Biting your tongue. If you’re anything like me, you’ve heard this sentence from your mother about everyday. In one ear, out the other…Hey! Sometimes there are certain times when you just have to say something or it slips past your filter… But there are times when our mothers warning comes into play and we realize that they did know what they were talking about. Take for instance the incident a couple of years ago with the Oklahoma City Chili’s waitress was fired for her Facebook comment and picture.
(link to article/video: http://www.news9.com/story/22263606/oklahoma-waitress-fired-over-facebook-post )
Incidentally, I happened to write a paper over a similar topic in high school so I will just reiterate my thoughts again here. I thought her firing was the correct response, because at some point personal freedom of speech is pushed aside for the image/reputation of the business. My paper mainly focused on how employers search through potential employees’ social media accounts, but I still feel it applies to once a person is hired. By her saying that she hoped she wasn’t their server – at least she used the correct ‘their’…small miracles – and saying “FDP” she unintentionally gave Chili’s a bad rep. Chili’s picks who they hire and who represents them to customers, so with her bad mouthing the police it gave some customers a bad view of Chili’s. Perhaps if she had made the comment without including “[she] hopes [she’s] not their server” the repercussions would not have been so severe. Perhaps. Plus it isn’t as if the police officers did anything to aggravate her (in this particular situation). All they did was choose Chili’s as their restaurant to eat at after paying their respects to a lost life.
I do know of a couple other instances where people were fired from their jobs because of what they posted on social media. Can’t remember exact sources, but this one story has stayed in my mind. A teacher was taking her class – of little children – to the beach and made the comment via Facebook that she wished she could drown some of the “brats”. Needless to say, she was fired. It’s instances like these folks that you really can see your mothers wisdom. Some words were never meant to be spoken, or typed. I think this sort of thing is happening more and more these days because it is just too easy to post what is on your mind. There is less time for you to consider the consequences or how your words might be taken.
Let me know what you think. And I think we should all listen to our momma’s a bit more. ~V
Sunflowers and Riddles 