🥤My boss called me a thief

👋 Good morning. If your boss at work keeps nagging you and calling you names, would you leave? This week’s Main Squeeze explores that. You may find your answers if you’re in a similar situation. And if you're lucky enough not to be in that situation, it's the weekend! Leave your house and have some fun before Monday comes knocking.

Let's get into it.

In this edition: This week in culture, toxic workplaces vs unemployment, the many problems of stan culture, new music friday, and more.

If you’re enjoying this, don’t forget to subscribe and join The Juice community. We’re building this together ♡.

Phrase of the week

No put me for talk

🗞️ THIS WEEK IN CULTURE

🎵 MUSIC

August’s release calendar keeps getting stacked. Just today, Rema released a new single, TEA. Llona’s sophomore album, On The Road, is also out. As well as CKay’s third album, Banger Boy. Safe to say our playlists' rosters are full.

⭐ CELEBRITY

The PSquare family feud is far from over as Peter Okoye (Mr P) released a seven-part video series alleging his twin brother Paul (Rudeboy) and elder brother Jude Okoye diverted over $1.2 million in music royalties. It is the first time he fully addresses this, and the interesting part is that it comes with a lawsuit from Jude, backed by Peter.

📚 LITERATURE

Nigerian Author Jerry Falade has lost a reported $2 million publishing deal for his debut crime novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, after it was flagged for AI content upon submission. Falade insists he didn't use AI. We don’t know the real truth, but a tool built to imitate humans keeps costing humans so much.

📽️ FILM

Spider-Man: Brand New Day becomes the movie with the biggest opening weekend recorded in West African box office history, grossing ₦700.5 million. It is also the franchise’s biggest opening in the region. We really love our superheroes!

⚡MATTERS ARISING

The EFCC secured a court order to freeze the Osun State government's accounts as part of its ongoing ₦11 billion fraud investigation, saying it wanted to prevent suspicious funds from being moved ahead of the August 15 governorship election. The Presidency later ordered the accounts to be unfrozen. Politics, as always, comes with its fair share of plot twists.

MAIN SQUEEZE

5 people speak about their toxic workplaces

This week, the internet had conversations about toxic workplaces. While the debate had people saying the need to earn a living outweighs whatever toxicity is being experienced, others disagreed, saying a toxic environment will take more from you and that leaving is better than the monthly pay. 

We spoke with 5 people who have worked in toxic places to know what they really think, how their experiences panned out, how it affected their lives, and their advice for anyone working in a toxic boss/workplace. Read to find out what they said.

X*, VP, Operations and Growth

From the job description, I should've known that work was a major setup. They required someone who could fix heaven and earth. Just two days into the job, I saw all the signs I ignored.

The Head of Operations was the problem. She threatened people with their jobs to get them to work and gave backhanded compliments. She yelled at a guy so hard, he collapsed from a panic attack and had to be admitted to the hospital for a while. Upon his resumption, she didn't apologize or change.

To make matters worse, there was no budget, and my role was dependent on budgeting. The same week I was to quit, they suddenly terminated the employment of everyone in the marketing and sales team.

That was the end of that chapter. They tried to headhunt me into another department at the workplace, but I was so done. I worked there for about a month. One thing about working in a toxic environment is that you think somehow the “toxic” person won't do that to you. Trust me when I say they will.  Flee! 

B*, Executive Assistant 

I worked one-on-one with the head of this big tech firm. The first time I knew something was wrong somewhere was when this woman randomly called to yell at me because of something we had to do at work. I thought she was probably overwhelmed. 

It happened so much that it became normal. I worked with her for six months. The straw that broke the camel’s back was me making a mistake that could be sorted and was, in fact, sorted.

She called me terrible names like thief. Leaving wasn't so hard. I developed anxiety because of her. Even now, whenever I see calls from numbers I don't know, it makes me spiral. She was young, savvy, and I thought she would know better or at least be better.

For anyone experiencing such, no money or employment is worth your peace. You shouldn't feel less than yourself because you're trying to earn a living. 

Esther, Copywriter

It was when I just joined that I discovered the toxicity. The workers I met at the organization thought I had left the meeting and were discussing their plans to resign. I listened in and realized the saxophones were getting louder. 

The main problem was with the boss. He wanted to micromanage every activity and was terrible with communication. I didn't stay long at the organization o, just a month there. It wasn't the last straw that made me quit. Something bizarre happened. When I was employed, there were two others, and we were all in the same WhatsApp group.

The day another guy was added to the special group was the day we were all sacked. The Monday after, the boss came to ask me to rejoin, but I was just done. I cut all ties with him and the organization at large. I remained in contact with the other two.  If you’re in this situation, my dear, start looking for another job. Unemployment isn't easy, but start preparing to leave. 

Mubarak, Ex-corper

My experience was during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) days. The very first day I resumed my Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), I knew I was in for a ride. It was a government establishment. This HOD was extremely bossy and treated all their subordinates like trash.

The bossiness included delegating ridiculous tasks like picking up their offspring from school, domestic errands like buying food, peeling their fruits and vegetables, and also picking beans. All this was happening right there in the office. Did I mention the verbal abuse too? 

It was service year, and I couldn't just leave. When I was asked if I would like to be retained, my NO was so loud, no one in the office was surprised. There was no need to tell them why, we all knew.  If you're at a job that bad, just leave. I get that those workers couldn't leave, but I saw someone get transferred. So, just leave. 

G* Sales Rep

My boss was a professional nagger. I have never met anyone who nags quite like this man. When I first resumed work, he was quite kind, until he wasn’t. He insulted us in front of customers and enforced pay cuts for all mistakes or for coming late.

The delayed salaries also affected me. After eight months working there, I found a new job. I resigned through a text message and didn't bother about that month’s pay. I think anyone going through what I went through should find another job.

POLL

🔪 THE PEEL

The many problems of stan culture 

The Discourse

A video from FAVE’s Snapchat has been flying around online. In it, the singer visibly rebukes an anonymous gifter who sent her flowers.

She questioned the size of the bouquet as not glamorous and cheap. While we don’t know whether an admirer or fan sent the flowers, several interesting reactions followed. 

Many immediately dismissed her rants as rude and assumed the flowers could have been from a devoted fan. Additionally, others argued that fans shouldn't be spending excessively on celebrities or popular personalities who know nothing about their existence. 

This conversation reminds us that stan culture, often associated with Western pop stars and K-pop fandoms, has long seeped into Nigeria. But what happens when stan culture becomes obsessive?

Peeling it back

We've seen stan culture happen in real time, especially with Big Brother Naija. Big Brother Naija is a reality TV show where several contestants live in a house while competing for a cash prize, and the viewers vote for their winner. It is a social experiment with entertaining games, activities, and parties that interest viewers. The Big Brother Naija Season 11 is currently airing and is themed Show Ya Sef. 

The contestants enter the house as normal Naija citizens, and within weeks they leave with army variants behind their backs like the Imistars, Spartans, Titans, Ninjas, Mercenaries, Icons, Efe Nations, and so on.

These fan bases build their foundations with obsessive fans who raise millions of naira through crowdfunding, purchase expensive gifts, organise massive celebrations, and compete with other fan bases on who gets more gifts for their “faves”. The fans who would do anything for them. And by anything? Literally anything. 

When Tacha got disqualified in 2019, a few days before the grand finale, her Titans immediately raised money and gifts that rivalled the winner’s grand prize. Erica’s Elites in 2020 started a GoFundMe campaign of $100,000, which ended with $66,000 raised, along with other monetary and dealership gifts.

In 2022, the same happened with Beauty Tukura. And this is small compared to the houses, cars, and designer items that have become the norm with these fanbases year in, year out. 

It doesn't end with these reality show fans, as this same culture exists in Nigerian music. A few years ago, stan culture in Nigeria mostly meant arguing over football clubs and musicians on Twitter.

Whether it is the Outsiders, 30BG, FC, or countless others, their support goes beyond streaming songs and attending concerts. It now involves defending celebrities at all costs as well as starting cyberbullying against critics and “opponents”. 

What even is stan culture?

The word stan was coined by Eminem in a 2000 rap song, Stan. He came up with that after receiving unsettling letters from obsessive supporters, writing the song as a warning to fans who were losing touch with reality. Eminem chose stan simply because it rhymed with "fan," accidentally inventing a term that now defines extreme pop-culture obsession. 

So what’s the issue? 

The issue isn’t that community should be frowned upon, because we all need community. The danger is the entitlement that comes with admiration, and the lengths of these obsessions. 

We’ve seen consequences around the world. South Korea’s entertainment industry has repeatedly seen devastating online and public harassment of stars. Examples are Sulli and Chon Jil Sil, who endured years of hostility before committing suicide due to these numerous impossible expectations placed on celebrities.

In the United States, The Voice finalist Christina Grimmie was killed during a meet-and-greet by an obsessed maniac fan whom she was about to hug, cutting short her life and blooming music career at 22. 

The obsessions don't only hurt the celebrities, but the fans alike. Stans go out of their way to support celebrities’ lifestyles, and some expect their “fave” to respond to criticisms the same way they expect. Every slight becomes war, and every criticism is seen as hate. The vastness of the internet also allows this, just take a look at the reposts, hashtags, and so on. 

The Core 

There is nothing wrong with being a fan. We are big fans of pop culture here at The Juice. Celebrate your faves, buy their tickets, attend their concerts, recommend their films and businesses, vote for them in competition if you choose and can afford it. But there has to be a line.

Your fave shouldn’t be your personality or financial headache; neither should they hold much influence over your life choices. And if your favorite celebrity chooses to crash out over flowers, I hope you reevaluate your life choices. 

🎵 PRESSED BY THE JUICE

It’s the weekenddd. Unwind, discover, and sing along to new releases from some of your personal faves.  This week, we have Rema, CKay, FireboyDML, and so much more!

We update every Friday! Save, share, and follow our Pressed by Juice playlists on Spotify.

Do you have a song you’d like us to include? Put us on, reply here.

PHRASE OF THE WEEK

You are on your way to work on a Monday morning, and a bus conductor calls you to settle a fight with another passenger. You can just say no put me for talk.