Wolf Tooth makes a big mistake

[CMiller]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSGv-gFF...winnatallcosts

Posting this was in very poor taste. Sexist and homophobic to boot.

To their credit it has been taken down and they left an apology post. And continually post apologies in comments of the many screenshotted instagram posts, making no excuses and owning up to it.


https://www.instagram.com/p/BSG571KB...oth_components


I think it's worth sharing as we try to create an open community. Inclusive, and not run by 16 year old bros.

[FlashUNC]

Well that was stupid.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Well that was stupid.

What he said.

[AngryScientist]

Q: Where are you based?

A: North America, Minnesota, Minneapolis -- you know, the place with all the snow

Q: Where are your products manufactured?

A: All WTC products are made in the USA.

These guys are making good products right here in the USA. Not enough companies can say that, in a world where so many manufacturing jobs are outsourced.

Some dumb ass put a stupid post on their social media. They quickly took down the offensive post and apologized. I see no reason to hang them out to dry for a mistake they quickly corrected.

if your kid does something stupid in high school and makes a scene for the town to see, you dont disown them, you take some appropriate disciplinary action and move on, hoping they learned a lesson, yes?

that;s my opinion. one mistake is not a systemic failure of a company's ethics.

[unterhausen]

The problem with the internet is that the pile-on can be worse than the original sin. A lot more people have seen that post now than would have if there was no fuss over it. I don't think that's a good thing.

[CMiller]

The conversation, from every side and opinion is necessary. It's a male dominated industry, and this post totally sucks for a piece of our community that may already feel put to the side.

In the original post I give them due credit for their quick and continuous apologies. Wolf Tooth make awesome components in the states, sponsor teams, and do good work. But that post was on their public profile, and shouldn't just be ignored. This dialogue is important, every side.

Calling people out is not the same as policing.

[CMiller]

The fuss is good if it helps it not happen again. Either by companies checking their posts harder, or cyclists thinking critically by why that post is problematic.

[Mikej]

So, can I get a shirt?

[whateveronfire]

Originally Posted by CMiller

The conversation, from every side and opinion is necessary. It's a male dominated industry, and this post totally sucks for a piece of our community that may already feel put to the side.

This.

I love cycling. I love talking about bikes.

As a woman and and LGBT person, I have to be way more careful that I want to be about which shops I use; which online places are ok; and even who I will encounter when out riding.

The post was juvenile and by itself not a big deal. In the aggregate, though, those things add up and can make me feel like I'm out of place. It's a counterproductive trend for for-profit businesses. My money spends and Chrome, for example, will never get another dollar from me after their stunt a year or so ago.

The good news is that my bikes themselves don't care at all.

[Black Dog]

I try not to judge by the mistakes that are made but by how they are dealt with. No person, no organization is perfect, the internet does not seem to care that we live in an imperfect world and does all of it's judging on the action, often with little context, and not by the correction. Golden rule and all that I say.

[Gummee]

Ya know... I don't really give a rat's behind if you're gay, straight, trying to be male. or trying to be female your money is as green as anyone else's.

You and the bike get treated the same way regardless.

My $.02

M

[r_mutt]

i think it's funny because it's so stupid.

[pcxmbfj]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

The problem with the internet is that the pile-on can be worse than the original sin. A lot more people have seen that post now than would have if there was no fuss over it. I don't think that's a good thing.

Agree and I have family and friends that are!

[unterhausen]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

A lot more people have seen that post now than would have if there was no fuss over it. I don't think that's a good thing.

I'm pretty sure a lot more people have seen their post now that it's deleted than saw it originally. I know I didn't see it until after it was deleted. I feel like everyone that's hosting it to shame Wolftooth should declare mission accomplished and delete their copies, or they are just further propagating the harm by their own choice and they need to own that.

[hollowgram5]

I saw it when it came out, before it was taken down. They aren't the first and won't be the last company to need to reign in social media access for employees.

It will be interesting to see what else they can/will do to 'repair' their image.