Well, it’s that time of year again — Election Season. But does it actually ever end?
You can’t turn on a screen or cruise down the street without catching some politician’s face, rhetorical sound bite, or name plastered on a yard sign. And whether you like it or not, this big polarizing mess has intruded into the workplace.
What channel to turn your lobby TV to? FoxNews obviously turns some people off. MSNBC? Don’t even think about it. CNBC might seem safer, or maybe Bloomberg. Either way, be prepared for complaints.
What about employee chatter around the water cooler that gets all political? If the parties assembled are of the same, well, party, maybe it’s bearable. But what about when banter among coworkers from opposite ends of the spectrum gets a little heated? Most employers want to avoid this scenario like the plague.
Even when an organization’s marketing messages intend an apolitical approach, it can mysteriously get interpreted as being politically charged. The very same word or phrase that’s innocuous to a general audience could get accused of being “right wing” by some recipients or even too “liberal” by others. It’s hard.
The Wall Street Journal featured a few now infamous examples of companies that got sideways in the culture war. Interestingly, it was observed that with either Disney or Bud Light, the controversy that arose was surprising, as the reputation of each was generally positive and ideologically neutral. Compare this to Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, whose hippie founders make very obvious their overly politically charged statements; the difference being that they do so unapologetically.
Back closer to home, most business owners won’t touch politics with a ten-foot pole, terrified of turning off any potential clientele, while a few have no such reservations.
Take for instance, Leigh Lockhart of downtown organic restaurant Main Squeeze Cafe. She and I became acquainted through community radio 89.5FM KOPN, where she hosted the feminist show “World Woman.” Leigh makes no bones about her views of the world. In fact, after the Dodd decision that repealed Roe v Wade, I recall a t-shirt popped up in her store window featuring a cartoon uterus, with one of the ovaries turned into an anthropomorphic hand extending a middle finger — presumably flipping SCOTUS the bird. Tell us how ya really feel.
Or consider local landlord Tom Mendenhall, aka Mr. MAGA of these parts. Not sure how many red hats Tom has, but at least one has custom embroidered on the side “Burn KU” (the latter being a most uncontroversial sentiment). He has untold political signs all over the place, and lots of prominent bumper stickers on the back of his truck, along with a “Burn KU” personalized license plate.
Maybe each of these unashamedly opinionated proprietors lose some customers who are turned off by their potentially polarizing expressions. Maybe others are attracted to birds of a feather.
If some prepper drops into Main Squeeze for a lunch uncontaminated with GMOs and chemicals, I doubt the free-spirit cashier there would refuse them service. Likewise, I bet Tom gladly rents out plenty of downtown apartments to socialist college students.
Yours Truly has balanced this tightrope for many years now. As a humble working stiff, with the trusting kindness of some good bosses over the years, I find it is possible to churn out public opinions, often pointedly critical on substance and philosophy, but avoiding that cancer of personal attacks.
Gosh, how many times have I blasted away at the halls of power one day but was able to grin and smile at the same public official at a Chamber breakfast the next day? If there’s one nugget of wisdom to offer here, it’s, “Try to be nice.”
Steve Spellman is a lifelong Columbia-area resident and political observer.
