‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sticker is a headache for American Airlines, but it invited the flak
How long until big companies learn that dipping into politics is a no-win proposition in a 50-50 nation?
Fort Worth-based American Airlines is in the spotlight again. A passenger complained to the airline on Twitter that a pilot had a “Let’s Go Brandon” sticker on his suitcase. The phrase has become a Republican slogan as a stand-in for “[Expletive] Joe Biden.”
American assured the passenger that it took the incident “very seriously” and promised an “appropriate internal review.” That prompted others to scold American for threatening to punish a political opinion, noting the airline had allowed staff to wear “Black Lives Matter” pins.
Count the red flags: Howling outrage over a minor infraction. Social media self-righteousness. Corporate groveling. Backlash to the outrage.
The business world has brought this on itself. By taking sides on hotly debated issues such as law enforcement, voting procedures and race relations, companies opened the door for employees to test the boundaries.
Ideally, no one serving the public should be spreading their political messages (or religious and social ones, for that matter) on company time. But policies to prevent it had better be evenly enforced. No politics should mean no politics. When you elevate certain stances over others, you invite trouble.
Alternatively, we could all chill the heck out when we see a political message we disagree with.
“Let’s Go Brandon” is crass, but it’s harmless.
And if, like the overly sensitive woman who started this mess, you’re amped up enough on politics to take a goofy slogan on a sticker that seriously, ask your flight attendant for a stiff drink.
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This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 5:02 AM.
