Monday, August 5, 2013

"Just The Tip" Can Be More Dangerous Than You Think...

My first real job was at an ice cream parlor so when I spotted this at the local Ben & Jerry's, I was instantly reminded of how greatly things have changed since (waaaay) back then.


A second reminder came seconds later, when I pulled out my phone to snap a picture of it.  My husband, likely embarrassed by my behavior, excused my shock to the teen employees (who clearly had a strong threshold for embarrassment) by laughing it off with a quick "sorry... she's a blogger".

Well, that's what his words sounded like.  They felt much different.  They felt like an excuse for me to behave inappropriately, an excuse for me to lack manners, an excuse for me to make my negative opinion known.  And however unnecessary, that's exactly what they were.

Honestly, I believe the ice cream parlor employees are just as entitled to their freedom of expression as I am to mine (although I doubt the Ben & Jerry's Board of Director's would agree).  But with that freedom, especially in today's society, comes great responsibility.

And that's just the "tip" of the iceberg.