Power to the People
Two stories caught my attention on the weekend which demonstrate the power of the people. When we get together, we can really make a difference?
First of all, a United Airlines passenger went to twitter after witnessing two teenage girls not being allowed to board because they were wearing leggings. This was retweeted and spread more rapidly than a tweet about Justin Bieber. People demanded answers from United. This seemed so unfair, especially since we have all seen really questionable attire on flights that were actually inappropriate. People are trying to make this a news story, a cause that we can all be behind, but, this is a non-issue. It turns out that these girls were on a "buddy pass" or whatever the term used by United. They were getting a free flight by being a family/friend of a United employee. In this case, in order to receive a free flight, they agreed to a certain dress code. Their fault for not reading the fine print. Lesson learned, there is really no thing as a free lunch. In this case, a free flight for wearing a business casual outfit is not really a high price to pay.
The second story really spoke to me. It concerned Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Brad's wife. I have never been to one of these stores but I gather they are a restaurant that serve "home-made" style meals and sell some products that harken us back to an older time when families ate together, etc. Like I said, I have never been to one of their locations. Anyway, poor Brad. His wife was fired after 11 years of service and he didn't feel that she got an explanation. Somehow he got on the corporate facebook page and posted that he wanted to know why his wife was fired. Now, this is a story. The reaction has been amazing. People are posted reviews that it is just not the same without Brad's wife. "Why was Brad's wife fired" has spread like hotcakes. In fact, the Cracker Barrel recipe for hotcakes has been released. It contains "Brad's wife's tears." Celebrities have gotten on board tweeting that they also demand answers. The amount of creativity and humour that has gone into this campaign speaks to the fact that there still is intelligent life out there !!! If you haven't already, you have to read some of the responses. Poor Cracker Barrel. They can't really comment because it is a personnel matter. I really hope things work out for Brad's wife, and I have a feeling they might.
It turns out people have power. Well, we have always been taught that, "we, the people, and all that", but as government takes over more and more of our lives, it is nice to see an example that we really do have power, to make news atleast.
What is said, however, is how rarely we use this power. We rarely stand up to government issues that we oppose, mostly because we don't think it will work. Maybe it won't, but we should atleast try. The ripple effects of a single drop of water in an ocean can be endless. We should stop giving up so easily. The most power of the people is to vote. Unfortunately, for some reason, a voter turnout of 50% is often considered a victory. Never mind Donald Trump not winning the popular vote, he didn't even come marginally close to willing the eligible vote.
Why aren't we using our power. It could be that it is a lot of energy. It could be that we don't think it will matter. It could be that we don't want to fail.
I think our politicians are counting on the fact that we don't actually care. I think the answer is much more simple and is common sense. I think we believe that our politicians don't actually care about us. I think that is a reality we just don't want to face.
First of all, a United Airlines passenger went to twitter after witnessing two teenage girls not being allowed to board because they were wearing leggings. This was retweeted and spread more rapidly than a tweet about Justin Bieber. People demanded answers from United. This seemed so unfair, especially since we have all seen really questionable attire on flights that were actually inappropriate. People are trying to make this a news story, a cause that we can all be behind, but, this is a non-issue. It turns out that these girls were on a "buddy pass" or whatever the term used by United. They were getting a free flight by being a family/friend of a United employee. In this case, in order to receive a free flight, they agreed to a certain dress code. Their fault for not reading the fine print. Lesson learned, there is really no thing as a free lunch. In this case, a free flight for wearing a business casual outfit is not really a high price to pay.
The second story really spoke to me. It concerned Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Brad's wife. I have never been to one of these stores but I gather they are a restaurant that serve "home-made" style meals and sell some products that harken us back to an older time when families ate together, etc. Like I said, I have never been to one of their locations. Anyway, poor Brad. His wife was fired after 11 years of service and he didn't feel that she got an explanation. Somehow he got on the corporate facebook page and posted that he wanted to know why his wife was fired. Now, this is a story. The reaction has been amazing. People are posted reviews that it is just not the same without Brad's wife. "Why was Brad's wife fired" has spread like hotcakes. In fact, the Cracker Barrel recipe for hotcakes has been released. It contains "Brad's wife's tears." Celebrities have gotten on board tweeting that they also demand answers. The amount of creativity and humour that has gone into this campaign speaks to the fact that there still is intelligent life out there !!! If you haven't already, you have to read some of the responses. Poor Cracker Barrel. They can't really comment because it is a personnel matter. I really hope things work out for Brad's wife, and I have a feeling they might.
It turns out people have power. Well, we have always been taught that, "we, the people, and all that", but as government takes over more and more of our lives, it is nice to see an example that we really do have power, to make news atleast.
What is said, however, is how rarely we use this power. We rarely stand up to government issues that we oppose, mostly because we don't think it will work. Maybe it won't, but we should atleast try. The ripple effects of a single drop of water in an ocean can be endless. We should stop giving up so easily. The most power of the people is to vote. Unfortunately, for some reason, a voter turnout of 50% is often considered a victory. Never mind Donald Trump not winning the popular vote, he didn't even come marginally close to willing the eligible vote.
Why aren't we using our power. It could be that it is a lot of energy. It could be that we don't think it will matter. It could be that we don't want to fail.
I think our politicians are counting on the fact that we don't actually care. I think the answer is much more simple and is common sense. I think we believe that our politicians don't actually care about us. I think that is a reality we just don't want to face.
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