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In reply to the discussion: Chili's Waitress Fired Over Facebook Post Insulting 'Stupid Cops' [View all]TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)But there was no doubt whatsoever it was a threat. Any statement that starts out with "you/they better hope..." is a threat. There's no denying that. Frankly, her NOT explicitly stating what she would do leaves it up to the imagination of who she delivered the threat to as to what she intended, which could certainly be a lot worse than whatever it was that she was actually intending. Isn't that obvious considering so many people here made the assumption that she would somehow sabotage their food or drink in some way? She may have only been intending slow or belligerent service and may have even intended nothing at all, but by NOT saying what she would do the threat could easily be interpreted as far worse... as witnessed right here since many interpreted her statement to mean that she would sabotage their food or drink.
Statements that begin with "you better hope" are INTENDED to threaten someone specifically by NOT saying what their bad intentions are and leaving it up to the imagination of who it's delivered to so they need to worry about how bad the intention is, what it could be, and if it's a real threat or just a boast. People automatically assume the worst when threatened. Why would they not? A sense of self-preservation is ingrained in everyone, so we all consciously or unconsciously attempt to protect ourselves by assuming the worst and preparing for it. If someone said to you "you better hope I never come across you again" you would automatically assume the worst including the possibility of bodily harm or even death when the person who delivered the threat could very likely not really be intending any such thing and might actually have only said it as a boast. The point being you DON'T know what they really mean, and through an automatic sense of self-preservation would either consciously or unconsciously assume the worst in order to be prepared and thus protect yourself. The more you don't actually know the person delivering the threat the worse the imagination takes you since you have virtually nothing to go by to determine what the person means. Are they a sociopathic nut capable of anything? Have they done atrocious things to others they felt slighted by in the past? The more you don't know the person, the more you have to wonder - and WOULD wonder - what they might be capable of.
Seriously, if were a doctor and this woman had an irrational hatred of doctors and you saw her threatening message would you still want to toss the dice and eat at the establishment where she works wondering if you would get stuck with her as your server and what she might do to you? Would you feel comfortable eating or drinking anything she served you or wonder if she had spit in your food or drink or even worse? Of course you wouldn't. And who would? Who would cheerfully go out to eat at a restaurant where they knew there was a server they might get stuck with who had an irrational hatred of you and who threatened some unidentified consequences to you if you had the bad luck to have her as your server? Nobody would do that including you. You and anyone else would simply go somewhere else to enjoy a meal or a drink so they didn't have to worry about this irrational waitress that threatened unidentified consequences if she served you.
All that said why on EARTH would her employer NOT fire her? What employer would put up with an employee that threatened their customers or potential customers especially because of an irrational hatred of them and so publicly? Of COURSE she would get sacked, and of COURSE she deserved to be. There doesn't need to BE any explicit threat, and her not making it explicit makes people automatically assume the worst.