Considering the amount of press this local Smithfield's Chicken n' BBQ report has gotten nationwide, I think it is important to make sure the real story gets as much attention. In other words, I'm getting up on my soapbox for a few minutes. Last Friday the allegation was made through social media that employees sang "F the Police" while officers were eating at the Garner location of Smithfield's on Jones Sausage Road. This was blurted out on Facebook before there was any reasonable due diligence to confirm the full facts of the story - an all too common occurrence at a time when we wonder daily what news sources we can actually trust. From there the rant went "viral" and ended up being picked up by media outlets across the nation - each breathlessly repeating the unconfirmed allegation against Smithfield's. But what do they care...it's "news", right? Today the Raleigh Police Chief released this statement: "From the beginning, when I first learned about this situation, I committed that our team would work together fully with the owner of this restaurant, to better understand the matter and to find a way forward. I'm happy to report that we have collaborated in a very positive way, and together we have established that there has been a lot of misinformation spread about this incident. And, today, I'm glad to have the opportunity to update the public on what we've learned. Despite media reports, two officers witnessed one employee make eye contact with them and mouth the words "F... the Police." There was no singing. There were no other employees involved. Because of the subtle nature of this act, it was not witnessed by anyone else in the store. Ultimately, the Raleigh Police Department, Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q and our whole community were victims of misinformation and misunderstanding causing the original reporting of the story to be wrong. The Raleigh Police Department seeks to serve all members and all elements of the community in fairness and without bias. We expect the same in return and are confident that Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q share those same values. The first step in creating understanding between two parties is to come together to communicate. I'm proud to say, we've done exactly that. We need to grow collectively in both organizations beyond this and the Raleigh Police Department remains committed to doing just that." That's right - the reporting of the story was WRONG. Before the actual facts were known an allegation was generated and fermented in the bowels of social media and then spewed forth as actual "news" by established news outlets. Here's hoping ALL those same outlets are today scrambling just as fast to correct the record. As for me, I'm swinging by Smithfield's on the way home for a bucket of chicken and Brunswick stew. <stepping off soap box>
Happy to see this being walked back in various reports: Raleigh Police Protective Association Last Friday, we shared a post on our Facebook page about Smithfields Chicken and BBQ. There was an investigation conducted and while there were inappropriate comments made by an employee of the restaurant, not all the information in the post was accurate. https://www.facebook.com/rppa391/posts/1503005236407928 ---------------------------------- The Raleigh Police Protective Association posted on its Facebook account last Friday saying that staff members of the Smithfield’s Chicken ‘n Bar-B-Q on Jones Sausage Road in Garner sang NWA’s song “F... the Police” as some Raleigh officers were eating at the restaurant. However, police and an attorney from the restaurant's owner now say the situation didn't happen as reported on social media. http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-...n--n-bar-b-q-releases-surveillance-video.html ---------------------------------- I think it was Mark Twain who said, “A lie can slaughter the hog, barbecue it, eat that sucker with all the fixin’s and take a nap before the truth has had a chance to heat up the hushpuppies.” http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/barry-saunders/article148443834.html ---------------------------------- No employees were singing “F--- The Police” to Raleigh officers while they ate at Smithfield’s Chicken ’n Bar-B-Q on Friday, despite claims by an organization that represents Raleigh police officers, the restaurant owner and his attorney said at a press conference Wednesday. http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article148351014.html
It helps to get the truth out since one of the RPD's detectives (Green) embellished and sent lies out on social media to damage a franchise when nothing has been proven to have happened. Sometimes law officers lie too. They're human and all are not beyond reproach. Look at the videos and you'll get it.
...and teaches lazy people to consider the source when reading social media posts. Everyday I seem to think the purpose of social media tips further beyond usefulness, connectivity, etc. and enters dangerous territory.
My sister called to tell me about this "shocking story", and it didn't sound right to me from the start, especially if you've ever frequented a Smithfield's Chicken, whose staff and service is very good and genuinely respectful. When reading anything online these days, consider that if its purpose is meant to "shock" or "instill outrage", it's probably just advertising "click bait" that relies on emotional manipulation to get you to read it - and that goes for everything from false stories like this, to that "one weird trick to get rid of belly fat", or the celebrity home that will "make your jaw drop". Worse still, are the deliberately constructed false stories whose purpose is to instigate hate or fear, negatively sway public perception, or undermine any and all journalistic integrity - and that is dangerous territory because over time, a population that has been constantly emotionally manipulated will have been "trained" to lose their critical reasoning faculties, and will confuse emotion and rumor, for "fact". Look up "Skinnerian Marketing" and you'll see that these behavioral psychology techniques have been utilized for quite some time now, most successfully online, where human emotion is routinely and cynically exploited for easy profit. And most people probably don't think of this while they are mindlessly surfing online, but it's true that every time you click on a story that elicits a very strong emotion in you, you are releasing particular brain chemicals (dopamine for all those cute puppy and kitty videos that leave you feeling the "warm fuzzies", and a rush of adrenaline and cortisol for the more sad, stressful, or downright terrifying stories, that keep you awake at night tossing and turning, and wondering if you locked the doors, or need to up your insurance. The point is all of these online stories that produce EXTREME EMOTIONAL REACTIONS ensures that you will keep clicking away for the brain chemical "reward" of your choice, while online advertisers not only earn money from your clicks, but entice you to stay online to gain even more clicks. Haven't you ever noticed that there are some online sites jam-packed with the most ridiculous stories that are almost impossible to imagine even while totally likkered up? Some of these "click-baity" headlines, once the sole province of cheap, rag-tag publications, are now infecting online mainstream national news, so much so, that they are now almost completely unrecognizable. It's the perfect situation for everyone, of course, except maybe you, who has unwittingly been turned into a sort of online "lab rat", clicking away, albeit one with opposable thumbs, and hopefully, a more attractive snout. If anybody out there is interested in WHY we are seeing a rash of "fake news", and the continual public blurring of truth and fiction, Wired Magazine published a very good article a couple of years ago, ironically entitled: "You'll Be Outraged At How Easy It Was To Get You To Click On This Headline". (Sorry, I can't put up any links on this site, otherwise I would save you the trouble.) Anyway, the article pretty much breaks down the manipulative, psychological techniques of online clickbait and false story fabrication in a fun and entertaining way, and might be useful for people who tend to take things that they read online at "face value", especially if they are unfamiliar with the current collusion between online advertisers, online content creators, and the whole social media contagion phenomenon. In the meantime, try not to be so darned foolhardy and believe everything that you read online or hear secondhand, since today's internet is not unlike yesterday's obnoxious carnival barker lying and vying for your attention, and ultimately, your dollars. One more thing: even if this story were verifiably true, I don't think that it would necessarily be "newsworthy" along the same lines of say - the possible slashing of Medicaid funding to the tune of 850 BILLION dollars, that would adversely affect the health of most Americans, regardless of their political beliefs. I bet you forgot all about that "minor" story, what with the "huge importance" of the Smithfield's Chicken fake one going around. If this fake story proves anything, it's that we Americans have certainly become some of the most easily distracted and duped people in all of the Western world!
I had said from the start... IF this was true SOMEONE would would have whipped their phone out and recorded the whole thing.
