-RSS Feeds
The Boiled Frog Blog
Boil a frog slowly and it fails to appreciate its own peril.
Subscribe to Comments
Comment RSS Peter Vadala - Martyr for the Faith
Peter Vadala is the latest cause célèbre rattling around the right wing echo chamber. Vadala claims that he was fired from his sales position at Brookstone because of his religious beliefs. If anything, he was fired for abysmal stupidity.
According to Vadala, after a superior repeatedly made comments about her upcoming wedding to another woman, Vadala said "regarding homosexuality, I believe that's bad stuff."
After the fact, someone from human resources tried to resolve the matter. Vadala agreed because the manager might offend customers. Not too bright.
According to Brookstone, Vadala used the word "deviant" with both the manager in question and the Brookstone HR executive. He also referred to "the homosexual lifestyle" and told a co-worker "I hate people like that." Again, not too bright. Urbane this guy is not.
Vadala concedes that, while in training, he viewed a video about sexual orientation diversity — which he also disagreed with. It should have been abundantly clear to him that he was a pork chop at a Kosher wedding. In point of fact, Mr. Vadala would be well advised to avoid the specialty retail industry in its entirety.
Vadala tries to make something out of the manager's repeated statements. He seeks to excuse his behavior because it was only after several comments. He also attempts to mitigate his intolerance with his claim that his comments to the manager were made in private. One wonders how Mr. Vadala would behave if a gay couple came in to register gifts for their upcoming wedding. After repeated comments would he tell them quietly that he did not agree with their "lifestyle?"
My guess is that Mr. Vadala might try to hone his ignorance and homophobia into a hefty legal settlement. "Paging Matt Barber to the red courtesy phone." A representative of Brookstone's human resources department made the following statement:
We do not comment on any specific personnel issues. However I will say that Brookstone is an equal opportunity employer, meaning that we maintain a healthy, safe and productive work environment free from discrimination or harassment based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, or other factors that are unrelated to the Company’s legitimate business interests.
We are proud of our diverse workforce of varying cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.
We are satisfied that a thorough and fair investigation was completed in this case, and we never take the termination of an Associate's employment lightly.
I had the unfortunate experience of actually knowing Peter, and let me tell you that we are not getting the full story about this. I have heard him say some of the most hateful things I've ever heard about gays and lesbians. I am absolutely not suprised that he said he hates people like that. I feel sorry for the co-worker who had to listen to his crap. I applaud her for reporting him. He is being made out to be some kind of martyr and all he is is a hate-filled homophobic bigot.
And for the record, his "religious beliefs" excuse is a load of crap. The Christ that he claims to serve said that we should love everyone.
Human Resource should have gotten BOTH sides of the story. They
didn't. I would have gotten an attorney. I hear plenty of people bashing religion in the movies,
colleges and workplaces, I have yet to see anybody fired or thrown in jail
for it. Google the "Philadelphia 11" and see people arrested and thrown in jail
for protesting a gay pride parade. I love the people that preach tolerance and diversity
and then want to punish everyone who doesn't agree with them.
Now that this story is all over the internet, people will just shop somewhere else.
Brookstone just screwed themselves.
Speaking of getting both sides of the story...
The Philadelphia 11 were not arrested for protesting at a gay pride parade. They were arrested for using a bullhorn to drown out a play at a gay pride parade. Their disruptiveness made the play impossible to hear for everyone in the audience. They were told repeatedly by police to stop interrupting, and when they refused, that's when they were arrested.
Those poor protestors! Gay people just get shot to death at home, school, and streets for being gay =) How lucky of them! And how intolerant of them trying to make it stop!
Can you imagine the uproar if Mr Vadala told his black manager that he thought her upcoming marriage to a white person was "deviant" and "bad stuff?
And for the record, a woman talking about her upcoming marriage and honeymoon is not "pushing a political agenda", or even talking about a "lifestyle". It is talking about one's LIFE. Sad that some people think that talking about such a joyous occassion as getting married must be a political statement.
Let's play the, "swap in some other group" game here.
Let's say this guy's co-worker was a male Christian, and mentioned he was marrying someone who was a Jew. In his mind, Jews are "deviant" and go to hell, so he makes it a point to (instead of ignoring this and moving on) expouse his religious beliefs and tell his co-worker they're a deviant.
Or, how about he's a Sunni Muslim and hears his co-worker is marrying someone of Shia branch of faith... and makes it a point to call them out for being an apostate and a deviant.
Guess what? Neither call-out has ANY business in the workplace. You certainly have constitutional protections to ensure you're free to practice your religion -- but those protections absolutely end where you decide to push them on somebody else. Calling another person's life "deviant", in the workplace, crosses that line -- and this is spelled out clearly in both law and company policy. Your co-workers mention of her upcoming wedding isn't in any way impinging on your religious freedoms. If she said, "you're a fucking dickhead right-wingnut Christian asshat" it would be a different story... as she could be fired for impinging on your right to live your life as you see fit without harassment.
Perhaps, next time, you'll realize that the same protections that have been given to you have been given to others... and you'll respect that boundary. I won't call you a Christian asshat at work if you won't call me a deviant homo. Capiche?
Having an opinion, even a strong one, doesn't cross a line. ("Fighting words" or an actual threat would be an exception but nothing here rises to that). Impolite, sure, and I can't imagine anyone would have a long career anywhere using such tactics, but cause for dismissal? Nope.
And the amount of actual "impinging" that takes place in the two examples you give are exactly the same in both cases: that would be "zero." The only difference is that one is a position you agree with and the other isn't.
Sorry, but this guy deserved to get fired. Most people, when they are getting married, are all about their impending nuptuals. Doesn't mean the gay lady was throwing her gayness in his face. He, on the other hand, doesn't have a right to impose his god on her or anyone else. I hope he learned his lesson.
Homophobia is not a crime.
And that's why he wasn't arrested, just fired for violating store policy.
Homophobia is not a tort.
The letter accused Vadala of "harassment" and described his comments as "inappropriate and unprofessional." Further, the letter charged, he was "imposing" his beliefs upon others.
What do you call what she did?...bringing it up four times?...she's imposing too.
"harassment"..."inappropriate and unprofessional"..."imposing"
they're both wrong!!
“Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.” - John Wayne
Your life must be really hard.
God forbid she bring up her wedding FOUR times! How dare she? Do you know how often and how many times I have to hear about coworkers wedding plans...not to mention office wedding parties? The hypocrisy kills me. Do you not realize how rediculous you sound?
I'm "left of left" and an atheist but nothing makes me want to puke more than seeing how my supposedly more enlightened colleagues on my end of the spectrum turn out to be the biggest oppressors of speech. So two people have two different opinions on something people disagree about in a conversation that has no bearing on the company's business (as in sharing his views with a customer). So what? Agree to disagee and move on. Not to mention it was the superior, the person with power, who is the one who apparently has enough of a problem to get the fellow fired. Harm? What a joke! It is incidental, trivial conduct that is hardly cause for a dismissal. In other stories I've read where Brookstone articulates a "zero tolerance" policy for harrassment. Well, they've invented a legal fiction. I'd love to be this guy's attorney.
What legal fiction? Brookstone have a private store policy against discrimination. They didn't make it a law.
You must be a terrific attorney. I'd love for you to represent this guy.
Yes, legal fiction. Harrassment has to be "severe and/or pervasive" to be actionable. "Zero tolerance," a made up threshold and doesn't cut it. Thanks for playing.
I should add (I'm the same guest as above re zero tolerance) there is also no evidence that the guy "discriminated." He did not hire, or not hire, or engage in some employment practice like promote, someone based on some group the person was in. In fact, he was lower in the organization than the person who got mad about it and had virtually no power to do anything. He got fired for sharing an opinion that was unpopular with someone higher up in the organization. Smart? No. Grounds to be fired? No.
What he did is not harrassment and is not discrimination.
alright, I think Christains are deviants and should not be allowed to marry. I do not support their life choice. The Qu'Ran says christains are infidels and should be killed.
See, not so fun when its your shit being knocked. This guy was fired because he was a bigot. what if he said "Blacks are devaint." He had only worked there for several weeks. If he had said that to a customer, the store most likely would have been sued and lost buisness from boycotts. And if the guy had told me this personally, I would have kicked his ass.
Why would you want to live in a state which endorses same sex marriage?
Seems like that is asking for trouble. The deck is stacked against you.
These people do not care about what's right or wrong. Time to move
to higher ground!
Sounds to me like it's a state that cares more about right and wrong than mindless religious dogma! As a minority, I am less likely to be lynched in such a state. As a Christian, I /know/ what Jesus thought about mindless religious dogma... and what the pharisees thought of it.
If Jesus was alive today, Christians would be the ones to nail him to the cross.
He deserves to be fired. it's completely unprofessional, and frankly, immature that Mr. Vadala felt it necessary to comment on a co-workers lifestyle; gay, straight, or otherwise.
His self-righteous proclamation that "I felt God wanted me to express how I felt about the matter" regarding her homosexuality is both grandiose, and patronizing. We all have to deal with co-workers who don't share our belief system. Having equal protection under the law ensures Mr. Vadala from someone else condemning his views at the water cooler.
His job was to sell headphones and neck pillows. If he would have stuck to that, he'd still be employed.
well, yes and further to, , ,
i don't think the guy was fired for opposing gays.
consider if i had heard that so and so was getting married
and i thought they were incredibly unattractive and degenerate
and expressed the opinion, " I really think that unattractive
people really should be sterilized."
do you think i would have been fired?
wasn't he really fired for being closed minded and hateful and disrespectful of her "religious" or freedom from religion beliefs and more important, rights?
could not any hetrosexual have brought up her marriage potentental
on the job site? who would take into consideration that it might offend someone?
how dare you be excited about your marriage!
would he not have likely been fired if he had said he was
offended by her repeatedly bringing up her marriage to a man or an orange?
Peter, good for you to say what EVERYONE is thinking. This gay/lesbian crap has gotten way out of control. It is long over due for Christians to stand up and put this diviant CHOSEN lifestyle out to pasture. Otherwise, what would be next,, marrying your pet dog or pig ?
I live in Maine where we just DEFEATED the gay marriage,,,, Massachusetts, your next !
LET THE PEOPLE VOTE !
Remember, racial segregation was also very popular... and supported by the Bible.
You call yourselves Christians? Christ taught us to love each other. Judging from his actions in the Bible, do you think he'd be making it his business to stop people who love each other from getting married, or condemning "Christians" like you for hating their neighbors?
You talk about "what would be next," I wonder... How about banning marriage for people with the "wrong" religion? Wrong denomination? Banning marriage altogether? Oh wait, that's already happened in Texas... I guess we can see exactly which side is getting out of control :)
"Chosen lifestyle"?
Who sends out "missionaries" to other nations for the purposes of recruting?
Who has people standing outside schools handing out their "bibles"?
Who shows up uninvited at your door asking you to join them?
Hint--it isn't gay people.
"The state of Massachusetts". Massachusetts is not a state. It is a Commonwealth.
So we only have 49 states.... moron... it is recognized as a state, even if it is incorporated as a commonwealth.
It is not a state. It is one of 4 Commonwealths. It is not "recognized as a state". Referring to it as such is incorrect, genius.
It is a state, just do a little research, perhaps at mass.gov. I'm not sure why you think a commonwealth can't be a state? The "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" is simply the official name of the state.
Just pointing out to y'all, how hateful both sides can sound.
Both sides need to be sensitive to the other, not forcing either viewpoint on to the other side.
Doesn't matter what I believe or how I choose to live my life. What matters is how we treat each other.
That is the bottom line in this conflict, neither side is showing any sensitivity to the other.
She didn't force anything on anybody. She merely mentioned she was getting married, as anybody might, and as millions of people do across the nation every day. He was the one that went on a rampage once he learned that she was getting married to a woman instead a man.
If bigots can't handle the fact that LGBT people exsist that's their problem. We've spent centuries hiding who we are just to keep hateful idiots happy. We've spent centuries worrying that we could be fired, harassed, driven out of town or even killed if someone suspected or discovered we were gay. It's high time we stopped having to do so just because some people have sticks up their backsides over who we are.
He didn't force anything on anybody. He merely mentioned he didn't agree with the lifestyle, as anybody might, and as millions of people do across the nation every day. She was the one that went on a rampage once she learned that he didn't approve.
If bigots can't handle the fact that christian people exsist that's their problem. We've spent centuries doing as God commands, enjoying His blessings and providence. We've spent centuries applying God's laws to our lives even when persecuted in England for our beliefs. It's high time we stopped having to do so just because some people have sticks up their backsides over who we are.
Nobody went up to Peter and told him that Christians are "deviants" and that he had to stop being one. And you know, if Peter couldn't handle his manager being happy about her upcoming marriage, that's /his/ problem and he should've kept it to himself. He was perfectly free to follow his understanding of God's law - nobody was forcing him to marry a man, and nobody was telling him how disgusting he was for being straight. If he was happily talking about a family member's baptism, and someone told him "it's bad stuff", that would be reprehensible. But as the facts are, he's the one who harassed his boss without provocation.
I'm sorry but do I read that correctly?
Are you saying it's "high time we stopped having to" do "as God commands"? Or is it "high time we stopped having to" apply "God's laws to our lives"?
It doesn't matter if you are a Christian or not regarding your views on marriage. I personally believe marriage is between a woman and a man. Does that make me a bad person? No. Does that make me better than any one else? No. Do I think I'm better than someone else? No. Do I think my views are just as important as someone who is gay? Yes. This is a free country. We, straight and gays, all have the right to believe in what we want. It seems to me that every time anyone says they think marriage should be between a man & woman, that person is blasted. The Gays & celebrities everywhere rise up to attack that persons character. Look what happened to the beauty queen and the other queen, that Perez person. She was crucified. All because she stood up for what she believed. I personally think Perez is a creep. Always have, even before this incident. My uncle is a married gay man. I love my uncle and his husband very much. I have gay friends that are great people. But I still think marriage should be between a man & a woman. It seems to me that we have listened to the gays for years talk about gay rights and what they believe. Everyone else has tried not to step on their toes, to respect their desire to live the way they want to. But when someone finally gets bold and steps up to talk about what they believe, they are blasted. This young man should not have been fired. If the individual continually brought up the subject, then they had to expect some sort of response, that may not be what they wanted to hear. I'm sure this young man did not want to hear about gay marriage, repeatedly. I'm glad he spoke up! He had every right to! Regrettably, it cost him his job. We don't have a Brookstone around here, so I don't need to threaten not to shop there. But I will remember how unfairly this young man was treated, in the future, when I hear the store name Brookstone.
I am christian as well and I am not against same sex marrige. Last I check america was the land of the free. I believe he had all right to get fired. Just cause your a christian doesn't mean you have to go over board about it. This is the the 21st centery and I believe that people still have some growing up to do no matter what your age is, This centery is the centery of change, this change is for the better.
I am a bisexural woman and still christian. No one has told me my way is evil or wrong. Plus christians are the people who normally forgive and forget so get over the fact that gay marriage is legal and go on with your life. Not like it had any real relation to anyone that he knew.
The lesbian is free to believe as she wishes about whomever she wishes. However she's not free to behave as she wishes wherever she wishes. Some homosexual individuals believe their "perversion" should give them an exemption to the rules, regulations and laws others have to obey. They think they should be able to do whatever they want and just use their "homosexuality" as a means of avoiding any repercussions. To some extent it has worked (baiting christians in the workplace and then filing complaints). But every so often intelligent, fair-minded voters says "No" to these whiny, egotistical brats and tells them they have to follow the rules just like everyone else.
What rule did she break? I won't be holding my breath waiting for your answer.
Since when is "baiting Christians," unknowingly saying "I'm getting married?" How ignorant this boy is to assume that the person she's marrying is a he? At best, he's making an assumption, at worst, he's a bigot thinking it should allow him 15 minutes of fame to advocate his bigotry. It's clear he was fired for spewing inflammatory bigoted remarks in the workplace. Talk about egotistical! You should be able to speak openly about your relationship but someone else who does is "baiting" someone else? Unbelievable.
What's "Unbelievable" is how you think it's appropriate to be spouting off about ANY personal matters at work. He has the right to his belief as much as shoe does... NEITHER outweights the other. What's "unbelievable" is that you call people that do not share the your point of view "egotistical" and "ignorant" when YOU are the ULTIMATE egotist for believing YOU have the right to make OTHERS uncomfortable and hide behind a lifestyle to do it. Now that's "Unbelievable." The bottom line is that the "WORKPLACE" is just that... a place of WORK. No one should be touting their lifestyle at work... IT'S WHOLLY UNPROFESSIONAL!
BOTH OF THESE PEOPLE WERE IN THE WRONG!
It is perfectly acceptable to speak of your marriage while making small talk with your coworkers, so long as you weren't letting it get in the way of work (which I honestly doubt it was). Sharing personal news in moderation with your coworkers helps build rapport, and creates a positive work environment.
Telling your coworker that she's a deviant and that her marriage is "bad stuff", however, spreads malice and discontent, which creates a negative work environment. The same would be true if Peter was told that he is a deviant for wanting to marry a woman, and that a straight marriage is "bad stuff".
They were not both in the wrong. And don't pretend as if "professionalism" is what you're really worried about. You just can't think of any other way to make "being happy about getting married" sound worse than it is.
Homosexual behavior is deviant and my family will not purchase from Brookstone again.
A. Judson Bailiff
That's okay, I will be doing ALL my Holiday shopping at Brookstone this year. Check out American "Family" Association's Pepsi Boycott - see how well they did with that. Stock went up with each passing year of the boycott. Good luck with that.
The sheer chutzpah from some in the Born Again/Uber-Christian community is amazing. Rather than keep their narrow-minded comments to themselves, they feel they MUST share them with the world, as if only THEIR opinions are valid and THEIR lives are worth anything.
The time is coming, boys and girls, when these clowns will feel the wrath of an outraged community and hurt them as much as they have hurt us. Trust me...it IS coming.
The sheer chutzpah from some in the sodomites community is amazing. Rather than keep their narrow-minded comments to themselves, they feel they MUST share them with the world, as if only THEIR opinions are valid and THEIR lives are worth anything.
The time is coming, boys and girls, when these clowns will feel the wrath of an outraged God and hurt them as much as they have hurt us. Trust me...it IS coming.
It sure is. All the clowns who think they're serving God by oppressing their neighbors, spreading hate and lies, they will feel God's judgment on them. Remember Matthew 7:21-23? Here it is in case you haven't opened your Bible in a while :)
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
I wonder who He could be talking about...
Too bad we cannot screen out these zealots before they cause harm in the workplace.
I still do not understand what comments like this spoken to the victim are supposed to do - change her mind and make her 'repent' or agree with him?
That's how it's typically worked in the past. They run around screaming about how we're evil, perverted abominations who need to "repent", yadda yadda yadda. They keep it up until we either succumb and join them (hiding who we are in the process) or leave. Either way they won. They're now playing the "persecution" card because more of us are standing up to them and telling them to cut it out and leave us alone. We're refusing to succumb to the bullying so they're "persecuted". What a crock.
Post new comment