5 min readMay 7, 2018

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PANNONE’S

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‘To Be a Patron…Is to Pay’

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Incidents

Set

Years Apart

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April 2018

“Political correctness is an adjustment of the truth.

With the objective of an appeasement to the rigors of fact.“

-Julius D. Thomas

A stir caused by the lawful arrest of two folks at a neighborhood Starbucks store. Riveted the attention of an American population. A population that is, at once, obsessed with offering broad latitude in judging its fellow, based on personal appearance.

All. While, its socially sensitive citizen-membership continues to inartfully grapple. With what are, pains of confusion and conflict born of: instinct.

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For. The energy regularly expended in the name of sustaining a high degree of political correctness. Needs to employ a flawed logic in order to succeed.

Political correctness is a modification of correctness, and any modification of correctness. By its very act: needs to be a…lessening of correctness. Political correctness is an adjustment of the truth with the objective of an appeasement to the rigors of fact.

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The Media and Instinct

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While. Supported by a modern media whose means of cultivating information is capable of harvesting and broadcasting endless data, literally, at the speed-of-light. Better judgment, whose speed is woefully hobbled by the static pace of normal, human thought; lags pitifully behind…

In the frenetic race for the all-too abbreviated attention span. Of a constantly wandering, factoid ravenous, fickle and fidgety, digital-device obsessed population.

In other words, better judgment is virtually incapable of catching up. With the lightening speed of, ever churning. News.

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So. To the shock and horror of those whose entire lives could exist comfortably within the world of a single Starbucks store: two, non-patrons who were using the rooms of that business to “wait” without being customers, were, actually: asked to leave.

Plainly. The presence of non-paying customers, to the actual or even potential discomfort or physical exclusion of paying-customers, plainly interfered with, what, to date, is the supremely imitable business plan. Of one of the most unlikely, yet nonetheless, globally successful, mega-businesses ever developed.

Starbucks sells coffee. If: Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. Starbucks succumbs to the considerable gravity of…failure.

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Separated

Time

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The Refinements of Western Culture

Are

Educable

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“Racism is more often a matter of culture than it is a matter of color.”

-Timothy Brown

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Unfortunately. With the torrential stream of information that washes the average, digitally receptive, American. We are luxuriantly bathed with every sort of image.

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Unfortunately. With the never-ending, daily news comes a constant barrage of images depicting strife and mayhem and misfortune. The news offers to each of us: an, often, voyeuristic admission. Into the lives of those who are less fortunate and who are, by all accounts, clearly left behind, every time that the shiny, steamlined train, which represents the modern, “American Dream”; metaphorically ‘departs the station’ on its daily course.

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Unfortunately. So much of the imagery that assaults us, depicts the plight of unfortunates who are: people of color.

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Unfortunately. All too often, the media ensconces the consciences of a, gullible citizenry. With a near incontrovertible premise that so much of the discord portrayed either is caused by these folks or, eventually finds these folks.

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Unfortunately. With the lightening speed of imagery transmission and the lagging pace of mental contemplation, the media maintains the convenient upper hand. As it intentionally or unintentionally, crafts the result: these folks are bad actors…

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Unfortunately. This might not be true. Yet. We are all slave to the might of the media. Our conscious andsubconscious are molded to accept endless “pitches”. Such that the business-plan of the media itself: will succeed. After all…the media is its own self-fulfilling prophecy.

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Unfortunately. Our subliminal existence is largely fashioned by what we see. For the most part, what we see, as news, is what the media introduces to us. We buy into it; we actually sometimes, buy it…

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Unfortunately. We eventually subconsciously learn what to embrace as…good.

Images and the media largely control us.

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Unfortunately. We eventually subconsciously learn what to be wary of as being…bad. Images and the media largely control us.

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Unfortunately. With the onslaught: comes implicit bias. Bias: in, favor. Bias: against.

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Separated

Culture

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‘No Free Lunch’

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‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’

Milton Friedman

(Attributed)

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April 1968

The next to the last thing on the mind of a storeowner was that the two folks who had come into his store would enter, stay, and eventually leave without making a purchase. After all: to patronize is to purchase.

The last thing on Mr. Pannone’s mind that day was that the two men would leave his store before they could even be asked what purchase they would care to make. They were taken from the premises, by authorities, however. No purchase made at all.

No apology was expected. No apology was given. No apology was needed.

The two men, willing and expectant patrons; were…dead. They had been shot.

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The Moral

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‘Buy something. Or. Leave before the trouble starts.’

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