HB2 and boycotts - evolving perspectives
PJ1973
Posts: 415
Yes, the issue has been thoroughly discussed, but I wanted to share something that happened with me.
I was in the Hampton line when the Raleigh show was cancelled. Things worked out for me because I went down to Columbia early and ended up with much better seats than I would've had had I gone to Raleigh. Nonetheless, very disappointed about the cancellation. I see both sides of the boycott issue and don't fault the band for the decision they made.
However, last week I went back to work. I'm a Public Defender in Greensboro. One of my clients last week was a 40-ish woman who was in court because she hadn't paid the fines off a shoplifting conviction last year. Other than paying money she had done everything else she was supposed to. She owed several hundred dollars.
The last year had been tough - spouse left, and then she had medical issues involving lupus and was in and out of the hospital. Because of that, she lost the p/t job she had. She did not find work for about 9 months. About two months ago, she got a job at the Greensboro Coliseum, working concessions.
For many of my clients, that's a good job - steady hours and a decent pay rate. But two weeks (or so, my dates may be off), later, Bruce cancelled his show, and then a slew of other bands and events cancelled. So after finding a job, my client had no work, and was therefore not earning money. Back where she started.
Fortunately, the Judge showed mercy and transferred the money to a civil judgment. In theory, no one goes to jail solely because they have no money, but in reality, people go to jail for being broke everyday. I know other judges who would've locked up for the weekend due to not paying the money. Yet here she was, finding a job but not being able to earn anything at it.
She had a fairly blase attitude about it - for her, it was just something else that went wrong that she couldn't control. She's back looking for work. She said something about the 'stupid law,' but no other opinion. For her, political maneuvering in Raleigh might as well be in an another country. All she wanted to do was find a job. She called me today and said someone at the Coliseum set her up with a similar job at a local minor league park.
I totally get how a boycott can help change things. Pressure has to come from somewhere, and loss of big money helps better than most anything. But finding myself looking at a result of the action showed me a different perspective. So I wanted to share.
If you got this far, thanks for reading.
I was in the Hampton line when the Raleigh show was cancelled. Things worked out for me because I went down to Columbia early and ended up with much better seats than I would've had had I gone to Raleigh. Nonetheless, very disappointed about the cancellation. I see both sides of the boycott issue and don't fault the band for the decision they made.
However, last week I went back to work. I'm a Public Defender in Greensboro. One of my clients last week was a 40-ish woman who was in court because she hadn't paid the fines off a shoplifting conviction last year. Other than paying money she had done everything else she was supposed to. She owed several hundred dollars.
The last year had been tough - spouse left, and then she had medical issues involving lupus and was in and out of the hospital. Because of that, she lost the p/t job she had. She did not find work for about 9 months. About two months ago, she got a job at the Greensboro Coliseum, working concessions.
For many of my clients, that's a good job - steady hours and a decent pay rate. But two weeks (or so, my dates may be off), later, Bruce cancelled his show, and then a slew of other bands and events cancelled. So after finding a job, my client had no work, and was therefore not earning money. Back where she started.
Fortunately, the Judge showed mercy and transferred the money to a civil judgment. In theory, no one goes to jail solely because they have no money, but in reality, people go to jail for being broke everyday. I know other judges who would've locked up for the weekend due to not paying the money. Yet here she was, finding a job but not being able to earn anything at it.
She had a fairly blase attitude about it - for her, it was just something else that went wrong that she couldn't control. She's back looking for work. She said something about the 'stupid law,' but no other opinion. For her, political maneuvering in Raleigh might as well be in an another country. All she wanted to do was find a job. She called me today and said someone at the Coliseum set her up with a similar job at a local minor league park.
I totally get how a boycott can help change things. Pressure has to come from somewhere, and loss of big money helps better than most anything. But finding myself looking at a result of the action showed me a different perspective. So I wanted to share.
If you got this far, thanks for reading.
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