I've been hearing people mockingly say, 'Get woke, go broke' fairly often lately. This guy, though, really might. It's one thing to refuse to serve a prominent member of the Trump administration at a restaurant in DC, or in New York City. Lexington, Virginia, is not the right town for that.
It's been purged from the English-language Wikipedia article, but if you check the German-language one it still refers to Lexington as "The Shrine of the South." This is the site of Robert E. Lee's grave in the chapel named after him, at the University named after him, where also is the grave of his horse, Traveller. Stonewall Jackson was born here, and Sam Houston nearby. Currently it is the site of the Virginia Military Institute, producer of the kind of hardcore second lieutenants that come out of these Southern military academies -- the Citadel in Charleston, SC, produces their like as well. It seems like every other highway in the surrounding countryside is called "Lee Highway." Confederate flags abound.
There's a reasonable argument for freedom of association allowing a business owner to refuse to serve guests of whom he morally disapproves. There's a countering argument, also reasonable, that public accommodations should not discriminate for moral reasons to include religious beliefs. Those discussions are worthy and interesting, but here I'm merely struck by the practicalities of this decision. It's not like you can up and move your cozy bed-and-breakfast to another town, the way you could close a franchise of a chain. There's an irreplaceable investment that's been made in a particular location, which has a particular environment around it. People don't come to Lexington, VA, on tour because they are interested in woke politics. They come to see their kids at VMI or Washington & Lee -- both on the list of "Most Conservative Colleges in Virginia" -- or to tour the shrines of the South.
I guess he deserves some respect for having the courage of his convictions. If you're willing to pay the freight, you can do what you want.
Whoa, that is one annoyed Facebook page comment section.
ReplyDeleteYou posted that hilarious "Woke" Tracey Ullman skit, which led me to another that's pertinent here: https://youtu.be/kkUOwBCt_0g (therapy for people who've just realized that not everyone agrees with them).
Is that Tracey Ullman? I hadn’t thought of her on a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt is! I didn't recognize her in your "Woke" video at all, until the very end, when it started to route me to her next one. I've caught a dozen more this afternoon. She does a bulls-eye on Angela Merkel, Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, and Camilla Parker-Bowles. I didn't realize she'd started her show back up. There was one about Merkel practicing how not to roll her eyes at stupid statements that had me falling out of my chair.
ReplyDeleteBeing made to play by your own rules can make you think.
ReplyDeleteLexington city voted ~2:1 for Hillary, while Rockridge County voted ~2:1 for Trump. Which gives me the impression the restaurant won't lose much business. I may be traveling through Lexington in several weeks. If I do, I will make a point of patronizing a restaurant in Lexington, and visiting the Red Hen to show them my restaurant receipt, while pointing out to Red Hen management that their political stance caused me to patronize another business.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of the Red Hen is a cousin of Meryl Streep.
I was through there about a week ago myself. If you’re looking for a refreshing stop on a hot day, the Southern Inn serves their ice water with twists of mint in it. It’s close to the Stonewall Jackson house. Fancier than I usually aspire to, but it’s a town with a kind of gentility.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right, Gringo, but restauranteuring is a particularly hard path to tread- low margins, susceptible to economic instability (dining out is usually first to get cut from the budget), labor costs... What is it, almost a quarter of restaurants fail in the first year, I think it is. I wouldn't want to cut myself off from at least a third of the local populous if I had a restaurant.
ReplyDelete