Category Archives: Backlash

Real world examples of backlash bewares.

New examples are added at the bottom of the list.

“The jury found Lorillard liable on a number of accusations, including negligence related to its marketing of Newports to kids, failure to warn Evans about health risks from smoking, acting in a willful, malicious, and wanton manner, and breach of warranty through distribution of a dangerous product. They held Lorillard 70% liable for Evans’ death and found her to be 30% liable.”

“$152 Million Boston Wrongful Death Verdict Awarded in Newport Cigarette Lawsuit”
Altman & Altman
December 16, 2010

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“Following a week of intense debate over alleged racist elements in the tea party, a national coalition of tea parties has expelled one of its groups for offensive comments.”

“Tea Party Express suspended over Mark Williams’ ‘Lincoln’ letter”
Judy L. Thomas
The Kansas City Star
April 28, 2011

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My granddaughter had an appointment with a professional she had already seen. Both my daughter and son-in-law were at their jobs, so I took my granddaughter to her appointment.

My 15 year old granddaughter gave the receptionist her name and confirmed all of the required information. The receptionist did not smile at my granddaughter. She looked at me with suspicion. The receptionist asked my granddaughter, “Who is this?” My granddaughter responded, “Grandma.”

Still looking at me with suspicion and no smile, the receptionist asked if I had permission to bring my granddaughter to the appointment. This was a scheduled appointment. The provider was expecting my granddaughter. The provider would not have been pleased about my granddaughter not showing up.

I have picked up 3 grandchildren from 3 different schools and driven them away in my car. No one at any of the schools ever looked at me with suspicion and asked if I had permission to take children away with me in my car. No one.

If the organization had taken the time to tell my daughter that they required permission for other adults to bring her daughter to appointments, she would have have filled out any required paperwork right away.

The receptionist who did not smile interrupted my daughter at her workplace to ask if her mother had permission to bring her daughter to a scheduled appointment. I said the situation was ridiculous. An employee in the back said it was an organization policy. I responded that it was a ridiculous policy.

The policy apparently included negativity and suspicion because that was the receptionist’s attitude throughout my encounter with her. The attitude of the receptionist and her coworker clearly blamed me for their employer’s failure to inform my daughter of the policy.

I walked to the waiting room while my granddaughter finished talking to the receptionist. Afterwards, I asked if the receptionist ever smiled at her. “A couple of times.” Apparently, 72 year old me was just too suspicious and potentially dangerous to deserve a smile.

I posted about this encounter on Facebook. Several friends responded with shock. One friend commented that the organization has been generating complaints for years. A coworker said this:

“Yeah, you kidnapped her so you could take her to a scheduled appointment.”

I wrote a Google review based on what I’ve written here. I wrote that the policy suggested to children that they should be suspicious of their grandparents. I wrote that this grandparent happens to be an international bestselling author, professional speaker, and TV producer. I wrote that the organization had given me examples of “Don’ts.” The biggest “Don’t” is to NEVER show suspicion toward an adult in front of a child who has identified that adult as a grandparent.

I also wrote that I spread positivity around the world and wondered if they wanted their employees to be negative toward their clients.

This post is my backlash for the receptionist’s negativity toward both my granddaughter and me and her suspicion towards me, available to international readers.

Readers in my local area will probably recognize the organization. All those years of complaints have given it a bad reputation, after all.

Update #1

I dropped my granddaughter off for another appointment. I had something else I had to do and my granddaughter is a responsible 16 year old. The receptionist interrupted my daughter at her workplace to ask if her daughter had permission to come to a scheduled appointment. My daughter is the manager where she works, so she can take that kind of phone call. What if the parent is unavailable for an interrupting phone call? What if a parent’s workplace does not allow personal phone calls?

This organization is thoughtless and arrogant. No surprise about the years of complaints about this organization.

I will identify this organization to any local person who wants to avoid negativity, thoughtlessness, and arrogance.

Update #2

After more appointments, the organization produced more forms for my daughter to sign. These forms gave her daughter permission to attend appointments without either parent present. She had been attending without either parent for months. I did a little research and found this information:

“In most states, age 18 is the age of majority and thus, before treating a patient under the age of 18, consent must be obtained from the patient’s parent or legal guardian. This seems relatively straightforward; however, with today’s reality of blended families and children being chauffeured around by nannies and other caregivers, it is not always easy to determine who is accompanying the patient and whether he or she has legal authority to grant consent. In order to avoid confusion, consider the following:

• Require that a parent accompany a minor patient to the first appointment.
• If the minor is in the custody of a legal guardian, ask for proof of guardianship before treating.
• If a minor must be brought to subsequent appointments by a caregiver, have the parent/guardian sign an authorization for you to treat the minor without the parent/guardian being present.
• Reach an understanding with parents/guardians as to when their presence will be required at appointments and commit the same to writing.”

This organization is so ineptly run that it produces required forms months after treatment has started. And when they produce these forms months late, they treat grandparents with suspicion in front of their grandchildren. Nothing close to, “Oh, I’m sorry no one told you about this.” The grandparent is responsible for all of the negativity because heaven forbid that the organization hold itself accountable for anything.

All those years of complaints make more and more sense.

Glassdoor employee reviews for the organization total 2.3.

Google patient reviews for the organization total 2.3.

Again, I will identify this organization to any local resident who wants to protect themselves from poor management, arrogance, and thoughtlessness.

“Consent to Treatment of Minors”
Ann McNary, JO
Innovations of Clinical Neuroscience
Mar-Apr 2014; 11(3-4): 43-45

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“Major advertisers flee X, deepening crisis at Elon Musk’s social media site”
CNN
November 17, 2023

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“I can afford Apple, but this kind of dismissive arrogance makes me never want their products,” another user wrote.”

“Tim Cook gives flippant ‘buy an iPhone’ response to complaints about Apple’s inoperability with Android”
Jacob Seitz
Daily Dot
September 8, 2022

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I graduated from high school in 1969, an all girl Catholic high school. My high school years were mentally and emotionally disturbing. I’m adding it as a backlash beware example because it continues to teach girls to judge each other rather than support each other. If you are a parent looking for an all girl high school, take these steps to ensure you choose a school that will teach your daughter(s) to be the kind of women men support instead of the kind of women men block.

1st: Look for examples on their website of alumnae in leadership positions.

2nd: Ask what percentage of alumnae donate money to the school.

3rd: Ask how they teach their students to support each other in spite of differences.

4th: Ask how they show equal support to all of their alumnae, including alumnae who do not donate money.

5th: Ask how they provide opportunities for alumnae to network with each other no matter when they graduated.

Since most people reading this blog won’t be parents looking for all girl schools, the backlash beware details are on my 4 Girl Mindsets page.

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“Far-right Polish lawmaker stokes outrage for blasting menorah with fire extinguisher: ‘absolutely scandalous’
Bradford Betz
Fox News
December 12, 2023

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“SiriusFM Fires Host Who Said He’d Rather Shoot Himself Than Watch WNBA”
Josephine Harvey
Huffington Post
February 7, 2022

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Life during the late 1800s on rural roads in central Wisconsin:

“In winter time these roads, often hemmed in by trees or underbrush, became filled with snow. As the sleighs passed over in winter, each new snow became packed and in this manner the tracks built up quite high. Thus one of the most common sources of friction, even down to the turn of the century, was the question of who had the right-of-way. To leave the track was a hazard; the horses were apt to flounder around in belly-deep snow and the sleigh box tip over. Thus a man hauling a load of lumber or produce expected that a neighbor or stranger driving a cutter or empty sleigh to turn off and let him pass, but when teams met, both loaded, a heated argument could easily follow. Andrew Sikorsky of Polonia recalls a time when two sleigh teams met on the road to Stevens Point, one loaded, the other not. The driver of the empty sleigh refused to yield more than his half of the track. On the way back, the situation was reversed and the one who came light was returning from Sharon with a load of lumber when he met the same man he had passed earlier in the day. The latter, now with an empty sleigh, refused to yield more than one track and as a result the man with the lumber tipped over.”

Our County Our Story: Portage County Wisconsin
Malcolm Rosholt
1959

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Clever sabotage does not protect employees from getting fired.

“Bosses, Don’t Let Yourself Be Tricked Into Firing the Wrong Employee: When An Employee Has Possibly Set Up A Rival To Get Fired”
Lynne Curry
Workplace Coach Blog
April 14, 2021

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© Paula M. Kramer, 2023
All rights reserved.
Updated January 23, 2024.