Posted on 08/29/2014 5:52:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
Here is a snapshot of a series of truly ridiculous things that happened in a small New England town this week, followed by an extended examination of how it represents a deep societal pathology.
In Winooski, Vermont, a small town northeast of Burlington, a restaurant was awarded a sign placement for its participation in a beautification project. Proud of its bacon (among other things, I’m sure), Sneakers Bistro chose a sign that said “Yield for Sneakers Bacon.”
A Muslim woman, fond of neither pork nor free speech, complained online, garnering a sufficient contingent of busybodies to pressure the restaurant to take down the sign.
The restaurant caved. The sign is gone. The restaurant and town officials sound very pleased at how this has all worked out.
They could not be more wrong. This story is horrible at every level. Let’s begin with our offended resident.
Religions may have whatever dietary restrictions they wish. Adherents may follow such limitations as strictly as they choose. But when a person of faith runs across a display indicative of the habits of others, there is no basis for objection.
Something truly bizarre has happened when someone sees imagery related to other people’s choices and hears an inner voice saying: “That is not my choice. But not only do I seek to make choices in my own life, I seek to inhibit the expression of those who choose differently.”
That brand of obnoxiousness must be civilly but firmly contradicted whenever it arises. In the case of the restaurant, it is not run by people who seek to correct the presumptions of local townspeople. They just want to sell food.
Perhaps this is why they folded like a cheap suit. “We are here to serve people breakfast, not politics,” they wrote in a willful online surrender. “We removed the sign that was located on public property as a gesture of respect for our diverse community.”
Well, let’s talk about respect. Did our aggrieved resident show “respect” or “tolerance” for her fellow citizens who might want to order up a strip or two of bacon in the midst of living their own lives? Decidedly not. As such, it is not only asymmetrical to bend over to accommodate such objectors, it is patently harmful in its encouragement of such mischief.
So thumbs down to our intolerant lady and a finger-wag as well to the restaurant in its capitulation to her bullying.
What should they have said? Imagine seeing this on their Facebook page:
“It has come to our attention that a local citizen objects to the reference to bacon in our sign. We respect all citizens and the choices they may make in their diets. In turn, we hope all citizens will respect what we choose to offer in our business. We are pleased to welcome customers of all beliefs. We understand that not everyone will patronize us, but we are proud of what we offer and will continue to inform the public about it.”
Isn’t that uplifting? It is the sound of rationality, a display of respect mixed sublimely with defense of individual liberty. The restaurant’s decision to give in is an unfortunate encouragement to any other troublemakers looking to interfere with the freedoms of others.
But then comes a nauseating final chapter. City manager Katherine Decarreau tingled with glee as she celebrated the stifling of free expression on the altar of contrived offense. "The cool part of living in a diverse community is that it's not always comfortable,” she said. “It’s a fascinating place with lots of opportunities for conversation.”
Funny thing is, her words were true in a way she cannot fathom.
The “cool” part of living in a diverse community is indeed the creativity of navigating its challenges. But it is highly uncool for boorish behavior to be rewarded by undeserved accommodation. Far cooler for individuals to respect others and subjugate the poisonous selfishness that would lead them to dictate what others may say or do.
Such differences do indeed provide “opportunities for conversation.” I am intrigued by the preferences and practices of people whose lives differ from my own; I am enriched and enlightened to know such things about the people I share a town, a nation or a planet with.
But the moment someone of a different stripe seeks to shut down my right to make or express choices that are within my purview, the conversation will start with my genial suggestion that the offended party mind his own business.
So the Winooski Bacon Story is wrong heaped upon wrong heaped upon wrong. The Muslim woman should have kept her beef about pork to herself; the restaurant should have politely declined to be strong-armed; and city officials should encourage residents to discuss and work out their differences rather than inviting fascist suppression of anything that might rub a sliver of the community the wrong way.
When Vermonters and 300 million other Americans uniformly learn these basic lessons, we will be mentally healthier, societally stronger and truly respectful and appreciative of each other, by virtue of promoting understanding and broad-mindedness rather than peevish tantrums.
No doubt a large flashing neon sign for an abortion clinic would be heartily welcomed in this same New England village.
Tyranny by the minority in action. The bigotry of low expectations. This Green Mountain Boy is long-gone.
City manager Katherine Decarreau tingled with glee as she celebrated the stifling of free expression on the altar of contrived offense. "The cool part of living in a diverse community is that it's not always comfortable,” she said. “It’s a fascinating place with lots of opportunities for conversation.”
This willful surrender to the complaint of a Muslim about a sign that advertised bacon and the town manager's dopey response that reeks with politically correctness is both amusing as it reflects the insanity of the left in America and sad as it also reflects the rapid erosion of our constitutional right to free speech, taken incrementally, one piece at a time.
That this incident was motivated by a Muslim complaining about a sign advertising bacon (on public property) indicates how easy it is to intimidate Americans with PC rubbish. So much for the joys of multiculturalism.
Let a bunch of bacon-loving Christians show up to speak at their next City council meeting and see how cool the little Ms. thinks it is.
Or considering that for a Muslim, living in America, still a majority Christian country, with the Christian faith not having any real rules in regards to food.
As long as the conversation doesn't include the word "bacon," apparently. If it does, it will be immediately shut down and so the opportunity for conversation is lost.
I find it intolerable to live in today's "Through the Looking Glass" world, where:
* Liberty is now condemned as "on your own economics" (i.e. "freedom is slavery");
* Bill Clinton is black and Clarence Thomas is white;
* Those of us who insist that the Constitution be followed are extremists while those who want to replace it with a totalitarian oligarchy are "moderates"; and
* The most reprehensibly intolerant religion in the world demands tolerance for itself and obedience from those who do not belong to it.
How soon will the grocery chain “Piggly Wiggly” will be forced to change its name?
Burlington is beautiful. My cousin lives there. Go. Visit it. Eat at their restaurants.
Just don’t talk to the locals. They will make your head explode.
The old adages of Yankee Common sense mean less and less as you get closer to B-ton.
Bump Posts #4 & 7!
Let a bunch of bacon-loving Christians show up to speak at their next City council meeting and see how cool the little Ms. thinks it is.
They all left.... Vt is chock full of socialist, commies, and trustafarians from NY and CT... all the decent people left a long time ago...VT is a very atheist/non-Christian place.. especially the Burlington area.. pretty sad. The school system full of progressives won.
It is truly horrifying what decades of Political Correctness and cowardice have done to our country.
The real Green Mountain Boys would long ago have grabbed their muskets off the wall and started shooting traitors.
Burlington is beautiful, but wierd. There th Old Union train station at the bottom of Main St. #5, on the shore of Lake Champlain. For years it was Green Mt. Power’s HQ and I worked there. Today it is a museum and restaurant. These wierdos put large bronze statues of FLYING Monkeys on top of it. Evil demons.
Worse.. Flag Poles at the new UVM Student Center display the GLBT rainbow flag right next to old Glory.
The inmates run that asylum.
Winooski is a burb of Burlington. That explains it completely.
I love the Windham Hill Inn, just north of Brattleboro, best B&B on the planet. I just avoid talking to any locals like they have the plague.
Brattleboro is the last bastion of the 1960’s hippies.
Walking through that downtown is like a drive through safari for hippies.
You’d think a state bloodied n the Revolutionary War would know better. Sad, ignorant and hurtful. (Yeah, I know, progressive.) Vermont is for vermin now, I guess.
The old adages of Yankee Common sense mean less and less as you get closer to B-ton.
...yeah well, they don’t get any better as you go through Rutland or Brattleboro...for my money, take Vermont and stick it somewhere that’s hard to find...
...what’s ailing America is summed up quite nicely in this sorry little state and its enclaves of progressives...
There is some hope there but little I see lately... went there a few weeks ago... tons of tattooed people... bars packed at 3pm on a Tues. Just surprised me how so many adults could be in a resturant/bar drinking... I was just trying to find a late lunch/early dinner for the kids and I.
Also saw lots of people that looked just poor and rough...not thriving... took some back roads home...every other house was for sale 10-15 mi out of Burlington area. Coastal Maine was the same way north of Portland.
“”Religions may have whatever dietary restrictions they wish””
Wouldn’t it be great if Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists took up the same cause for foods that are restricted to them? I’d love to see it begin in Seattle over coffee!!!!!
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