Enemy of the State

The freedom we have to believe what we want to believe in is one of the most important things in life. The ability we have to speak our minds is one of the most important things in life. The option to stand up for something is one of the most important things in life. It is our duty as protectors of democracy, children of the constitution, and champions for civil rights and liberties that we do so. Actions speak louder than words. And last night, I decided to act.
As many people who know me personally (and I’m sure some who don’t know me personally) I will always stand up for what I believe in. I will always encourage people to speak their mind. I will never sit back and allow discrimination, injustice, or intolerance of any kind. And believe you me, if ever an act of discrimination, injustice, or intolerance of any kind was done unto me, I would not sit back and take it. I have been wearing a Barack Obama pin for about two months now, typically daily. Today was the last day I was able to wear it at work.
I was informed that it (and “it,” didn’t refer to my pin specifically, but all political attire in general) had caused some problems and made some Wells Fargo employees uncomfortable and offended. Granted, I was a bit taken aback when I had heard this because I haven’t spoken a word of politics at work and half the time I wear a jacket because our office runs a cool 60 degrees. A supervisor instructed me about this in a friendly manner because she didn’t want me to get in trouble and was trying to look out for me. I told her that I would not remove it, and she should pretend she never told me in order to protect herself and that if I were even to consider removing my pin, I would need to see it in writing directly from the Wells Fargo handbook.
To make a long story short, my direct supervisor provided me with the information where the political pin would be “covered.” And by “covered” I mean, umbrella-ed to include anything that could fall under “solicitation.” To make a long story that was supposed to be short even longer, my sweet as candy supervisor took time to explain what had been told to her and then offered me to speak to the managers on duty at the time. I took her up on that request in order to further clarify.
I spent over an hour talking to our two center managers and my supervisor going over the definition of “solicitation,” the possibilities of a slippery slope, individuals’ rights, employee uniforms, the concept of offending someone, and various examples of how one might be offended by someone wearing NIKE shoes (by wearing them, you could be endorsing them, and if they practiced child labor, that could be considered an endorsement of such practices) or the Beijing Olympics (by wearing an Olympic shirt, you’re saying it was okay to hold an event in a country that has human rights violations) to having a celebrity picture on your desk and someone being offended by how many marriages that person has had, you get my point. It came down to creating a positive and uncomfortable working environment for everyone and if someone is offended, it needs to be viewed as a case by case basis in order to deem what qualifies as offensive. Whether or not I wore the pin to endorse Obama, or because the pin was pretty, or because I had a stain on my shirt and needed to cover it up, the message behind my wearing such a pin is that I am endorsing a political candidate, and someone might be offended by my choice of candidate.
The managers were more than nice, and more than happy to go over the policy and explain in detail (oh and believe you me, I made sure they did) the semantics and wording behind the company of “solicitation.” After our meeting, I chose to leave work. I chose not to complete my shift because I did not want to take off my button. And this isn’t an Obama thing, or a Democratic thing, or a liberal thing. It comes down to being a freedom thing. I have the right to wear what I want as long as there is no blatant offensive language to someone. I would never choose to intentionally offend someone, but if we constantly try not to offend people, we wouldn’t be able to leave the house. Someone could be offended by the company hiring someone like me, or by the car you drive, or by what you chose to write your dissertation on, or by your decision to not get married.
I had the option to remove my button, or leave work. I chose the latter. I am going back on Saturday, but I felt it was important for me not to let someone’s inability to accept, or respect, someone else’s beliefs trump that. If someone wants to wear a McCain button, that’s wonderful. If someone wants to wear a Toyota shirt, that’s great, if someone wants to wear a “Kiss me I’m Irish” patch, even better. As I sit here, staring at my political donation receipt, I am reminded of why I did what I did. This may be a small action done by only one person. Some may think it is lame what I did, or trivial or flat out stupid. But actions speak louder than words and today I made a choice. And I figured, by choosing to say a thousand words, well that send a bigger message, than the four worded, “I’ll take it off.”