Dear John...

Now that I have your attention allow me to explain.

There’s a farewell letter I’ve wanted to write for awhile now but I couldn’t get the point sharp in my head. Okay. That’s not exactly true. I know the point I just dread expressing my opinion on this because, yet again, it will leave me swimming against the tide of public opinion.

But I’m used to that so here goes anyway.

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Dear Merchant, CEO, Business Owner, Actor, Performer or Athlete,

I don’t care what your personal affiliations are, your religion, politics or sexual preference and neither do I need to know. Those particular choices belong to you. I have mine too and while they may or may not align with yours, the only forum I have to broadcast them is this blog. But there isn’t going to be 24/7 coverage and discussion ad nauseam about this post though so the playing field is not quite level.  Therefore, while your opinions, and ‘causes’ are, by default in a free society, no more righteous than mine, your advantages for getting your banner seen are somewhat unfair.

But since ‘fair‘ is one of those vague, ambiguous words, like ‘love’ and ‘hate’ and ‘right‘ and ‘wrong’, which all depend on point of view to define, I won’t go down that slippery road. Further, I refuse to stoop to use straw man arguments, the kind that attempt to blur the rules of engagement in a debate.

Instead, I’ll just cut to the chase. 

All I expect from someone who designs, manufactures and/or sells a product, whether it’s physical or conceptual, whether an item, a consumable, or event, is for that product to be the best you can produce and sold for the most competitive price. That’s it. That’s all I need from you.

If you are determined to use your position, your product, your large and visible forum, to preach to me, to guilt me, to demand that I see your opinion, your righteousness, I have no choice to rebut or step up to defend my position, if I don’t agree with you, other than to withdraw my hard-earned money from supporting you or what you do to make a living. Turns out I don’t have to watch TV or movies, attend sports events or shop where your operational policies put me at risk or accuse me of being out of touch with modernity.  

While I agree you have the right to do as you please with your business, I also have the right to spend my money elsewhere or, not spend it at all. 

I will always defend the amendment that declares everyone has a right to their opinion, and can express it freely. However, I don’t have to be forced to hear or see a sermon, or demonstration, whether based on religion or politics - or social meme du jour - before I get to use or see what I paid for. My only option is that, so far, I can choose to say no. I might even miss buying what you are selling but since I don’t have the same forum(s) you have, if I truly believe in my right to have an opinion, the only way I can stand up is to stand away.

While there have always been differences of opinion even in a civil society, once upon a time, when things were not so crazy, there was a truce zone where we could agree to disagree. But in this age of self-righteousness rising up to becoming a god in itself, what is good, and right has been redefined and along with this subtle substitution it demands, sometimes with force, that there can be no opposition. 

You might not see it now but, from my perspective, that is not a good sign, in a freedom of the individual based society.

For Him,

Meema