LGBTQ-Friendly; What Does That Mean?

I’ve noticed lately a few retail companies and restaurants post a notice they are LGBTQ-friendly. Does that mean they weren’t at one time and now they are? So they’re letting everybody know they are now? Are they now reformed? When did this reformation come about? How can we be sure every vestige of intolerance has been eradicated. What has happened to those former intolerant employees? Have they moved on to a competitor? This only creates too many unanswered questions.

If I were L, G, B, T, or Q it would start me thinking. Why all of a sudden are they so friendly? Have they got something up their sleeves? Are they trying to lure me in only to beat me up or exploit me?

Aren’t these places supposed to be friendly to everybody anyway? The old business motto used to be the customer is always right not the customer is always straight.

So if a place declares itself LGBTQ-friendly, are they unfriendly to “straights?” Just asking. Can a redneck, straight, homophobic guy expect the same level of service as a flaming, transgender, dike lover? Just asking.

No one in US society has ever been more discriminated against than blacks. Have we ever seen a retail company or restaurant proclaim they are “black friendly?” What about “Asian friendly?” What about “Jewish friendly?”

However, in one way, LGBTQ sounds like it’s the kind of place kids or straights ought to shy away from. You know, like those places that say, “Adults Only or Pretty Girls.” I don’t want anybody being “friendly” to me, one of my kids or, grandkids—if you know what I mean. Actually, a waitress, clerk, or stewardess being a little too “friendly” gives me pause for concern.

It’s all that they call virtue signally. It is their way of declaring their moral superiority over Hank’s Muffler Shop, who treats everybody the same except little old ladies who are a little short of cash.

Likely, I have an unusual way of looking at things, just treat everybody good. And I’m a little skeptical of people who feel compelled to proclaim they’re good and morally superior.

Manager Wanted

If we listen carefully to how a person responds to a simple greeting, it tells us a whole lot about that person. An unconsciousness and seemingly innocent response is the window into a person’s psyche; who the person really is—his soul.

For instance, you see an old acquaintance, Joe.

“How ya doin’, Joe?”

“I’m managin’.”

It sounds sort of lame. It almost sounds like Joe ain’t doin’ so good. But scratch below the surface.

That says a lot about Joe; he’s managing. Look around you; 90 % of the people you see from day to day aren’t managing it. They’re overworked, overdrawn, overextended, over mortgaged, overweight, and by the looks of things, over the hill. And they’re underpaid, under stress, underdressed, under-achieved, and under the gun. In other words, they ain’t managing it well but good ole Joe, “I’m managin’.”

Then you see Frank; haven’t seen Frank for about as long as you haven’t seen Joe.

“How ya doin’, Frank?”

“Hangin’ in there.”

It almost sounds like Frank and Joe are walking shoulder to shoulder in some sort of miserable mundane macrocosm of life as we know it today.

Let’s look at Frank’s words a little more closely; “Hangin’ in there?”

Where? Where’s Frank hanging? We know it’s not in a closet, from a streetlight, or from a flagpole; else we wouldn’t be seeing Frank. If he was hanging from a flagpole he could at least say, “Hey, I’m up here, hangin’ in there.” But Frank is lying. No rope, no chain, no hanger, no string, no hook. Frank is unreliable. Maybe he means he’s hanging out—but where? He’s not there. He’s not where he should be hanging. He should be there if he’s “hangin’ in there.” We don’t even know where there is. If it was here, we’d see Frank hanging off something. The least he could do is bring “there” with him, so we’d at least know where he is supposed to be hanging.

If I was hiring, I’d hire Joe before I’d hire Frank any day. At least Joe can manage.