It might have been the first meme ever.
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin published a now-famous cartoon in his paper, “The Pennsylvania Gazette.” The cartoon depicted a snake cut into eight pieces and carried the caption, “Join, or Die.” The intent was to get the nascent colonies to unite against common enemies (then, the French and Native Americans.)
The picture took on a life of its own and soon came to symbolize the need for the individual states to unite for independence, against Great Britain.
I thought of this symbol over the Fourth of July weekend for two reasons, one great, one tragic.
First, I watched “Hamilton” on television. The story of the plucky, brilliant immigrant who succeeded against the odds, and of the great country he helped create, remains incredibly inspirational.
But I thought of Ben Franklin’s admonition again when I saw this sad, pathetic, story:
Hugo’s Tacos closes temporarily after employees are harassed by mask-averse patrons
“Hugo’s Tacos announced Sunday that it would temporarily close its two locations in Los Angeles after employees reported a mounting onslaught of harassment from customers angered by the business’ “no mask, no service” policy. The harassment, which included racial epithets as well as drinks being hurled at workers through order windows, has taken an emotional toll on the mostly Latino employees, Hugo’s Tacos part-owner Bill Kohne told The Times. (Los Angeles Times)
How something as simple as wearing or not wearing a mask during a pandemic came to symbolize ‘my team against yours’ is not only imbecilic, it is cuts against the grain of everything that this country is supposed to be: inclusive, accepting, and, yes, inspirational.
Wear a mask, or don’t wear a mask, the choice is yours, but just know that not doing so is not only endangering others, it is endangering the small businesses across this country that we all say we love so much and who are bearing the economic brunt of this pandemic.
The irony is this: If there is one group that understands what Join, or Die means, what unity in the face of adversity can do, it is small business.
Small businesses are team efforts. Creating a successful one takes the combined energies of an entrepreneur willing to take a risk, employees who do more than their job description calls for, customers who become and remain loyal, and a community that supports the local small business ecosystem.
It takes every one of these teammates to make a small business work. Take away the entrepreneur, or the staff, or the customers, or community backing, and the whole thing can wither and die.
But united, together, a small business and the people it supports – through products, services, jobs, taxes, Little League sponsorships, gathering places, and more – is greater than the sum of its parts. Small businesses are called the backbone of the economy because they are. More than 90% of all business in this country is small business.
And they need us right now, more than ever. They need our patronage, our money, and our support.
And if that means wearing a mask, then wear a mask. We don’t care whose team you are on, as long as you are on ours, too.
Join, or die.
