BreakTheChain.org
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Express(ion) LanesDate Added: June 7, 2004
Everyone wants to know if this tale about an Iraqi woman who gets rebuffed in an American grocery store for an unpatriotic comment is true. Unfortunately, the author chose to provide very little information that can be used to validate it. As some of you may know, one of my son serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in California He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them also. But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the USflag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly, "yes, I always wear it." The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi. A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman: "Lady hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that you could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing your Countrymen It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR OWN country we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly I'll gladly pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess you are obviously here to avoid." In the summer of 2007, this chain was adapted to appeal to a Canadian audience, but retained the basic tone and theme. This is not my son, but was forwarded to me and is so true one of my sons serves in the military, he is stationed in Ontario, Canada. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him and his troops everywhere they go. telling me how people shake their hands and thank them for being willing to serve and fight, not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them too. Then he told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that several people were in the line ahead of him, including a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when she got to the cashier, she made a loud remark about the Canadian Flag, lapel pin, the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, "Yes, I always wear it proudly, because I'm a Canadian." The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi. Then, a Gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman: Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq , so you can Straighten out the mess in YOUR country, that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid." Tales of unappreciative foreigners getting their comeuppance at the hands of a quick-witted "patriot" are popular during times of war. The ethnicity of the rebuff's recipient varies with whomever the U.S. is currently at war, but tales of insolent Arabs have been plentiful since 9/11. Other popular missives in this genre tell of a Budweiser truck driver who pulls his company's product from a convenience store's cooler after supposedly witnessing employees celebrating the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Minister who shames a Muslim cleric into admitting that his is a violent religion. There are two possibilities regarding the origins of the story above:
Unfortunately, as written, it gives no clues that could help us validate it. It's not dated and the author does not identify himself or herself, nor does he or she give the identity of the son (not even which branch of "the military" he serves). While we're told it happened in California in the original, and Ontario in the update, we're not told specifically where or even the name of the grocery store. Without these facts, we must label this one rumor. It is quite possible that the author assumed those who would receive it would know enough to properly categorize it. But, it's equally possible that it is fanciful fiction built around a long-standing tradition of urban legend. E-mail cannot be relied upon to accurately convey information. As this one circulates, it is taking on many aspects of legend. Later versions add 'detail' absent from the one above, such as the "the whole store broke out in applause," and "the woman abandoned her purchase and ran from the store, ashamed." Also, some who have forwarded it have inadvertently added their contact information to it, setting them up for a case of False Attribution Syndrome. Break this chain. References: None
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