Regularly, there are news articles about how corporations have pulled funding from something for some reason, and usually, it is to be socially responsible – actually it is to keep us from boycotting them. Now when endorsements for a racist disappear, the reason can vary, but honestly, businesses don’t do this to be social responsible. It is in their interests to be viewed in a favorable light and keep us from screaming at them. Some of these decisions can be a knee jerk reaction to get ahead of an issue that is coming down the line, but I have seen small businesses do the same thing but on a smaller scale. The interesting thing about a small business, if you frequent the same ones regularly like I do, you know their personal views on many social issues. Which leads to an interesting juxtaposition of a person’s view point, keeping their kids fed, and the doors open.
The most common one we see, and the owners also see, is the reaction when someone who is homeless enters the establishment. Now, if a major corporation was caught in a scandal involving mistreating a homeless person, they would immediately drop a press release, setup an advertising campaign, and donate to charities because the mob mentality would demand it. However, something different can happen in a small business when the patrons (the people who would jump into a mob) are sitting there and are part of the experience.
The homeless can fit in many sub-categories: mental health issues, down on their luck, or just got out of jail and cannot find a job. Traditionally, and from anecdotal evidence, these people can have a smell or some form of eradicate behavior. So when they arrive in the bar, it isn’t always your eyes that catch them but one thing is definitely happening… the curtain on the Opera has begun to lift, the lights are dimming, and a spotlight draws all our eyes to the one person who could use a hot meal. For most of us, our reaction is simplistic: “what are they doing here?”
This is when the owner of the establishment needs to make a decision. Often, they will approach the individual and ask them if they can help them with something. Neither person in this exchange is stupid and both know the dance has begun. The person in the spotlight will begin stammering off a list of things they need to do, why they are in the shape they are in, and then end with what they need. More than likely, money for food. At this point, most people will argue that they want it for drugs – that can be a fair assessment and I am not here to judge like you are doing. Those that say it is for drugs can also be wrong and the poor soul may actually want to grab a sandwich from a specific restaurant they enjoy. To be fair, the reasons are going to elude us and whatever decision we have made (based on our past experiences and media intake) will be stamped on the individuals forehead (drugs, food, bus fair, some gas for their car, we will choose the real underpinning of why they are there).
While the audience is focused on the main actor, the supporting actor (the owner or worker of the establishment) will be focused on the audience. Their soul is thrown to the wayside and they are handling the situation as amicably as possible in order to satisfy the customers that are in their business. So when three day old sweat hits the nostrils of someone nearby and their face twists into grotesque representation of their internal feelings, it becomes infinitely clear to the worker: time to end the opera as soon as possible. The worker may not want to do this but we demand they do.
Our eyes tell them everything they need to know. The moment we stare and make any changes in our appearance, we have signaled that our experience is being tainted and won’t be coming back – even worse, we may tell people about this transgression. The same people who would be up in arms if McDonalds was known for calling the police on the homeless when they enter their restaurants would be the ones demanding (not with their voices) the removal of the one person who could use a meal. So be socially responsible and don’t make a face, and if you can’t do that then don’t look because the second you look, you have chosen to vote for their removal.