Good story, nice message. Ironic given that the last time I read about Chik-fil-a, I was rolling my eyes at some of their bigotry and boycotting them from my cheat meal day … but now they introduce another irony by not pandering to the media witch hunt … that if a few policeman screw up, all policemen must be villians.
Hmm. Are we to now assume that all Hispanics, Blacks, or even tatooed folk are gangbanging drug dealers just because they exist in number? Does this mean I’m a punk and should be harassed because of my ethnicity too? ummm … yeaaa…. the word Double Standard comes to mind.
So in a culture that loves to paint my husband and many of our friends as thugs, it’s so nice to see appreciation for what literally is a thankless, unsettling, poorly paid, and truly dangerous job where you are publicly ridiculed, unwelcome, and expected to walk away stoic and unscathed.
So while Chicago Public School teachers can strike, my husband and fellow officers (or soldiers for that matter) can’t strike* if they don’t agree with a new labor contract or don’t get paid on time! They can’t protest if days off are cancelled in order to deal with violence …and they have to work irregular schedules… and work on holidays, in inclement weather, on weekends, and when the rest of the world is sleeping. Chicago alderman make +$110k/yr, can collect pensions after 1 term, and give themselves raises without oversight (and they do every year), the media calls for police contracts to have even more layers of restrictions, raises “might” come once every 5 years, and pensions earned after 20 years of service are no longer offered to new POs.
… and yet my husband doesn’t complain and wants me to accept those realities regardless of how unjust I think things are.
#HalfMatt is a very private person who doesn’t like a light shined on him because of his vocations, so he probably won’t be thrilled about me speaking up. He doesn’t even like photos of himself anywhere in public. He does his work and returns without fanfare or undue attention…just the way he likes it. He doesn’t ask for the MIL/LEO discount to save money and gets embarrassed when I do or when someone thanks him for his service. Those big, demon blue eyes look away and he changes the subject.
But without a word, I can see his pride in being the consummate #quietProfessional. He’s a mischievous cheeky monkey with few boundaries and a penchant for raising my blood pressure … but I’m honestly proud to be his wife, to support him, and to hide his gummy stash when he’s not looking. Good grief, he’s FAR from perfect, but there’s no one I’d rather share my adventures with or trust more than him.
It really is just us against the world and I’m still thankful and proud of my Big Bunny.
* Taylor Law or Federal Standard Form 61
#noDoubleStandards #PoliceLivesMatter #NoRaceCardHere