Let me start with:
No, Mama Roberto’s did not pay me to defend them. As a matter of fact, I stated quite clearly that
the behavior of the cashier was inexcusable.
That was one person. That is not
the whole restaurant. Do I think she
should get a free pass? Absolutely
not. Do I think that the amount of
negative publicity vastly exceeds the crime?
Yes I do.
Was my blog an attack on Mrs. Basiger? No it was not. Was she partially to blame for the
situation? Yes she was. She failed to read her own Groupon
rules. She ignored or was distracted
from reading prominently displayed signs.
Is this a capital offense?
No. Did she deserve a beat down
from the cashier? No. Does she deserve an apology? Yes she does.
Am I as “heartless as that cashier?” No, I am not.
I don’t pick on sick people.
However, I think everyone should be treated the same, and everyone has
to take responsibility for their actions, or inactions, whether they are sick
or not. The cashier was acting
irrationally. Anyone ever think that
perhaps that might be the symptom of a medical condition as well? Not all medical conditions have outward
signs. None of us know what lies behind
that irrational behavior. Everyone needs
to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before they condemn.
I am sorry that Mrs. Basiger was subjected to that
behavior. I am sorry that she was upset
and embarrassed. I would have been,
too. Being upset and embarrassed by
someone else in a public situation is something I’ve experienced many times in
my life…people can be thoughtless and cruel, or they can have some other reason
for their behavior…who knows. But I have
always been a believer in not sinking to the level of the perpetrator. I say nothing and walk away. I’m not saying I was not horribly upset by
those situations, I was. But even if I blog
about it, I always attempt to present both sides. No one-sided story is a complete one.
For those who feel the need to attack me personally, I say
only this. You don’t know me. You don’t know who I am, or what I do. You don’t know my thoughts or my motivations. I can’t stop you from misinterpreting my
writing as an attack on your friend.
Defending your friend is an admirable thing to do. But think about what that cashier said to
your friend, then think about what your comments on my blog were and ask
yourself, do I really want to sound as vitriolic and irrational as that cashier?
In my writers group last week, we were discussing what makes
a post, a book, a video go viral. I hate
to think that only negative things are shared and discussed. So I’ll post this one more time. This is how I really pick on sick
people. The Interview. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll get the 5000 page views I had yesterday!
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