It's Not Perfect, But....

By the time it went live, yesterday's post was old news.  I tagged on a quick update before I went to bed, but I woke up thinking about it and then Megan commented and I have to revisit it.

Not the why do you need to bring an assault rifle into a taco joint? issue.  If we have to argue about the propriety of such behavior we are too far apart to agree on much of anything else. I'm not a defeatist, I'm a realist.  

I'm thinking about the meta-issues, those that hover over the facts, providing context and nuance and a window into our world.  

How about the undeniable influence that Moms Demand Action was able to assert?  Chipotle is a feel good, healthy, hot, fast dinner stop for a family shuttling between piano lessons, karate, and t-ball.  It's not the only choice, though, and without that organic, range-free chicken, no GMO's vibe... with, in fact, a decidedly anti-warm-and-fuzzy feeling... when it's linked in Mom's Decider Button to guys with assault weapons.... that's not good for business, it seems.

So, Chipotle asks gun-toting-customers to leave their weapons behind.  They reassure families that a safe experience is in everyone's best interests, and they hope that we come back real soon. And then, they decide that since the issue isn't business-centric, it ought to stay out of their stores.  Really, it belongs in the legislature, not in the burrito line.

And that's where I lose them.  I alluded to it yesterday, and the irritation I felt then has grown into something close to outrage.  Corporations are people; the Supreme Court told me so.  If they are annoyed that the issue has crossed the threshold of their establishments, then let them weigh in, on one side or the other, and make their voices heard.  That's what we do in a representative democracy - we participate.  

Saying that the issue should not be decided in their stores is vaguely un-American to me.  

They were called upon to take a stand, and, perhaps, that made them uncomfortable.  Being put on the spot usually does.  These long gun toting fellows with the goofy facial expressions put them there.  Moms Demand Action didn't ask for a response out of the blue; they were taunted by bullies.

Honestly, does he need to have his finger on the trigger?  Was it really that dangerous in there?  I've seen correspondents on the evening news, reporting from  the Cameroon/Nigeria border, who are less well protected.

But the best way to defeat a bully is to stand up to the bully... not to ask that the fight be taken outside.  Out of sight-Out of mind does not work in the real world any more, because there is no place to hide. With one Share click, entire networks of humans can be similarly appalled.  

And then you're forced to decide - are you on the side of the worshipers of Baal or do you stand with The Lord?  

You decide which is which.  I'm going to sit here and smile. Like it or not, the tide is turning and you, Chipotle, are being swept up in the wave.