Small things, big conversations matter

A column written by assistant editor Paul Davis got the attention of quite a few of our readers last weekend.

When I first read the piece, I took it for what it was intended to be — A lighthearted attempt at saying small things matter.

But several of the comments shared on social media and our website had a different perspective. Some were along this theme, “It’s easy to criticize these workers when you’re not working those jobs. I’m sorry to hear that extra wait time and no napkins with your food is such an inconvenience for you that you decided it was necessary to write an article about it.”

When I first saw the comments, I wondered if those posting had read the full article or if they were familiar with Paul’s other work.

His Saturday column shared, “I understand everyone is short-handed, but even those who do have the courage to show up still should be able to provide good customer service (yes, there certainly are some great examples of that around).”

At the end of November, he also wrote a column “Thank you for keeping the wheels turning,” in which he recognized the hard work it takes to keep our world running.

“Thank you to those who show up to work every day, whether you’re a fast-food cook or server, truck driver, mailman, retail employee, teacher, public servant or whatever,” Paul said in opening his column. “Thank you for keeping the world around us going, despite tough odds.”

He acknowledged the difficult time workers have, being short-staffed, short-supplied and in a seemingly constant state of upheaval the last couple of years.

In the recent column, he raised the question of small, perhaps seemingly inconsequential, issues that can make everyone’s experiences a little better.

When I read comments like, “It’s obvious you are seeking a low level of readership. You need to apologize to our local business owners,” I also wondered if some of those folks posting were the type who wanted their comments to be as polarizing as possible — I’m related to a few people myself who have that bad habit.

That said, I want to take a few minutes to respond to a couple of things. I’m not doing this to add fuel to the fire but because, as we’ve said before, building trust means explaining our decisions.

Small topics can lead to big conversations. Shared experiences can spark more understanding between people who thought they had nothing in common.

Something as simple as a jokingly written, where are the napkins, may seem trivial in the grand scheme of the world’s problems — something Paul tried to point out — but it certainly started a conversation about the frustrations both customers and business owners feel.

I would be very surprised (and incredibly disbelieving) if everyone — even those who commented against the piece — hasn’t felt even once some of the same frustrations that Paul talked about. And had shared those frustrations themselves.

We also had a comment from a business owner that brought up another important aspect of the conversation.

“I totally agree with you, Paul. But this is also a two-way street. As a person running a business dealing with consumers, I can tell you that many more customers today get really upset over things that did not use to tic them off,” the individual wrote.

The person went on to say, “I agree with you, bad attitudes should not come into play, but they are in play on both sides of this equation. Bad government policies have exacerbated what was already a big problem by paying people who may not have been highly motivated to work in the first place.”

Would anyone disagree that businesses need to hear from customers? Would you disagree that customers need to hear from business owners?

It doesn’t hurt to have a conversation, especially if everyone agrees to be respectful, no matter which side of the debate they’re on.

Paul started a conversation. He hoped to get a laugh. Some folks agreed with him. Others didn’t. That’s pretty much the nature of our business.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read his column, and this one, and consider the world’s big, and not so big, problems with us (even if you disagree with us).

Donna Farley is the editor of the Daily American Republic. She can be reached at dfarley.dar@gmail.com.