editor" takes bath during zoom call. accidently flashes staff when he stands to charge computer

[Demovictory9]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9533405/Joshua-Wolf-Shenk-resigns-editor-Believer-magazine-flashing-staffers-Zoom-call.html

Joshua Wolf Shenk resigns as editor of the Believer magazine after taking a bath during a Zoom call with staff... then getting out and forgetting to turn off his camera or grab a towel!

The editor-in-chief at Believer magazine and artistic and executive director of the Black Mountain Institute, has handed in his resignation

Shenk was soaking in a bath to relieve nerve pain related to fibromyalgia during the Zoom call

When Shenk stood up to charge his computer without turning off the camera or covering the lower half of his body he exposed himself to about a dozen staffers

Shenk is the author of the books 'Lincoln's Melancholy' released in 2005 and the 2014 book 'Powers of Two'

---------

Shenk shared the news of his resignation in a farewell letter.

He called the Zoom incident 'a dumb, reckless choice to disregard appropriate setting and attire for a Zoom meeting. I crossed a line that I can't walk back over. I sorely regret the harm to you — and, by extension, to the people we serve. I'm sorry.' he wrote.

At least two witnesses of the incident reported it to the university's Office of Equal Employment and Title IX, LA Times reported.

The University dismissed and closed the Title IX complaints when Shenk resigned.

'After my lapse in judgment, I decided to resign so that BMI's work — sparking culture in Southern Nevada, publishing The Believer, and hosting writers persecuted in their home countries — could best continue in their exceptionally capable hands,' Shenk said in a separate statement to the LA Times.

Silverberg said that Shenk had already been negotiating a transition in leadership at the institute prior to the incident.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9533405/Joshua-Wolf-Shenk-resigns-editor-Believer-magazine-flashing-staffers-Zoom-call.html

[Sneederbunk]

1. At least he was not Toobining.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. I cannot even imagine seeing a grown man naked on my computer screen ...

Like, the horror would be unimaginable is what I'm saying.

Whatever else my therapist had going on at that moment would need to end immediately.

[Demovictory9]

3. lol

[cos dem]

25. Which brings to mind this classic scene...

[Hugh_Lebowski]

26. And this coming to mind for you ... is not entirely a coincidence

[Treefrog]

38. Lmao!

Well done!

[dsc]

4. I had to read the article to get my mind around how this happened

and frankly, I can see why he would resign from say personal embarrassment but I fail to see why he was brought up on Title IX charges. Unless there is some history that isn't being included here, it seems like a horribly embarrassing accident.

[StarfishSaver]

5. I feel kind of sorry for him

Humiliation AND lost his job. And it was unintentional.

[SheilaAnn]

7. Yeah, I definitely agree with you. It's a shame, he did apologize, we can all understand how it

happened. I'm thinking let it all die down and get on with life.

[Haggard Celine]

6. I think everyone took this incident kind of far.

The offense didn't really earn such a horrified response and although I'm sure he was embarrassed, I think he overestimated the harm done to the people who saw him. Accidents happen sometimes and the harm done wasn't that bad, at least for someone in their right mind.

[StarfishSaver]

8. I probably would have resigned just out of embarrassment

I don't think I would want to face these people again.

But I don't think what he did was terrible. These things happen.

[marybourg]

11. Taking a Zoom call while naked?

Without AT LEAST taping over the camera, if there was some kind of life- threatening emergency necessitating doing these two things simultaneously? Sorry, these things don’t “happen” in my world.

[dsc]

12. He apparently has a condition that required him to be soaking

and had a shirt on top with a back round to hide where he was. Ideal, no. but things happen.

[TexasBushwhacker]

14. Fibromyalgia can be REALLY painful

and it's nerve pain that's very hard to treat. I have a friend that's on SSDI because of it.

[Ms. Toad]

34. Agreed -

BUT - had he been in the office (where he almost certainly would have been before COVID), he would not have had the opportunity to sit mostly naked in the tub while working. Why is it so hard to act as if one is on the job when one is actually on the job, just in a different location.

I'm astounded by all of the "accidentally" exposed genitals during work zoom calls. And it is almost universally men - I've only found one report of a woman accidentally exposing herself.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. One Can Turn Off The Camera In Zoom

At the bottom of the screen are buttons to:

Turn camera on/off
Mute/Unmute microphone
Raise Hand, or
Send text to meeting leader.

I've had to use Zoom (and Google Meet) fairly often when substitute teaching.
If not for that, I wouldn't know about it.

[HipChick]

16. Or just disable the video driver...

I had camera taped over, or so. I thought...it had peeled off..

[ProfessorGAC]

22. That Sounds Foolproof!

I'd have to look up how to do that, though.
The camera off button is pretty obvious, so that's probably all I'd do.
And, in the schools with high proportion of online students, after the plan for the day was given, we were encouraged to tell kids to turn off the camera so there was less data load on the network.
A high school with 300-400 kids online all with video on must suck up a lot of headroom.
BTW: I cannot believe most real teachers enjoyed the experience of in-person & online classes.
Can't float around the room or you're ignoring the at-home kids. Can't really interact with the online kids.
I found it a pain & and I'm responsible for nothing beyond showing up, really.
Must drive real teachers nuts.

[Ms. Toad]

35. It does (drive real teachers nuts).

Looking forward to the fall when we are hoping to be able to teach mostly in person. It is so much more effective to be able to engage in person - and get the visual feedback that what I'm trying to convey is actually getting across.

[Haggard Celine]

13. Yeah, it would would be embarrassing, no doubt.

I guess he didn't want to have to defend himself, having his most embarrassing moment brought up over and over again. His superiors probably told him, too, that if he resigned, the incident wouldn't be on his record. It's a shame, but hopefully he'll find something new that's better or at least equal.

[Funtatlaguy]

9. I'd like to address my staff on the subject of them seeing my staff.

[elias7]

10. Big f*ckin' deal... a bit of a puritanical response

[Skittles]

23. I tend to agree

we had a boss who had a bit of a snafu and we teased him mercilessly but no one complained

[Celerity]

33. So much this.

[apnu]

44. Ironic the link is from the Brits

They threw out the Puritans as too bothersome. But then the Brits are famously prudish also.

We Americans are founded on all that garbage.

[lostnfound]

46. Agreed . I'd hate to lose a colleague, if a good colleague, over one goof

I worked with many people for over 20 years. Like family, wouldn’t want them fired for stupid lapse in awareness of their surroundings.

Pretty bad, but not a firing offense unless it was intentional or repeated.

[Arazi]

17. We're more than a year into WFH. I just don't believe these "accidents" anymore

You don't get naked when you're going to have a group meeting. This isn't difficult and nobody's a newbie at this, especially this guy.

Act like a professional and thank your stars you can WFH. This guy could've waited 30 minutes for his bath. Taped over the camera. Turned off the camera.

Frankly these stories are getting irritating and tiresome

[MaryMagdaline]

20. Agree. One hundred per cent.

[48656c6c6f20]

28. I didn't sign up for work to invade my home

So I don't feel grateful.

[Arazi]

32. A shitload of people lost their jobs entirely

So yeah, WFH means you still have a fucking job in the worst economic crash since the great depression

[area51]

42. +1 n/t

[PufPuf23]

18. Lesson: Don't go to work naked even if working

at home.

[MaryMagdaline]

19. Sorry to disagree. There are no accidents on zoom.

This guy likes to flash people and wanted to set up a scenario where he could say it was accidental. Just like the man who would accidentally open the door naked when I had to help deliver papers with my brothers, but never when one of them was delivering at his apartment. And just like the man who accidentally forgot to put pants on when he called my friend over to his car to ask for directions. And the naked guy who forgot to dress when he hung out in the woods near the mall where we kids would walk. Shenk was going to set up an accident, then call everyone a prude if they complained. Women who work for him don’t have to see his naked self. Keep your damned clothes on. Sit in hot water when it’s not a zoom meeting. Sit in a comfortable chair fully clothed on business time or as someone earlier suggested, shut off the video.

[Kaleva]

24. As a plumber, I've had my share of women who answered the door undressed or partially dressed.

[Funtatlaguy]

30. Did you show them any plumber crack...lol.

[MaryMagdaline]

48. Definitely no accident

[Hugh_Lebowski]

27. Sounds like you've got your anecdotal evidence all lined up

How can anyone seriously argue with this kind of science is what I'm wondering?

[madinmaryland]

29. Uhmmm. My wife often lets out our dog totally naked.

People do things naked. Others are just fucking prudes and religious nut jobs.

[marie999]

41. Thanks for the second sentence.

At first, I wondered why she would clothe the dog to go outside.

[madinmaryland]

45. When it's raining, we have to put a jacket on the dog. He hates the rain.

[Captain Stern]

36. I don't think you're correct.

You said: "Shenk was going to set up an accident, then call everyone a prude if they complained".

But, according to the article, people did complain, and the guy didn't call them prudes..he resigned.

[marie999]

43. And you know this how?

[Kaleva]

21. "accidently flashes staff " Some people refer to the penis as a staff.

[Funtatlaguy]

31. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort thee.

[BradAllison]

37. Electrocution?

Stood up to charge his computer?

[jeffreyi]

39. Hey, we've all had days like that, no?

[lindysalsagal]

40. "Ah Bay-Leave! Ah Bay-Leave!"

[LisaL]

47. It's not a good idea to soak in the tub (in the nude) while also participating in a video zoom

meeting.