I've been an executive in a couple of the better hotels in our city and, while the management may not have a problem with this particular pin, they have to forbid all pins or allow all pins.

If they allow the flag pin, the next guy wants a flag pin and a "Support our Troops" pin. Then someone wants a "Make Love, Not War" pin and, before you know it, your employees look like a Boy Scout troop.

We had the argument over beards, earrings and other jewelry as I remember. If the management doesn't stick to a simple dress code, they will be wasting a lot of time arguing about what the dress code should be in each instance.

I remember years ago when Whoopie Goldberg hosted the Oscars (or whichever awards show) that she was pin-free at the height of the pink ribbon-mania. She even mentioned that if she wore any particular ribbon, other groups would jump her shit about not wearing *their* ribbon. But I kind of like when people identify themselves, it helps me know who to avoid.

Off topic, Amy I'm so glad your Amazon affiliation was reinstated because knowing you'd benefit was the nudge I needed to buy the boots I'd been looking at, and the boots rock. Thanks!

While I support the businesses right to mandate any kind of dress code that they want, petty stuff like this, when it gets out on the internet can actually hurt their business.

There are probably a dozen women working there wearing little "heart necklaces or "love" rings while they work. Maybe you could have your nails done with the stars and stripes? It would not be a "pin" per say but "a rose by any other name"

There are times when you don't want to exercise your rights, as either a business or an employee, just because of bad publicity that it generates.
For example, I almost never carry a gun, although a do have a CCP, but when I see a "no guns" sign on the door of a mall, I turn around, and get back in my car. The mall has a right to ban guns on their property, but I can chose not to patronize them on the basis that I find these types of signs and bans, silly and offensive.

"A Pledge Pin! On your uniform!"

Gawker headline: Hotel Fires Employee for Loving His Country

Nah..I think he probably could have gone on loving his country after he took off the pin, unless the one is contingent on the other.

The whole article seemed a little hysterical to me (hysterical 'overwrought', not hysterical 'funny').

I don't read it regularly, so I don't know if the reporter was serious or not. I did like some of the comments, though. Especially the one hoping the flag pin was made in America.

The hotel indeed has the right to do that, but it's "bad optics", as they say. On the other hand, I have a sneaking suspicion that there's a lot more to this story. We'll see.

Off topic, but: At risk of giving the game away, I'll say that I had the opportunity to interview Dan Wheldon once. He had a great attitude towards life. Godspeed, Dan.

Really is amazing to see people not playing the game. Getting a job is hard enough and this day and age, even just keep one can prove to be difficult, too.

Pick you battles and adjust your strategies. For example I was looking at the 99 percent folk posts and those that complained about jobs - a good portion looked scummy. Long hair, tattoos, unshaved, clothes. True most pictures are not taken at the best moment but I can look at some of them and say get a haircut and you will get a job.

I would support the guy if he had other people working at the place and getting away with similar offenses but it is just him. For example life the British Air desk clerks who where told to take off Christian cross necklaces - yet the Muslim women could have the head scarf. Also sounded like he did not try to negotiate or ask permission.

I love where I am - I can get a job for being white and blond hair. Yet I am not the tallest, most handsome, youngest but I can really level the playing field with a shirt and tie.

If they said the guy had to wear Dockers and Polos, and you couldn't wear a shirt and tie to work, would anybody have objected?

This is the opposite of the waitress in Office Space who didn't wear enough flack.

Ya Jim P. I was thinking of the same think with "Office Space". Sometimes the rules are silly but make the value added judgment of "job" or "expressing my loyalty with a pin".

Back in the day, I was a Navy squadron commander. As part of the prep, I got a week's worth of legal training. One point they emphasized was that you have to be very careful about what you allow (the example being letting someone post in the squadron spaces fliers about a Bible study group) because you may well find yourself in a very difficult legal position when it comes to someone else wanting the same privilege for, say, Satan worship.

I'll bet the hotel is perfectly happy with the flag pin, but doesn't want to have to defend stopping someone wearing a similar confederate flag.

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Cousin Dave: Yeah, that was horrible news about Dan.

Like Hemingway said, there are only three sports: mountain climbing, bullfighting, and car racing.

Everything else is a game.

Exactly Steamer. If you say "you can have jewelry/beards/pins/whatever as long as they're reasonable", some poor bastard has to make the judgement call on each one. And create arguments every time. Much easier to say "not allowed, full stop".

100% agreed.

I hate it when conservatives (with whom I largely agree) start flipping their lids that someone wants to fly a flag in location X, or have a pro-life t-shirt in location Y, or whatever, and that anyone who opposes that is clearly a left-wing idealogue.

No.

Folks who own and run businesses, apartment complexes, etc. have a reasonable desire to present a clean uniform appearance.

I own and run my own business, and even there I wear only polo shirts and t-shirts with the company logo. I have lots of extreme political views, and it is in my own enlightened self interest to not make an employee who disagrees with me NEEDLESSLY agitated on my dime, and in my office, just so that I can self-express.

Some people are confused about the meaning of uniform.

>Some people are confused about the meaning of uniform.

Sorry my movie quote wasn't a perfect fit for the occasion, dude. It just...it just came to me...I'm sorry...oh god. Sniffle...I promised my self I wasn't going to cry--

It's flair, guys, not flack. (I immediately thought of Office Space too.)

I've always had the opposite problem with pins/nametags at work, as in I refuse to wear them. No "Ask me about..." pins, no charity pins, and yes, not even a nametag. Why? I don't like people reading my chest, that's why. And when questioned by supervisors, that's exactly what I say. When they tell me that customers need a way to identify me, I tell them that they can ask for my name should they feel the need to complain or compliment. Also, if they can't identify me as the redhead with the glasses, then any subsequent complaint shouldn't be taken seriously, should it? No supervisor has ever pushed the issue, largely because we have very strong sexual harrassment laws here in Washington State, and probably somewhat due to the fact that in many respects I'm the legendary "dream employee".