Today’s lesson in not being a curmudgeonly dickhead comes to us courtesy of Dunedin, Florida, where 12-year-old T.J. Guerrero, an enterprising lad who runs his own lemonade stand, has won a victory over the forces of darkness that hoped to teach him a lesson about the over-regulated nanny state by shutting him down forever. Ha, we’re kidding. The forces of darkness was really one force, an older guy who just didn’t like the kid and his friends and their skateboards and their saggy pants and hippy-hop music or whatnot. Also, clouds.
The kid's been selling lemonade for two years and has apparently been quite successful at it. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that he knows what he is doing when he makes his product. If he was sickening people up and down the street with contaminated drinks, Mr. Wilkey wouldn't have been the only person to go after him. Twelve year olds understand the principles and practices of basic sanitation; it isn't an advanced topic. At home they eat off of clean plates using clean utensils and know that they have to wash their hands before they put something into their mouths. And they know the reasons for all of it. We're not talking about a toddler here.
The other point I made above was that this kid has showed up at his stand day after day for two years and is well known in his neighborhood. By so doing he has identified himself with his product and made himself <i>accountable</i>. If there had been problems his customers would know where to go to find him and hold him responsible. In contrast to your nightmare scenario, T.J. has not operated an anonymous and ephemeral fly-by-night business. The reason that he has been successful is because his customer base recognizes this. He didn&#039;t build up his business via dishonest means such as misrepresentation or spamming, but by good old word of mouth. And in contrast to your exaggerated pessimism, the public actually is able to practice <i>caveat emptor</i> when they encounter sidewalk vendors. They very quickly figure out who is and who isn&#039;t trustworthy.
when I first read about this last week, I actually had a smidgen of sympathy for Wilkey when he complained about the stand being a daily thing for two years- right up to the point where he clarified that the &quot;excessive traffic&quot; was about 20-30 sales a day, tops.
Today it&#039;s lemonade stands. Tomorrow it&#039;s Skitlles and iced tea. Mr. Wilkey is just being proactive in being loathsome towards the yoot.
Dude. Lemonade. Citric acid.
Cupcakes, you have a point. But this was lemonade.
You could have a future in right-wing PR. *KIDDING* Well done, though.
The kid&#039;s been selling lemonade for two years and has apparently been quite successful at it. I&#039;m gonna go out on a limb and say that he knows what he is doing when he makes his product. If he was sickening people up and down the street with contaminated drinks, Mr. Wilkey wouldn&#039;t have been the only person to go after him. Twelve year olds understand the principles and practices of basic sanitation; it isn&#039;t an advanced topic. At home they eat off of clean plates using clean utensils and know that they have to wash their hands before they put something into their mouths. And they know the reasons for all of it. We&#039;re not talking about a toddler here.
The other point I made above was that this kid has showed up at his stand day after day for two years and is well known in his neighborhood. By so doing he has identified himself with his product and made himself <i>accountable</i>. If there had been problems his customers would know where to go to find him and hold him responsible. In contrast to your nightmare scenario, T.J. has not operated an anonymous and ephemeral fly-by-night business. The reason that he has been successful is because his customer base recognizes this. He didn&#039;t build up his business via dishonest means such as misrepresentation or spamming, but by good old word of mouth. And in contrast to your exaggerated pessimism, the public actually is able to practice <i>caveat emptor</i> when they encounter sidewalk vendors. They very quickly figure out who is and who isn&#039;t trustworthy.
I wonder how Fux and Friends handled this? On the one hand- all hail the free market in action! On the other hand- Guerrero sounds awfully Messican...
Dagnabbit, get off my lawn!
when I first read about this last week, I actually had a smidgen of sympathy for Wilkey when he complained about the stand being a daily thing for two years- right up to the point where he clarified that the &quot;excessive traffic&quot; was about 20-30 sales a day, tops.
It&#039;s hard to see a left or right aspect to this story. The guy&#039;s just an angry old douche bag.
I can emphathize.
The kids across the street are selling apples, but I rent, so what do I care about property values?
Today it&#039;s lemonade stands. Tomorrow it&#039;s Skitlles and iced tea. Mr. Wilkey is just being proactive in being loathsome towards the yoot.
So the lesson is, if life hands you lemonade, drink it and shut up.
Know what you do when life hands you lemons, Wilkey?
The whut?