Privacy

Everyone loves to read about celebrities, don't they? I myself have been guilty of looking through a tabloid if I see one setting around. I don't think I have ever bought one though. My cheapness gene is much too dominant for that. But as I was tooling around the Internet, (who needs the Enquirer when you can get all the gossip online?) I kept running across sites that mentioned John Travolta and the horrific loss he has suffered. Of course, there were the usual group of sites that expressed their sympathy. The disturbing thing to me was the amount of sites dedicated to exposing the "truth" about what had happened to Mr. Travolta's son. The only thing that I could think was dear Lord, this man has lost his son, his first born. And now he can't even grieve in private because three bazillion jackasses want to throw their two cents and conspiracy theories into the mess. It seems crazy, but it's true. Somehow all of these people came to the conclusion that just because they can post about this tragedy, they would. Pitiful. Whatever happened to respecting a person's grief, or at least their privacy? I have a Brother who lost his oldest son to SIDS. I was young when it happened, but the shock and hurt of it are still fresh to me. The thought of my brother having to sort through the blinding shock and grief while dodging the leaches of today's media is frightening. Just because someone makes movies, or music or even throws a football should not give anyone licence to their personal lives. I'll bet you are wondering how in the world I can tie this in with the Big Hearted Giant of Retail, aren't you? Well, there are Walmart managers who have indicated that what you write on your myspace account, your blogs, and even a web site can come back and affect your job. Where does a person's right to privacy come in to play?? (See the connection now?) What a person does off the clock is no more Walmart's business then it is mine. If I am salaried, there might be an incredibly weak argument, but if I am hourly, what business is it of any one's -especially Walmart- what I am doing? Or writing? Or saying to someone else while I'm online? Where does it end? I knew that Walmart had many products in their stores, I never realized that they also carry Big Brother now. So if you get a check from Walmart every two weeks, be careful what you think, write or say. Apparently, Walmart is a little bigger than free speech. You'll thank me later.