Wear it on your sleeve

A reader of this blog recently complained about the President Bush Days Left in Office counter displayed in the margin. She pointed out that not all cyclists are Democrats, and that we should not mix politics with business. Here is my response:

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts about my blog, and the President Bush counter that you found objectionable.

It is not our intent to alienate anyone. If you enjoyed reading my blog, you may also enjoy a visit to our bike shop. Although you may or may not find any overt political messages there, you will probably have no trouble deciphering where our and our staff's political affiliations lie. We are not a big, corporate, homogeneous outfit. We are a small, family-owned neighborhood store, and, like it or not, we have both personality and opinions.

However, your remarks bring up an important point. We cannot always count on our customers' views being consistent with our own. Our customers often voice or display their political opinions either verbally, or on their bikes and clothes. It's easy enough to treat them fairly when those opinions coincide with ours. We believe we try to be fair and courteous to those individuals whose views differ from ours, but it certainly bears reminding ourselves and our staff that people are entitled to their own views and opinions, and still deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. I would like to assure you, that whatever political beliefs set you and me apart from each other, both my staff and I would do our best to serve your cycling needs should you decide to become a customer.

As a liberal living in a city like Chicago, it is pretty easy to think that the whole world thinks alike. This week, I happen to be traveling in a part of the country where most people probably disagree with my political, social and religious views. Small businesses display their views proudly, and I patronize them, if I find that they offer courteous service. The cabin we rented for a week (from a business, not a private individual) is proudly displaying crucifixes, and an open Bible greeted us when we arrived. The business owners had not asked us if we welcomed these images, or even if we were Christians at all. The cabin is immaculate and the service spectacular. We can embrace or ignore the religious symbols as we choose.

Let me say that I absolutely realize that people from all political parties, religious denominations, nationalities, etc, etc, ride bikes. The counter on my blog says nothing about Republicans in general; only about President Bush. I intend to keep it on my blog, since I strongly disapprove of his government and politics. I personally found the counter to be more a humorous political commentary than a deep political statement. For a more complete view of my beliefs, you may want to click here.

Whether or not you ultimately decide you can patronize our store, I thank you for your comments, and wish you continued success in your cycling pursuits.

With best regards,
--
Justyna Frank
Rapid Transit Cycleshop

Comments

[John]

I like your style.

And of course your politics.

[Justyna]

Thank you.
I'll have to take some time to read through your blog. I'm glad you stopped by.