A Virginia cyclist got what she deserved when her employer fired her for flipping off President Trump
and then posting the image on social media.
A White House photographer caught the moment the woman on a bike gave Trump’s motorcade the finger as the president was leaving a golf course last month. The photo went viral and social media hailed her as a “she-ro” and hashtags like #Her2020 were created.
Many Americans feel embarrassed by President Trump’s behavior, especially on Twitter. But when you give him the middle finger you lack the same moral character that you want the president to possess. America as a whole needs to act better and respect one another, especially the office of the presidency.
The bird-flipping bicyclist said the moment just got the better of her.
“He was passing by and my blood just started to boil,” Juli Briskman told the Huffington Post. “I’m thinking, DACA recipients are getting kicked out. He pulled ads for open enrollment in Obamacare. Only one-third of Puerto Rico has power. I’m thinking, he’s at the damn golf course again.”
Liberals on Facebook and Twitter might have loved the move, but the marketing company, Akima LLC, where Briskman works didn’t see the humor and fired her once she told them she was the one in the image.
She thought she was getting ahead of the situation by coming clean to her boss. Since the company has a lot of government contracts they felt differently and cut her loose.
“In some ways, I’m doing better than ever,” Briskman told HuffPost. “I’m angry about where our country is right now. I am appalled. This was an opportunity for me tosay something.”
Her behavior will probably be rewarded by a company whose owner is a Democrat. But for now she’s unemployed.
“They said, ‘We’re separating from you,’ ” said Briskman. “Basically, you cannot have ‘lewd’ or ‘obscene’ things in your social media. So they were calling flipping him off ‘obscene.’ ”
Just because she never mentions where she works online doesn’t mean her tweets and posts don’t poorly reflect on her company. Like it or not, whatever you do on social media directly reflects on your employer. Free speech needs to be protected, but sophomoric decisions require swift action.
Jaclyn Cashman is co-host of the “Morning Meeting” show on Boston Herald Radio. Follow her on Twitter @jaclynCashman.
