Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Giant Global Oil Company Prompts Outrage For Using Migrant Worker As A Human Hand Sanitizer Dispenser

Giant Global Oil Company Prompts Outrage For Using Migrant Worker As A Human Hand Sanitizer Dispenser
@ImpactPolicies/Twitter

Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's nationalized oil company, is a massive entity.

In December 2019, Aramco debuted on the stock market with an Initial Public Offering valuing the company at around $1.9 trillion.


But for all Saudi Aramco's monetary strides and capitalist successes, it has evidently overlooked public relations. With the Coronavirus sweeping across the globe at alarming rates (125,865 confirmed cases and 4615 reported deaths globally, at time of writing) a large workplace is an obvious cause for concern.

Given that washing hands regularly is just about the best way to minimize the spread of COVID-19, companies, like Saudi Aramco, are attempting to be a part of the solution.

That said, OPTICS ARE EVERYTHING.

Sure, Saudi Aramco did provide the hygienic means appropriate to the situation. That is absolutely a gesture of corporate responsibility.

But Aramco's approach has NOT been well received.


As the tweet captions articulate, there is another problematic layer at play beyond the mere fact that this man has been literally objectified, disproportionately placed in close proximity to germs before they're wiped away by the liquid of his costume.

The man was a migrant, foreign laborer. Thus, many who saw the photos sounded alarms of Coronavirus-inspired racism, hardly a new phenomenon.

Responses invited the suspicion that this man's race and country of origin had everything to do with why he of all people was chosen to be a mere tool of the workplace.






The outrage eventually swelled to such a degree that Saudi Aramco was forced to make a public statement regarding the PR faux pas.

While the statement was only written in Arabic, Buzzfeed News reports that the statement apologized to the general public for the "very dissatisfying" decision. The post did not, according to Buzzfeed, apologized to the man himself or provide any information about who made the decision and why.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less