Post by gato on Apr 18, 2022 5:30:05 GMT -5
My family members know (or should know) that if there is one person who doesn't want a surprise happy birthday announcement at a restaurant, it is me.
Being surrounded by a gaggle of indifferent waiters, forced to perform the birthday song, complete with hand clapping and presentation of a lopsided one-candle cupcake, is not my idea of a good time. Just like being onstage, where I prefer to dwell in the shadows as the uncelebrated bass player, let my birthday be low key.
But a guy in Kentucky outdid me on the festivities opposition. He got wind of a celebration being planned at work over his objections. When the big happening happened, he put a pin in the party balloon, by retreating to his car to eat lunch alone. It might have ended there, but his managers called him on the carpet for "somber behavior," which resulted in his lashing out, red faced at this chastisement. Three days later he was fired; it was suggested that he was a threat to his co-workers' safety (his reaction to the dressing down he got, even though he apologized for his outburst).
He sued and the jury awarded him $450,000: "... $150,000 in lost wages and benefits and $300,000 for suffering, embarrassment and loss of self-esteem."
I've often wondered about the spontaneous restaurant-birthday events. Are they done to embarrass the target, or to celebrate him? I've watched a number of these things unfold, and seen various reactions from the person on the receiving end: some are pleased, some are uncomfortable, some sit there stony-faced, arms crossed.
How do you feel about these events when you see the drafted waiter posse headed for your table with that lumpy cupcake and party hats?
www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/kentucky-man-lawsuit-panic-attack-birthday-party
Being surrounded by a gaggle of indifferent waiters, forced to perform the birthday song, complete with hand clapping and presentation of a lopsided one-candle cupcake, is not my idea of a good time. Just like being onstage, where I prefer to dwell in the shadows as the uncelebrated bass player, let my birthday be low key.
But a guy in Kentucky outdid me on the festivities opposition. He got wind of a celebration being planned at work over his objections. When the big happening happened, he put a pin in the party balloon, by retreating to his car to eat lunch alone. It might have ended there, but his managers called him on the carpet for "somber behavior," which resulted in his lashing out, red faced at this chastisement. Three days later he was fired; it was suggested that he was a threat to his co-workers' safety (his reaction to the dressing down he got, even though he apologized for his outburst).
He sued and the jury awarded him $450,000: "... $150,000 in lost wages and benefits and $300,000 for suffering, embarrassment and loss of self-esteem."
I've often wondered about the spontaneous restaurant-birthday events. Are they done to embarrass the target, or to celebrate him? I've watched a number of these things unfold, and seen various reactions from the person on the receiving end: some are pleased, some are uncomfortable, some sit there stony-faced, arms crossed.
How do you feel about these events when you see the drafted waiter posse headed for your table with that lumpy cupcake and party hats?
www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/kentucky-man-lawsuit-panic-attack-birthday-party
