Temper temper!!

When a job hunter sent a mass e-mail to 4000 potential employers and executive search firms in the United Kingdom, it was not the brightest move in the world.  It had one arguably useful result, however. The mass spamming inspired Gary Chaplin, an executive with one of the search firms, to demonstrate why developing the ethical habit of civility is not only the right thing to do and the smart thing to do, it is also the safe thing to do.

So annoyed was Chaplin by Manos Katsampoukas’s e-mail that he sent this in response:

“I think I speak for all 4000 people you have e-mailed when I say, “Thanks for your CV”—it’s nice to know you are taking this seriously and taking the time to make us feel special and unique. If you are not bright enough to learn how to ‘bcc’ and thus encourage cock-jockey retards to then spam everyone on the list…then please fuck off…you are too stupid to get a job, even in banking.”

Yes, this is bad.

1. It is unprofessional, uncivil and personally abusive.

2. It denigrates bankers and the mentally handicapped, as well as Katsampoukas.

3. It makes Chaplin’s firm and profession look bad.

4. Oh…did I mention that he sent it to all 4000 recipients of the original e-mail because he used “reply all”?  This was especially ironic (and moronic) since the message was calling Katsampoukas “stupid” for not using “bcc.”

When you send something like this to 4000 recipients, it’s really going to get around, and it did. To make things even worse, Chaplin sent his nasty reply using a fake name, which just happened to be the name of another executive in the same profession. Chaplin tried to apologize for that my sending yet another mass e-mail apologizing.

Gary was fired from his firm, which was paying him about $300,000 a year. Then, as if to dispell any doubts about his qualifications as an ethics dunce, he told the press that he “meant no offence to this man looking for a job.”

Of course not! What would make anyone think that calling someone stupid and telling them to “fuck off” would be offensive?

Chaplin may be uncivil, but at least he is honest and takes full responsibility for…no, I guess he doesn’t, does he?

Ethical qualities do seem to hang out together and reinforce each other. That’s why teaching our children civility is a good way to start them down the road toward ethical living.

Then teach them about “bcc” and “reply all.”