Originally Posted By mele <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/woman-flipping-unknown-soldier-tomb-goes-viral-may-get-her-fired-65926" target="_blank">http://www.thewrap.com/media/c...ed-65926</a> Thoughts?
Originally Posted By ecdc She works for a non-profit helping adults with learning disabilities, and people want her to be fired? I've worked for a non-profit. There'd be weeks where we weren't paid if there weren't enough donations. No idea if this is anything like that, but it's not exactly a haven of wealth and prosperity. This is the problem with social media. This photo of this woman caught in a moment's bad judgment is frozen in time forever. There's no room for error, no room for bad judgment or poor taste. To everyone who sees this, it becomes who she is. But it's not, and she doesn't deserve this. We all make mistakes. We're all human. I am so over this need to insist on right and wrong behavior at every single turn. Don't say this, don't sleep with that, don't eat this, don't believe that. E-freaking-nough.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<This is the problem with social media. This photo of this woman caught in a moment's bad judgment is frozen in time forever. There's no room for error, no room for bad judgment or poor taste. To everyone who sees this, it becomes who she is.>> ^^ This. A million times over. Facebook casts everything in carbonite, to last forever. Before FB, she would have sent this to her friends via email, and it never would have gone viral. She'd still have her non-profit job, she'd still be the same individual she was before she snapped this photo. And no one but her inner circle of family and friends would have known better. This is one of the reasons why I don't have a Facebook page. We all do stupid things. But I don't want my moments of stupidity forever captured on a widely read public forum like FB. It would simply damage my life irreparably in ways beyond my control or ability to correct.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I don't imagine she was drunk at the time so the stupidty here is pretty epic. Be that as it may, unless she was on the trip to Arlington with her non profit organization on "company time" then I don't think she needs to be fired for it. If she were there on a group outing as part of work then I'd have no problem with her being terminated.
Originally Posted By mawnck No Facebook for me either. ;-) I'd say it's entirely in the hands of her employer whether she should be fired or not, based on how this is affecting her ability to do her job, and her employer's ability to accomplish their objectives. Yeah, we all do stupid things. But they have consequences.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I agree with wahoo's post. But as an aside, when will people understand that when you post it on FB or Twitter or wherever, you are potentially posting it to the world? Did we learn nothing from Anthony Wiener?
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka Do any of you think she was purposefully disrespecting soldiers or making fun of the sign? I tend to think the latter...I think her hand by her mouth kind of shows that. When I was 17, I visited the Vietnam Memorial and was kind of shocked by how many people were not sobered by it. I was shocked when I saw one person step on a letter than was left by the wall. Maybe it would be clearer if we knew where the sign was located...at the front or right in the middle of all of the crosses. She *was* disrespectful...but I really don't think her intent was to be disrespectful of anything but the sign. I don't put anything on FB that I am don't want the world to know.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck Classic lynch mob mentality. People just have to get their pound of flesh. At the same time, if I had a relative who had died serving their country, and saw that picture...
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Do any of you think she was purposefully disrespecting soldiers or making fun of the sign?<< I think she was making fun of the sign. It seems odd that they would even need a sign like that, so I think her intent was to spoof how someone might react without the sign telling them how to behave. Sometimes humor is about crossing the line. But what works among like-minded friends or in a comedy club wouldn't be appropriate for the public at large. It probably isn't the best place to hone one's comedy chops. I don't think she really should lose her job over it, like wahoo said above. If she loses her job, is she allowed to get another one and go on with her life? Or will this become a constant thing now, and people will scope out her new employers and keep punishing her for this? >>I don't put anything on FB that I am don't want the world to know.<< This seems obvious, but again and again it keeps happening with people. Speaking of signs, perhaps they need a little reminder like this right on top of everyone's FB page.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Most employers do a google search of your name now, so she now has a red A on her so to speak....
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka <<It seems odd that they would even need a sign like that, so I think her intent was to spoof how someone might react without the sign telling them how to behave.>> Totally agree. It's almost kind of funny...until you remember where she is.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost You might want to redo that last sentence Tikiduck since it would be mighty difficult to do. Having a sick sense of humor myself, I didn't react to it at all except to think is was funny. Before you get too upset with me, I am a Vietnam Veteran and am proud of it. I also feel nothing but anger and upset about knowing that all those names on that wall were once, living, breathing, vibrant people with what could have been a wonderful life ahead of them. Still, not once did I think that what she did was in any degree disrespectful to them. This country needs to climb down off it's politically correct horse and understand that without a sense of humor we are doomed as a society. Think Taliban! Don't see many of them able to laugh at themselves do you? We need to understand that not everything or every gesture is a sign of assault. Sometimes, in the words of Sigmund, a cigar is just a cigar and we need to flex with the moment.
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka I think it's her hand by her mouth that ups the funny and shows that it isn't about the soldiers.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>If she loses her job, is she allowed to get another one and go on with her life? Or will this become a constant thing now, and people will scope out her new employers and keep punishing her for this?<< Here's the thing, though. If this is causing a huge backlash or affecting her employer's business, why should the employer take the hit for it? I'm all for forgiveness and bygones and so forth. Really I am. But this was her stupid. Nobody else's. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't be *expected*. AFAIK, she has not been fired, so it's not like her employer is making a snap decision here. But again ... I don't think an employer, especially a nonprofit, should have to deal with consequences of the employee's MIND-BOGGLINGLY stupid action.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Most employers do a google search of your name now, so she now has a red A on her so to speak....> That's one advantage of having a common-as-dirt name, like I do. There are so many people with my name that a google search just brings zillions of hits with no good way to distinguish between us, even if you know the location etc. (there used to be four of me just in the little neighborhood phone book they used to deliver... I'm not talking Brooklyn, I'm talking my sub-sub-subsection of Brooklyn). And it's a good thing too, because now no one can ever find out about that time I... Oops! Almost blew it there! Phew!
Originally Posted By barboy ///I also feel nothing but anger and upset about knowing that all those names on that wall were once, living, breathing, vibrant people with what could have been a wonderful life ahead of them/// I take some solace in that by all probability a hand full of those 57,000 would have done(or already did) some mighty hurtful things to others like DUI that would have killed a family or bilking out an elder of her life savings----- just going by odds here. But 'ya' for most of those wall names it sure does stir some emotions and sobers the soul.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>But again ... I don't think an employer, especially a nonprofit, should have to deal with consequences of the employee's MIND-BOGGLINGLY stupid action.<< Sure, but what's the statute of limitations on mind-boggling stupidity? It was a meant as a joke amongst friends, and obviously at least one of those "friends" didn't appreciate the humor and sent it viral. Now the whole country hates her and it affects her non-profit so say they let her go. Now what? Does she get a chance to become employed again, or will outraged and offended people keep after her forever more? Lucky for her, someone else will post something stupid and the mob and their torches and pitchforks will take off in a different direction eventually.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney A stupid and immature thing to do for sure. I don't care if she gets fired.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Sure, but what's the statute of limitations on mind-boggling stupidity? << That's a little like asking "what's the statute of limitations on driving like an idiot and totaling your car?" Stupid, yes. But it doesn't mean you get a free replacement car, now or later. There is such a thing as a "career killing move". She made one. (Has she actually lost her job? Last I heard, she hadn't.)
