For the past 11 months I have been writing current event, opinion based articles that have been rooted in as much factual information as my research into the subject matter could provide. Public response to my editorials has varied. I have been accused of being quick to judge, along with being considered to have both liberal and conservative viewpoints. My opinions have been accepted with agreement and refuted with discord. I have been called funny, satirical, cynical, acid tongued and cruel. I accept all these critiques with pleasure as this is why I started doing this in the first place. To create discussion. To open doors of communication about situations that affect us all and although I have been labeled otherwise, do so while championing no one.... no party.... no business.... no cause. I try only to Observe society's practices and offer my views of what I see and listen to others on the matter.
With that being stated, this weeks subject will dance close to the edge that I have set for myself. Some of you may feel my opinion falls into the ranks of pro-corporate America and that I am using this platform to promote big business. I assure you, my fellow Observers, this is not the case. As I have stated, I champion no one as I Observe the facts. In my opinion, a wrong act is a wrong act no matter who commits it, why or what the intentions were. Though it can appear that we have identified a victim within the action we have to remember that things aren't always or usually what they seem. I only ask that you, my loyal reader, keep an open mind in every Observation.
This past week Mary Murdock, a consumer at Walmart in Medina, Ohio, became upset when she noticed John Harkness, a retired marine, standing outside the store in inclement weather collecting donations for Toys for Tots. When asked why he was outside, Harkness replied that the store manager, Robin Wright, had banned him from collecting donations inside the store. Infuriated by what she perceived to be a severe injustice toward a worthy cause and disrespect for a decorated veteran, Murdock went home and Photo-Shopped a meme to vent her outrage. She then posted it to her Facebook page and asked people to share it to spread the word. And share they did.... to the point of a social media firestorm. If you haven't seen it, the meme depicts Harkness standing outside Walmart in full dress uniform and inserted in the lower left corner is a smaller picture of Wright. The meme states "He can bleed and die, but not stand inside!!!!!!" It informs Facebookers that marines have been allowed to collect toys and donations inside this particular store since it opened, but "No Longer!!". It also seems to quote Wright as saying "This is my store, your not allowed to stand inside.". Finally, it gives Wright's name and the phone numbers for both the Medina Walmart and the company's head office. This post has generated everything from sympathy to outrage. Some have suggested boycotts on Walmart, protest demonstrations at stores nationwide and some have written vile comments about Wright. It has even gone as far as anonymous death threats against Wright and her family. All because she did one terrible thing according to her critics.... her job.
Although Harkness had been allowed to stand inside this Walmart to collect donations for the past 14 years, it turns out that the former management staff was actually breaking the rules and contrary to popular opinion, it's not something that just happened yesterday. In 2000 Walmart announced publicly that charities would not be allowed to solicit inside their stores or in their vestibules. All collection of donations had to be made outside and no charities were banned from collecting contributions outside on the property as part of this decision. Even though it may not be common knowledge, the fact is, Walmart is not alone in this type of policy. Almost 80% of all the corporate "chain" stores have anti-solicitation policies that keep charities "outside" in the rain, snow, sleet, hail, sunshine or dark of night. For as much as they can be, these actions are in place in an attempt to keep the companies impartial. In reality, no one company can support every charity, would not want to do so and rules such as these keep all on an even keel as not to be accused of favoritism to one cause or another.
Not so for Mary Murdock and her social media lynch mob. Not by a long shot. They have decided that Walmart has disgraced itself by disrespecting the men and women who have served our country by making them stand outside to do their charitable works. They have chosen to ignore the facts that would simply explain why these companies have such guidelines on these matters. They have also decided to act upon what they feel is a serious transgression, without facts in hand, and have named names in their little pro-military, gung-ho quest. In return, this has caused an innocent woman and her family to live with people threatening to kill them. I guess that's a fair trade for their ignorant tangent.... for them anyway. What bothers me the most is that they actually think they're justified in their actions.
I really only have one question for these people. Why are you making such a stink over a marine standing outside collecting toys? Is it because he's a veteran? What about the Salvation Army bell ringers? I'm sure some of them have been in the military. I don't see any memes about them. No social media outcry for justice for these people. What about the Girl Scouts and their cookies? The Boy Scouts and their popcorn? The food bank drives? The cheerleader bake sale? The high school band uniform fundraiser? The local church wreath sale? The veteran from the local VFW selling "Forget me Not" posies? All standing outside your local strip mall in the middle of Anytown, USA in the elements. Where is their Facebook post? Where is their meme? Why isn't anyone making death threats for them?
I do have to admit that when I saw Murdock's post my first reaction was that Walmart was in the wrong. But, after a moment or two my curiosity as to why Harkness had to stand outside made me investigate the reasoning. These days it's all too easy to get infuriated over current issues. Racial tension is at an all time high. Religious differences have us choosing sides and labeling people as terrorists who don't believe in the same god. Political correct advocates are constantly telling the general public what we can or cannot say, practice or write. We even find controversies within the sports we play and watch that cause people to respond with violence.... over a game....a game! With fault and contention being found around every corner we have to be very careful how we react to them. Our decisions to offer a public opinion or a call to action must first be scrutinized with all the facts that we are presented with. If they are limited, we have to research our causes as much as possible and accept situations that are within reason even if we don't personally like what we find within that research. Going off half-cocked with only a handful of the truths we choose to acknowledge helps no one and more often that not creates more harm than good. In some instances it can even be deadly. Just one misinformed person reacting solely with an emotional response can not only cause outrage and mistrust, they can and have incited destruction and loss of life with just one click. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, my family and I have some toys to donate.
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