.
@valor77: No one has acted unilaterally more often or more swiftly than George W. Bush. See also: “extraordinary rendition.” That shit was kept inside the executive branch.
@valor77: Funny how 3/4 of the cited article shows how GOP Congressmen were the ones defending TARP recipient bonus pay-outs. It’s a Who’s Who of the Republicans currently whining the loudest.
How will you ever learn anything if you never read?
So, we can assume increased security at all AIG facilities, and the standard-issue deployment gear roster now must include not just the cream pie, but also a bike or skakeboard for a swooping approach/attack and a swift escape.
And yes, of course this is advocating violence, but a pie in the face is the least violent of so many choices. Be happy that we chose to count coup on these Pop-Tarts with cream pies.
No, even “Pop-Tart” is too good for these clowns, as Pop-Tarts are loved by many small children. They are mere “Generic Toaster Pastries“
@jfischer: I actually like the generic toaster pastries better than Pop-Tarts.
They missed something: If they see an angry lynch mob, it does no good to run. Pull out your bonus money and throw it to the mob.
Where can I get an AIG T-Shirt & AIG hat
Now we watch the news and wait… some poor schmuck will be needlessly killed.
@dohtem: And then the public is the “bad guy”…
@cynical_bastard: … well, yeah, along with the dunderheads which let it get this far in the first place.
It’s going to be interesting to wear my Manchester United jersey this weekend (which is emblazoned with a massive AIG logo). So far, I’ve only received a few comments, but my Dad refuses to wear his. He’s gone back to his “Vodafone” sponsored kit from about five years ago.
Right… nothing going on right now with the economy, America, or the mentality of people has anything to do with the past eight years of shit heaped upon the country I love. Also, as far as changing the constitution maybe you should talk to your buddy George Bush about that…
@bigroblee: Good – lots of facts to back up your assertions. Very compelling. Contracts are law – no matter how stupid you happen to think those contracts are. The fact that the Congress was too stupid to stop the bonuses before it bailed out AIG doesn’t give them the right to rewrite the law on the fly or us the US tax code as a weapon to achieve their populist political agenda.
That was supposed to be a reply to Valor…
Makes me wonder how long it will be until they rebrand to escape the stigma they’ve created for themselves.
I say they’ve asked for, and received, everything that is coming their way these days.
@Michael Worth: They have already announced the fact that will eventually change their name.
@Trai_Dep: … given some of the crazies running around these days (see: 4 schools in DE getting either gunman threats or bomb threats today), I’m going with number one.
The public doesn’t give a flying fuck who they string up for it – anything with AIG on it, including the cubicle-worker who has nothing to do with it, seems to be fair game these days. It’s sad you can’t see past your own agenda to realize this.
This reminds me of a story I heard from Michael Moore once. I think when he was doing Sick-o, companies sent out memo’s on how to deal w/Michael Moore, even giving out specials numbers, and one company went to the extreme to higher a Michael Moore look alike to “train” their people.
Paranoia? A sense that bad things happening to b-a-a-a-a-d people? Wishy-washy local news watching idiots who confuse any vague internet post saying, “Those rotten bast*ards should be hung” with a real threat? Or a transparent, cynical attempt to garner sympathy from a justifiably irate public?
You be the judge.
I feel bad for the people at AIG who had nothing to do with the meltdown – all the office managers, IT personnel, and the like. It must suck having to work there with all the public scrutiny.
I’d say they should get another job, but we all know how well that would work.
OK, my question is how much more of our taxpayer money are they gonna pee away on extra “security” for their bonehead employees? If they were more diligent with securing everybody’s fund they wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in now,
If you aren’t paranoid, better start taking lessions.
Yeah, the media attention on this is getting too crazy and nearly lynch-mob status… I mean come on, the VAST majority of people working for AIG were in NO position to realize what was going on let alone do something about it and they certainly aren’t the ones getting big bonuses.
Please don’t lynch the AIG admin’s or IT guys…
@emis: I donno.
Have you ever met any IT guys?!
Just because they are paranoid doesn’t mean there aren’t crazy people out there willing to take it to the “next level”.
Either, it’s better to be safe and prepared rather than dead and not.
I’m philosophizing.
@madog: furthermore, When ever there is enoygh money, power, women, or reputation at stake within a large group of people you can bet that someone is going to do something stupid like launch a nuke or kill someone. People have and kill/hurt others for much, much less.
Given that the Senate (Banking Committee) and White House (Secretary of Treasury) knew about these bonuses and agreed to them months ago, then turned around and whipped everyone into a frenzy over them in the last few weeks, I think that the executive and legislative branches of government should be held accountable for the safety of AIG employees.
What a great way to turn around the company, with pitchfork and torches. Make every qualified potential employee avoid them like the plague, for fear of their lives. Yeah, that’ll fix AIG.
It’s one thing for people to be simply “outraged” or “disgusted” about the bonuses at AIG; it’s an entirely different thing for people to become so wrapped up in it and so vengeful that they would actually threaten or wish violence upon these people. I really have to lay some blame at the feet of the government here. With Congressmen encouraging these execs to commit suicide, Congress passing vengeful tax legislation and the ever-present sound bites available from Senators, Representatives and “Senior White House aids”, it’s no surprise that average people have decided this kind of behavior is acceptable. God forbid anyone rationally sit down and look at the situation; it’s much easier to just get super angry and spew hatred and threats at these people. I hate to use such a broad term, but this has turned into nothing more than pure class warefare. Congress has seized the opportunity to pander to the “average” citizen who can’t even comprehend a $1mil bonus and has blown this situation so far out of proportion it’s gotten ridiculous. I don’t blame the “Democrats”, the “Liberals”, the “Republicans” or the “Conservatives”, I blame the government as a whole. All of our elected representatives have allowed the anger of an uninformed (or under-informed) public to take over their logic and have done nothing more than spread fuel on this fire.
@Pylon83: Congress certainly is deflecting blame and distracting people. If it wasn’t this they’d be trying to ban flag burning or investigating steroids. AIG with cooperation of the government did in fact wage an economic war against the people of this country. But Congress focuses on bonuses, not prison terms, since it would be implicated in any investigation. Don’t worry about violent talk: the AIG executives will live long lives damaging other companies and collecting salaries that they and their grandchildren will never be able to spend. If the violence wasn’t thus deflected from its true objective it might actually do something, like replace the government.
There are some very bad people at AIG. There is no doubt of that. But that doesn’t mean it’s in good taste to make light of some very real threats that have been made against them.
I don’t feel sorry for people who work for AIG at all. If our system was not totally broken there would be more public outrage for all the things that ALL big companies out to screw the general public.
Before the internet issues like this would be swept under the carpet and ignored by the corporate controlled news media. Because of coverage by blogs and other non corporate controlled media this issue made it into the spot light. Even the Obama Administration has dirty hands with this reacting the Monday after the checks were cut and cashed and accepting AIG campaign contributions. Obama how about you giving back your AIG dirty campaign money to the American taxpayers?
For more info on why the bonuses were written into the contract, FiveThirtyEight.com has a well written article.
[www.fivethirtyeight.com]
and while I’m at it
@valor77:
Veto, filibuster… there are things the minority party can do…
This actually made me sad, for some reason. I don’t like the idea of the janitor being worried that his badge is showing on the subway, you know? When people jump the chasm to violence, they’re not always the most discriminating people, ya know?
And on top of this dogpile is none other than Barack Obama. What a low place Obama has taken the presidency when a sitting president joins the lynch mob instead of speaking out against it. Blood will be on his hands and that of Congress.
What a lousy president he’s shaping up to be.
I have no problem with the lowly worker, I do have a problem with the CEO’s with the bonuses that equal my yearly pay.
Those security measures listed in the AIG memo were standard protocol in the public corporation I worked for. The only different advice in this memo is to refrain from wearing the AIG logo. And right now, that advice is probably unnecessary. If I were with AIG I’d prefer to wear a paper bag over my head than advertise any connection to AIG.
Valor77, the only thing I can agree with you on is that once the bonuses were written into the contracts, the government shouldn’t be stepping in to stop them or overly-tax them.
As for the cause of all this, what was the shape of our budget before Bush came into office? What shape was it in when he left? Just ONE indication of what he and his did to the country.
And rockergal, I’d be happy to make in a year what these CEOs are making in bonuses. Right now, their annual bonuses are far more than I’ll ever earn in a lifetime (three or four times what I’ll earn), But I know how you feel.
Mypetfly, sadly I do not make that much either, this site need an edit button
@rockergal:
Okay, gotcha’, just a typo. ; ) Edit buttons are nice, but I’ve been involved in online discussions where someone has posted something and then later contradicted themselves, assisted by the presence of an edit button used to delete the offending content. I can see why they’re not used here.
“…how much more of our taxpayer money are they gonna pee away on extra “security” for their bonehead employees?”
Yes. The mailrooom guy, the temp secretary and the IT troubleshooters: Of course! THEY are to blame for the current economic crisis!
I find it troubling to read more and more such comments. At AIG as anywhere else a handful of people made the decisions, and the rest strived to work the best they could without any knowledge of the larger stakes.
The millions of american who saved nothing, and prefered to go way beyond the red line in debts to obtain instant gratifications, buying whatever popular doodads were pushed that week – of course not, these had nothing to do with current miseries.
At least, we can all believe that as long as we can point the finger at rather useful scapegoats such as AIG. Or Obama, or Bush, or Clinton, or global warming, or world dominating extra-terrestrial e conspiracies. Take your pick.
o Remember the phrase ‘Mein Fuhrer, I vas only following orders!’ if any of these bad people approach you.
The Merrill mob is going after AIG?
The problem is with these non-bankruptcy, non-receivership work-outs.
If this was a bankruptcy, the bonus cash would be part of the same thing the CDS counterparties are going after and they would all be creditors to the bankruptcy estate.
Instead it is federally instigated fraudulent conveyance.
AIG was a solvent insurance company with an AAA rating linked with a LTCM style hedge fund. The latter blew up. They could have severed the two pieces and avoided this.
These guidelines are identical to those of the abortion clinic I used to work at.
Now if only people would get this mad at their government fucking them over on every occasion.
i’m surprised their own customers aren’t out for their necks: they pay their tax dollars for the 200 billion dollar bailout which protected the investments they had that companies across the nation, such as AIG, mishandled, then they are going to use that tax money to /sue/ the government which essentially is SUING the taxpayers, their customers… for more money. unbelievable.
even the lower office monkeys who have nothing to do with most of the fiasco i believe should have enough dignity to leave such a company with such low ethics rather than blindly submitting.
It’s odd they blame “increased media scrutiny” for the trouble and not that they blew $440,000 on a resort party for the top executives a week after we were forced to loan them $85 billion, buying us an 80% stake in the company.
The main reason it got so bad was they insured mortgages against defaulting even when they knew a housing bubble was about to burst. In addition (even during the Senate hearings) it became clear they executives hid their risky investments from people doing audits.
People are mad because so many are losing their jobs, homes, and we own 80 percent of that company and they’re spending $86,000 on a Partridge hunting trip for the top executives in England.
The big line has been that their best people will leave if they don’t get bonuses. They’re lucky to still have a job at all, where will they go? It was the financial arm writing high risk policies and the execs covering it up until they couldn’t hide the losses any longer. I think they should have made it an executive only memo. It’s unlikely anyone is going to beat up an employee when they probably didn’t know what was going on either.
Jason Ryan Isaksen
“Due to a growing sense of public attention fueled by increased media scrutiny”
Translated = Due to absolute outrage fueled by our rewarding people for basically bankrupting the company, having the largest quarterly loss in American history and unbridled greed.
@valor77: Aw it’s adorable how you think it’s all the government’s fault. One day you’ll grow up, learn math, and who knows, if the depressionrecession is over maybe have a lucrative career at a nice restaurant.
Let me guess–Hurricane Katrina was the government’s fault too, right?
Hard to believe that people are trying to pin this on one party or the other when BOTH are responsible for this. And both the Obama & McCain campaigns took obscene amounts of AIG money, in fact Obama more of it. Bush, Obama and McCain couldn’t declare their loyalty to AIG & similar firms fast enough.
Hard to believe the hubbub over the bonuses when that’s such a small piece of the bailout scam. The bailout is the huge crime.
I don’t at all feel bad for the low-level AIG people who feel ashamed of their employer. Solidarity with my fellow non-obscenely-rich Americans has always driven me away from even applying to jobs at places that were money mills, which always, ALWAYS are ultimately making the profits by screwing someone.
It’s a little distasteful throwing this one to the dogs. AIG is worried about the safety of its employees, and that’s no laughing matter.
So these big powerful (white straight male) bankers now have to act like women and gays when tehy go out: don’t go places alone at night, be in the closet about being a member of a targeted group, act paranoid that someone’s going to harm you because someone wants to harm you.
Another important guideline for the list: walk a wide circle around any nooses made from piano wire.
I know this sounds crazy. And believe me when I say, I absolutely think AIG is wrong and they shouldn’t have been given any bail out at all if this was what they were going to do. BUT that being said, I can’t help but feel bad for people who have to live in fear. Certainly not all of AIGs staff is culpable for the meltdown. The normal people just trying to get by, like secretaries, office managers, people outside of the scope of the disaster are unfortunately wrapped up in this incredible mess and I feel bad for them.
Yet again the hysterical populists show just how low this country has come. We have people getting death threats and having stalkers because god forbid someone get paid for agreeing to stay on with the company and wind down the accounts they managed that are worth billions.
Only in America are people dumb enough to fall for populist propaganda over what amounts to less than $500 million when the cost of simply firing these people and not letting them close down the accounts properly is in the billions. We’ll get all hysterical and theatric over a few hundred million, but not the billions or trillions being spent.
I am ashamed of this country.
911? Really?!? At least here in New York they will call you out for calling 911 for a non-emergency. I really hope they get prosecuted for not using 911 properly (not including the ‘if you think you are being followed’ part).
Thank goodness this is a civilized country where mob rule never occurs.
Oops. Too late.
How about the AIG people stop prying money from the hard-working average taxpayer and stuffing their pockets with it. To take bailout money that is intended to keep the company afloat and piss it out in millions of dollars in bonuses? THAT IS HOW THE ECONOMY GOT THIS WAY! Why do people who make 6 figure salaries or more need bonuses? Lower and Middle class people have had to give up their bonuses or jobs because of this madness, and AIG is just making it worse.
These comments really disturb me. Not everyone working at AIG is some upper-crust “bonehead” who is raking in a 6-figure income. I think I saw one person in this comment stream mention the janitor who’s sitting there making minimum wage and now, as if he’s got nothing better on his plate to worry about, has the added task of making sure his AIG badge isn’t showing on the subway late one night, to save him from getting the sh*t kicked out of him.
My political affiliation is unimportant, and would probably be somewhat surprising given my comment, but frankly the acidic comments out of most of you are no better than the mentality of the angry lynch mobs waiting to jump any Tom, Dick or Harry wearing an AIG baseball cap. You all jump on your political bandwagon and start playing the blame game – then all of a sudden we’re in a “whose d*ck is biggest?” contest. Give it a rest.
The fact of the matter is, despite the deplorable actions of a few, the company still has many hardworking people left, trying to fight the good fight each day – and because of ignorance and hatred that is completely maladjusted and incredible misplaced, they now must add “surviving on the way home from work” to their daily to-do list.
So for those of you still pissing on about who’s to blame, why don’t you put yourselves in the shoes of people still working at the company – people who had no part in the current state of affairs – and see if you’re still worried about pointing fingers.
@pinkbunnyslippers: I think you need to actually read the damned comments before taking people to task. For if you had, you surely would have seen that for the most part, people are of the same mind as you.