Flashback: Clothing CEO Says He Gets Rich off of Dumb Conservatives
The staff of The Western Journal is working a reduced schedule over Easter weekend to allow our employees the opportunity for rest and worship with their families if they so choose. We are re-publishing this article as a service to our readers, who reacted strongly to it when it first ran.
If you’ve ever spent much time watching cable TV, you’ve no doubt seen ads for SCOTTeVEST, an outerwear company thought up by smug CEO Scott Jordan for those of you who have so many gadgets you just can’t keep them on your person.
“The technological advances of the 21st century produced cell phones, portable cameras, chargers, mp3 players (remember those?) and other portable electronic devices, but no creative solution for carrying them,” a statement on the company’s website reads.
“Since a man purse was not an option for Scott, and traditional pockets couldn’t carry everything, he created the ‘eVest’ (a fisherman’s vest modified with extra pockets). Since then, SCOTTeVEST has evolved into a full line of intelligent clothing that feature well-designed pockets to carry all of life’s gadgets without lugging around an extra bag or pack.”
The whole thing reeked of overpriced wearable folderol with a metric ton of pockets for the kind of people who take Wired magazine seriously, which is why I mostly ignored it.
However, if you bought it and you watch Fox News, Jordan has a message for you: He’d like you to know you’re “f****** idiots” he’s “getting rich off” of.
— Anthony Ortenzi (@aortenzi) December 19, 2018
On Jan. 14, Jordan — who co-founded SCOTTeVEST with his wife, Laura, in 2000 — posted this lovely exchange on Facebook.
“I love meeting new people that recognize me and my company from all of our television commercials,” Jordan wrote. “I am on the ski lift and the following exchange just happened and happens often (sic).”
“I ask ‘what network they saw me?’ (sic)”
“Invariably people say FOXNews (sic, again)”
“I laugh to myself, and tell them that we primarily advertise on Fox because we find their viewership to be extremely gullible and much easier to sell than (sic, yet again) other networks.”
“Their look on their face at that time is priceless,” Jordan concluded. “I get to tell them they are f****** idiots while getting rich off of them.”
Original post below (WARNING: Original language intact, NSFW):
Scott Jordan Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot https://t.co/GBhbAFZytb pic.twitter.com/FIS27yKaFP
— THESharkTankBlog (@SharkTankBlogr) January 19, 2018
If you think your clientele are f****** idiots, Mr. Jordan, perhaps we ought to consider that you remain the CEO of a company despite lacking any shred of grammatical- or self-awareness.
It didn’t take long for the calls for a boycott to begin.
https://twitter.com/Education4Libs/status/954092760142725120
I normally don't respond to "boycott this or that"….but today I'm letting you know that the comments by Scott Jordon are beyond reprehensible. Having recently seen advertising of your products I was interested. I'll choose to look elsewhere now. Consequences…..
— Sir Naps Alot 🇺🇸 (@Sir_napsalot) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/christymatson64/status/954167221575651333
Jordan quickly deleted the post once it gained some traction and fired off an apology, which was surprisingly coherent, even if it sounded like a more dignified version of one of the more notable scenes from “The Blair Witch Project.”
“I am profoundly sorry,” Jordan wrote in a letter posted to Medium on Jan. 19. “I am profoundly sorry for my horrible and offensive remarks.
“This past Sunday, I posted on my personal Facebook page an incredibly rude and inaccurate statement about SCOTTeVEST’s TV advertising on Fox News. On Monday, I removed the offensive post and posted an apology on Facebook. I have since deactivated my Facebook account and the apology is no longer available, so I am writing it here.
“To those that I called gullible and idiotic, I am truly sorry,” he added, concluding with a platitude worthy of a Hollywood sexual harasser: “I will continue to learn from my mistakes and strive to become a better person.”
Right. As for the company’s current leaders, they distanced themselves from Jordan with equal rapidity.
“The recent offensive and inexcusable social media post by Scott Jordan does not reflect the views of SCOTTeVEST. In 2017, Mr. Jordan stepped down from the management of SCOTTeVEST and he is not involved in our daily operations,” a statement on the company’s website said. “We are extremely sorry for his unacceptable comments. Mr. Jordan’s post was impulsive and inappropriate for too many reasons to list, and rightfully offended so many people.”
In an email to TheBlaze, SCOTTeVEST Director of Communications Luke Lappala insisted Jordan’s CEO title was mostly ceremonial. According to Lapala, Jordan had stepped aside for “personal reasons.”
“Mr. Jordan retains his CEO and Co-Founder titles, but he is not involved in our daily operations. He is CEO in name only,” Lapalla said.
While I’m rather curious what those “personal reasons” might entail, the fact is that he is still connected to the brand, and even featured prominently on the company’s website.
If Mr. Lappala thinks that’s going to escape the notice of the same outraged consumers whose concerns he’s trying to allay, he’s got another think coming.
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