Welcome To Open Letters

Or My Generation's Form of Protest

 

To post or not to post? That is the question.

If you've been paying attention to the Internet lately, or the Internet's version of new, you might have stumbled across a story about an employee at Yelp who wrote an open letter to her CEO. In this open letter she talks about how she can barely afford to live on the income she is making (the full letter can be read here).

Now, I'm not saying she has a valid argument, nor am I saying that she made the best choices. In fact I don't want to make judgements on her choices. They were her choices to make and she's definitely learned a lesson since making them.

No, I'm here to talk about the new frenzy that this caused.

The first news story I came across that alerted me to this event, that doesn't even really matter in the long run, was a story about a Yelp employee getting fired because of her open letter to the CEO. Yep, that's right. This open letter got the author fired from her job. You can read that story here.

So of course because the writer of this open letter was fired and social media allows for anyone with Internet access to share their opinion (myself included), this lead to several more open letters to the writer of the initial open letter. As well as one or two letters to the open letters of the respondents. Oh and the CEO of Yelp gave a statement (one of them via Twitter) on all of the media hype. This lead to even more media coverage. It got to the point where one of  my coworkers who is from the X-generation, reminded all of us Millennials that if you have a problem at work to speak with your supervisor and don't write stuff online where anyone can find it and see it. This is partially why I write under a pseudonym for all of my other online content.

Again, I'm not saying the actions that were taken were right or wrong. I'm just bringing awareness to the stories the media deems worthy of reporting on.

Because weather you think open letters are silly, being over used, or an important platform, they are a way for people to express themselves to a larger audience. Honestly this blog could be considered an open letter, if I chose to include "Dear [insert person here]" before every post.

And yes, I can already hear many people of the older generation going "back in my day...". Yeah, I get it, in the bygone era of yesteryear times were harder and no one cared about your feelings, so we (the younger generation) should just suck it up now. My response to you is: that's not healthy. Sucking it up, pretending you aren't angry, or sad, or any other negative emotion is not healthy.

People need to express themselves. If for any reason than to process the emotions they are feeling. People need to validate the emotions they are going through. They need someone to listen and help them understand that what they are feeling is okay to feel. Unfortunately people have started sharing these feelings on the Internet, which is open for everyone to agree, disagree, or ridicule them. And the media does what it always has done and turns everything into a circus. 

Open letters can be a great tool. I've read several open letters that were featured on one news site or other about many different issues. Many of them are on the dress codes or treating young children with disabilities with respect. Some are about protests and others are about giving thanks. They are a form of speech that allow everyday people to reach a larger audience.

How most of the world sees my generation.

The country I've grown up in prides itself on the first amendment right of freedom of speech. With the help of the Internet, freedom of speech has grown. People are free to express themselves and reach out to a wider audience. Awareness of events, protests, and yes even the crazy things cats do is right at our finger tips.

However there is one minor detail about this freedom that people seem to forget. The first amendment only protects someone from being persecuted by the government. It does not protect someone from any other consequences that might happen because of what was written. As our first open letter writer found out when she was fired for what she wrote.

That being said, don't let this cautionary tale stop you from speaking up about something you feel passionate about. If no one spoke up about what they feel passionate about, nothing will ever change. Believe it or not, change is important.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.