Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is trying a unique strategy to get remote workers to return downtown: insulting them.

“I don’t know if you saw this study the other day,” Frey told an audience of 1,000 at Minneapolis Downtown Council’s annual meeting on Wednesday. “What this study clearly showed … is that when people who have the ability to come downtown to an office don’t — when they stay home sitting on their couch, with their nasty cat blanket, diddling on their laptop — if they do that for a few months, you become a loser!”

The comment was a “complete joke” and the study was made-up, the Minneapolis mayor’s office told Fortune, but there are serious facts to back up Frey’s worry about the impact of remote work on Minneapolis’ downtown economy.

  • SeaJOP
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    4310 months ago

    He is from the Democratic Farmer Labor Party which is an affiliate of the Democratic Party. This is not exactly a labor supporting statement.

    • @Telodzrum
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      2510 months ago

      There is a growing resentment from traditional labor which cannot work remotely against the knowledge labor force which is able to work remotely. If the educational divide between GOP and Dems is fleeting, he’s betting on his party’s historic strength.

      • @PriorityMotif
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        -2810 months ago

        It’s because office workers are too cozy with management.

        • @Misconduct
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          1110 months ago

          What’s this even supposed to mean? What a weird thing to say let alone think

        • @Telodzrum
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          -2010 months ago

          Often it’s a distinction without a difference.

            • @PriorityMotif
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              -810 months ago

              Believe it or not, you can. Just like the guy with the shovel can probably write an email.

              • @Misconduct
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                1510 months ago

                So then go do it instead of bitching about other people doing it? Wtf?

              • ɔiƚoxɘup
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                1410 months ago

                Maybe dude with the shovel should go pull himself up by his bootstraps and get one of those email writing jobs since that’s how the world works now.

              • @[email protected]
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                510 months ago

                let me go tell everyone with physical disabilities that instead of working from home they should be out working the fields.

                • @PriorityMotif
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                  10 months ago

                  My guy, I work with a 67 year old woman at a factory working 12 hours 4 days in a row plus additional overtime every few weeks. There are all also multiple people with physical disabilities that work there. Not every physical disability prevents you from working a physical job. In fact, I can think of several jobs that someone in a wheelchair could do on the floor with no problem.