Studio Gangster CEOs

France’s press is enflamed today over fake tough guy comments made by Titan Tire CEO Maurice “Morry” Taylor.  The French government approached a number of potential buyers for a troubled Goodyear Tire plant in Amiens, and Taylor was just prickish enough to write a fuck you letter to the French Industry Minister and graciously CC major media outlets.  “The French workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours” writes Taylor.  “One hour they’re paid to do nothing but eat, scratch themselves or whatever” and then they “talk for three” hours.  He says the French government “can keep the so-called workers” because “Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tires. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government.”

A few points.  First, the media totally fawns over Taylor and his tough guy image.  Reuters writes that Morry is known as “’The Grizz’ for his bear-like no-nonsense style.” He’s “tough-talking” and describes himself as “’abrasive’ in order to ‘get the job done.’”  Since when did flying around on double-plush white leather seats in your private jet, splashing around in your mega-sized Jacuzzi, drinking rare wine from a golden flute and being a paunchy, balding sixty-something year old make you manly?  I’d bet all the Euros I could get my hands on that any union worker in that plant could’ve kicked the Grizz’s pudgy old ass.

The media also delight in beating up on European workers and unions while encouraging American workers to identify with, and obey, their capitalist masters.  Reuters titles its article (also featured on Yahoo News) ‘Keep your so-called workers,’ U.S. boss tells France,” setting up a US/France clash, and begins by framing Taylor’s rant as “how some outsiders view France’s work ethic.” It goes on to mention that “economists blame France’s rigid hiring and firing laws for a long industrial decline” and says that Taylor’s criticism “made for another public knock to France’s business image.”  This carries on a long tradition of Anglo-American media attacking European social welfare states for their vacation policies and worker protections, implicitly warning US workers against raising their heads or talking back to their masters lest their jobs be shipped to China.

The last remarkable part of this story is the incredible deference shown to Taylor’s opinion by the press.  Imagine if a charismatic French union worker wanted to take shots at a brash bag of hot air American CEO who was getting his ass handed to him by his French industrial rival Michelin.  Would any newspaper dream of printing that?  Would publications like Reuters dream of printing even one quote from a worker in the plant that Taylor used his wealth and connections to take pot shots at?  Of course not.

It’s time to retire the falsified swashbuckling corporate raider executive image and put CEOs back in the Rolls Royce parking, manicure getting, servant ordering estate where they belong.