nonsense — Casual dismissal; avoid it in formal writing.
They say it all BS.Bombshell · 2019 — Chapter 6 of 12 · 3'23" · B2
Coworkers Debate the Harassment Hotline, Explained: complaint box in occupied Paris
A group debates an anonymous harassment hotline, and one line compares it to 'a complaint box in occupied Paris.' The surface question is whether to report; the real stakes are disbelief, career damage, and who controls the phones.
What happens
A group of coworkers in a Fox office discuss an anonymous harassment hotline. Someone compares it to a complaint box in occupied Paris, while a line about a 'contractual right' to monitor communications makes the channel sound unsafe. The talk turns to what happens if someone goes on the record: disbelief and a career that may never recover.
Listen for
contractual rightcomplaint box in occupied ParisSpeak up for yourselfdangle prospects
00:00 / 03:23Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
complaint box in occupied Paris
a useless complaint channel
The hotline is compared to a complaint box in an occupied city: present, but too dangerous to use.
A suggestion box in that company is like a complaint box in occupied Paris.
Also in this scene
- contractual right
a right set out in a contract
- Speak up for yourself
an encouragement to voice your own case
- dangle prospects
to tease someone with future opportunities
- on the record
publicly and attributably
- bullshit
nonsense or a messy situation
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 61 lines
rather than suing
Why didn't Gretchen quit and sue instead of suing only after she got fired?a confidential complaint line
He means the anonymous hotline.workplace harassment training
I did the harassment seminar twice.bullshit; nonsense — A strong swear word; never use it in formal settings.
Because it's bullshit.a right set out in a contract
Someone explains that the company is not spying secretly; the contract itself allows monitoring.
They have a contractual right to monitor our communications.watch our messages and calls
They have a contractual right to monitor our communications.an encouragement to voice your own case
The line sounds supportive, but the following lines turn it into a warning that speaking up is punished.
It's like we're telling women, Go on. Speak up for yourself.Keep Speak up for as one rhythmic block, with the stress on Speak.
It's like we're telling women, Go on. Speak up for yourself.say you are lying
They'll call you a liar.turning to your career
Oh, and as for your career, you want assignments and air time?relative clause: The relative clause identifies the man as the one who controls her pay, making the insult riskier.
Go ahead. Call the paranoid man who decides your salary a pervert, and do that on a fucking anonymous hotline he controls.contact clause: The omitted relative pronoun ties the recording right directly to the phone.
On a phone he has a contractual right to record.In fast speech, do you can blur into one light block before the stressed think.
Jesus fucking Christ, do you think women are idiots?talk to you briefly
Can I see you for a minute?what the hell — Blunt and offensive; keep it out of polite company.
What the fuck was that?declined a law-firm partnership
I had turned down a law-firm partnership for an entry-level job here at Fox.a starting-level job
I had turned down a law-firm partnership for an entry-level job here at Fox.to tease someone with future opportunities
Someone recalls being summoned to New York while opportunities were held just out of reach.
Roger would call me up to New York to dangle prospects.publicly and attributably
The speaker hesitates because going on the record means the name can be attached and cannot be taken back.
I mean, going on the record...the remainder of my career
If I report this and it leaks, it will follow me for the rest of my career.be reduced to something
I don't wanna be defined by Roger's bullshit.the public face of sexual harassment Literally a poster girl; here it means a public symbol people push forward.
I refuse to be the fucking poster girl for sexual harassment.junk; nonsense — Mild-to-rude complaint; still avoid in formal contexts.
He can't still be doing that crap, right?be pulled into a fight
If I learned anything this year, it's to not get sucked into a fight with someone who has better reason to be in it than you do.a stronger reason to be involved
If I learned anything this year, it's to not get sucked into a fight with someone who has better reason to be in it than you do.comparative clause: The comparison asks whose claim to the fight is stronger before you join it.
If I learned anything this year, it's to not get sucked into a fight with someone who has better reason to be in it than you do.Let the t in get brushed away as the phrase runs into into.
If I learned anything this year, it's to not get sucked into a fight with someone who has better reason to be in it than you do.Coworkers Debate the Harassment Hotline, explained
What's really going on
The scene isn't really about whether a hotline exists. It's about what speaking up would cost. One line says 'No one will believe you,' and the next adds 'They'll call you a liar.' The hotline looks like protection, while someone cites a 'contractual right' to monitor communications. The bitter joke — 'a complaint box in occupied Paris' — makes the point: a channel that exists only on paper is not protection at all. The private conversation afterward shifts from office cynicism to personal fear: going 'on the record' means becoming the story, maybe forever.
Theme
PowerThe hotline and the phones are controlled by the same side, turning a complaint channel into a trap.
SecretsFear of disbelief and career damage keeps harassment stories buried and makes silence look like the safe choice.
Listen for
- Speak up for — Keep Speak up for as one rhythmic block, with the stress on Speak.
- do you think — In fast speech, do you can blur into one light block before the stressed think.
- get sucked into — Let the t in get brushed away as the phrase runs into into.
A hotline in this building is like a complaint box in occupied Paris.The hotline is useless and unsafe; it exists only so the company can say it offered a channel.
No one will believe you.A warning that reporting harassment will not be taken seriously and will isolate the person who speaks.
I don't wanna be defined by Roger's bullshit.The speaker refuses to let one man's misconduct become their whole identity or career story.
I refuse to be the fucking poster girl for sexual harassment.The speaker rejects becoming the public symbol of the scandal, with all the exposure that entails.
Well, you only ask when you already know.The reply means the person has already made a decision and is seeking permission, not advice.
If I learned anything this year, it's to not get sucked into a fight with someone who has better reason to be in it than you do.A warning to avoid a conflict that someone else has more personal stake and justification to fight.
Questions about this scene
Why is the hotline called useless?
Because a 'contractual right' to monitor and record communications is cited, and the hotline is compared to 'a complaint box in occupied Paris.'
Is the hotline actually safe to use?
The dialogue says no: the call would be on a phone that can be recorded under a contractual right, so speaking up could expose the caller.
Why is going on the record so frightening?
Someone says it would follow them for the rest of their career and make them the 'poster girl for sexual harassment.'
Why does the scene end with plans to do nothing?
A question asks what the person wants to do, and the answer is 'For right now, nothing'; the decision is to do nothing for the moment.
Bombshell · 12 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7political footballRoger Ailes Faces Harassment Charges
Chapter 1only rains on womenOnly Rains on Women Lawsuit
Chapter 2perpetual outrage machineKayla's Fox News Interview
Chapter 3thrive in toxic environmentsDrunk Confessions About a Hillary Poster
Chapter 4give me a twirlKayla Pitches Herself to Roger Ailes
Chapter 5cut both waysAiles Tests Kayla's Loyalty
Watching · Chapter 6complaint box in occupied ParisCoworkers Debate the Harassment Hotline
Chapter 7political footballRoger Ailes Faces Harassment Charges
Chapter 8sweep something under the rugSilence Gets Noticed in the Hallway
Chapter 9jump off a cliffNo One From Fox Came Forward
Chapter 10play by old rulesKayla and Megyn Discuss Roger
Chapter 11gave in toKayla Calls From a Date
Chapter 12come to thisRoger's Exit NegotiationChapter 6 of 12 · about 15 min to go