Throughout his career, Sean Penn has built a reputation around his volatility. He’s no stranger to controversy and at this point is known almost equally for his outbursts as he is for his acting talent.
Today, Sean and his non-profit organization CORE is once again making headlines after an abusive e-mail was leaked to the press. Over the course of Sean’s 2, 200-word letter, his feelings are made abundantly clear: shape up or ship out.
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Let’s start with a little background on Sean Penn.
Sean Penn first rose to prominence in the cult classic comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High playing the lovable stoner, Jeff Spicoli.
He received his first Academy Award nomination for his astounding performance in Dead Man Walking in 1996 and took home his first Oscar for “Best Actor” after wowing audiences in Mystic River in 2003.
Over the years, Sean has become known for two things: his brilliance and his volatility.
Over the last 30 years, Sean has been accused of both verbal and physical abuse on multiple occasions.
When Sean was only 26-years-old, he was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail for reckless driving and for assaulting an extra on set.
In 2010, Penn faced a misdemeanor charge for kicking two photographers in Los Angeles. He was ordered to attend anger management classes and sentenced to 300 hours of community service.
And today, a leaked e-mail from Sean Penn’s non-profit organization CORE reveals similar behavior directed toward his own staff.
The controversy began when certain CORE staff members began complaining about the long hours at the vaccination site.
According to statements given via The New York Times , the vaccination staff was working 18-hour-long days, six days out of the week. To make matters worse, many weren’t even afforded the opportunity to eat meals or take breaks.
“We usually DON’T get breakfast , just coffee,” the staff member stated bluntly.
Other workers expressed feelings that they had been overworked after LA Mayor Eric Garcetti converted Dodger Stadium from a testing site to a vaccination center.
Upon hearing the news, Sean Penn became furious and sat down to write a 2,200 word e-mail to his entire staff.
Sean accused the whistleblowers of making what he deemed to be “obscene critiques,” according to the New York Post . Sean continues by saying:
“To whoever authored these, understand that in every cell of my body is a vitriol for the way your actions reflect so harmfully upon your brothers and sisters in arms.”
Vitriol, by the way, means intense hate or criticism, so he really isn’t holding back.
But Sean didn’t stop there, he kept on going. By the end, he was openly encouraging his employees to quit.
In Sean’s fury of words, he expressed “grave concern” at what he considered to be not just a personal betrayal but a betrayal against all of mankind.
He accused the staff members who made the statements to the media of being “predisposed to a culture of complaint ” and that the entire situation was nothing more than a case of “broad-based cyber whining.”
Sean concluded his rant with one clear and simple message: “quit CORE.”
In Sean’s final summation, he wrote:
“It’s called quitting. Quit for CORE. Quit for your colleagues who won’t quit. Quit for your fellow human beings who deeply recognize that this is a moment in time. A moment of service that we must all embody sometimes to the point of collapse.”
Sean also added that there are numerous internal avenues for employees to make their voices heard and that complaints are taken very seriously at CORE.
Clearly, this is a subject that Sean Penn feels incredibly passionate about.
But if left unchecked, passion can quickly give way to anger. Instead of lashing out and ostracizing ourselves and others from the pack, now is the time that we need to all band together more than ever.
Do you think that Sean took things too far? Does he have a right to be able to express his feelings in this manner to his employees? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
