Don't Be That Guy: One of the best things about being one out of several billion is that there's always somebody doing something stupid. If you keep your eyes open, you can usually wait for a stupid person to try something first. Watch them fail, laugh, and be sure not to repeat their mistake. Or read my blog and get the skinny straight from the Nerdery.
This one is so self-explanatory, I could probably leave the article blank and you could follow along based on the title. But, since I don't believe in the phrase "it goes without saying," and since there might be a few of you who are unaware: the real reason Megan Fox was canned from Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been released.
Does anyone really believe in the phrase "it goes without saying"? Because I've never heard anyone use it and then go without saying. It'd be more accurate to say, "it's so delightfully obvious I can't resist saying..." or something similar.
Anyway, back to the issue at hand.
If there's one rule of employment, it's that you generally shouldn't insult the person who writes your checks. If that person continues to employ you, train you, recommend you for future jobs with other employers, and defends your reputation when other informed sources condemn you for being an ignorant transient, you should really think twice before you compare him to the most universally reviled figure in history. That's just a rule of thumb, sure, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to think of a situation where the reverse is true.
There are those who point to Spielberg's ancestry and immediately label this as an anti-semitism issue. That's not it at all. Megan Fox showed rampant idiocy and ignorance in her choice of words. From the original comment, she seemed to be comparing Michael Bay to Hitler to allude to him being a micro-manager. Which isn't exactly the number one attribute associated with him. Other micro-managers she could've alluded to, assuming she had the educational wherewithal: Napoleon or Santa Anna to keep the militaristic theme; or Churchill to maintain a much more positive World War Two association. The choice to use Hitler as an example of comparison must be either out of ignorance of other historic micro-managers or out of resentment. Neither reason is a good one to bring up in an international medium to ostensibly promote the film's release.
Other people not to compare your boss to in order to illustrate particular traits:
Fashion sense--Muammar Gaddafi, Kim Jong-il
Musical talent--Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba
Investment acumen--Michael Jackson
Personal grooming--General Ambrose Burnside
Polo skills--Steve Wozniak
Relational stability--General George S. Patton
They may have these traits, sure, but none of those traits are the dominant ones that come to mind. You bring those figures up, and other issues, other traits--usually bad ones--come to mind instead. Most mature employees know this, but for some of Hollywood's elite such social courtesy is too much to ask or expect.
Insulting your boss in a public venue. Don't be that guy. And try watching Megan Fox's British replacement, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, in Transformers Dark of the Moon this weekend. I'm sure she'll have a bit more class, a bit more tact, and a lot more sense when it comes to biting the hand that feeds her.
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