Retail Heroism- Honey Badger Don't Give A %$@# About Haters And anti-LGBTQ bigots

Target management could learn a thing or six from their employees

The coward says in his heart “There is no love.” Because, standing in the shadows of the big, grand, and powerful existence of love, his small spirit is left feeling even smaller and less significant. And so he chooses to deny the existence of love altogether. Because he is too small to have it.

• C. JoyBell C.

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that most Americans oppose hatred, bigotry, and authoritarian fascism. Instead, I think it’s reasonable to say that most of my fellow citizens believe in a “live and let live” ethos, and that’s as it should be. Most Americans are decent people willing to allow others to be themselves…because they know how others live, love, and believe has no material impact on their own lives.

And then there are the cowards, who believe that to feel better about themselves, they must trample upon the freedom and liberty of others. For only when they’ve succeeded in walking on a minority class of people can they genuinely feel as if their life has meaning and purpose.

Yeah, I know; it’s pretty sick. It takes a seriously miserable excuse for humanity to live in such a sad and sorry manner. But that’s where America is today.

Fortunately, a few courageous souls are willing to stand up to the haters and bigots. Sometimes, that’s all it takes because bullies often don’t do well when faced with resistance. They count on being able to intimidate their way to getting what they want, and they generally don’t plan for anyone standing up and saying, “Hell, no, you’re not going to do that!”

The rightwing terrorists who have been targeting Target stores because they carry Pride-themed items haven't been the least bit calmed by the company's stupid decision to give in to the hate. As Evan noted yesterday, the decision to move Pride collections to the back of stores and in some cases remove the merch all together has not slowed the bigots down in the slightest.

Take this White Power fascist mustache-abuser Ethan Schmidt (please!), who has garnered a measure of infamy for going into Target stores to record himself accosting customers and staff about the store's "Satanic" LGBTQ+ themed clothes.

He got his start as an anti-masker (and in March was convicted of trespassing at an Arizona wig store in a 2021 incident), but has moved on to anti-LGBTQ+ hatred since that's where the clicks and the money are. He's widely mocked online for dumb stunts like very daintily stepping on a Target "pride" sign like a big tough guy. In the instance below, he was praised by performative outrage guru Matt Walsh for his performative outrage.

So sure, he's ridiculous, but Schmidt also threatened last year to "hunt" LGBTQ supporters in the Phoenix area, saying that companies selling Pride merchandise "are not safe" and that they "can't hide." Nice fella.

So, yeah, Ethan Schmidt is a real Internet tough guy. He’s the kind of bully used to doing what he does while being filmed without encountering any resistance. It’s easy to look tough while no one’s pushing back.

It makes you wonder how an Internet tough guy like Schmidt would react when he does encounter someone willing to stand up and make it clear they’re not intimidated by him. And, by all indications, there’s no reason anyone should be afraid of Schmidt. On the contrary, he looks like he’d have trouble beating up the Cookie Monster.

(Not only that, there’s evidence that he’s had a presence on Grindr, which, if true, certainly casts him in a different light.)

So now we get to the nice time: A pair of Target employees who confront Schmidt with absolute, firm calm and make clear they aren't scared of him, and that he can't go harassing shoppers. Whoever the woman is, her attitude of studied boredom is perfect — Schmidt wants to know if she supports the "Satanic Pride propaganda," and she calmly replies yes, "Satan and Pride." But what will God think of that, Schmidt wants to know. Again, perfectly calm: "I don't believe in God. Do you need help with something?" Then she and the other employee, a plainclothes "loss prevention" guy, help him find the exit. No fucks given for the shouty man.

Schmidt calls them "open Satanists," and the woman just shrugs. She may as well be a mellower real-world manifestation of Ursula, the rude waitress played by Lisa Kudrow in "Mad About You." (Yes, Phoebe's twin sister.)

Also too, a Best Supporting Performance medal for the couple at the end who cheerfully reply "Yep!" when Schmidt asks if they support the propaganda.

Americans don't want these fascist haters running things. We all need to make that clear, especially those of "us" in the executive suites.

Faced with resistance and unsure what to do, Schmidt tried to use his words. Unfortunately for him, it appears he has few words at his disposal. When you’re an Internet tough guy running on Right-wing propaganda, it’s tough to color outside the lines, which was what Ethan Schmidt was being asked to do.

When he had to think on his feet, you could almost see and hear Schmidt’s synapses frying. He was hopelessly unprepared for the possibility that he might have to engage in verbal combat. That’s why his brain began to overheat after “Satanic Pride propaganda” and “open Satanists” failed to have the effect he was hoping for. He was out of ammunition…and he knew it. So when one of the Target employees told Schmidt that she didn’t believe in God, it was as if his pointy li’l head was about to explode.

So, while Target’s senior management may be heavily invested in caving to the haters, at least a couple of front-line employees were having none of it. Rather than trying to engage the troll on his level, the employees remained calm and answered his attempts to anger them like cows staring at a passing train.

Their give-a-fucks were broken, and they had no intention of coming close to giving Ethan Schmidt what he wanted, which was a confrontation. Schmidt wasn’t gifted or intelligent enough to goad the Target employees into a conflict. He was toast, he knew it, and he had no idea how to handle the situation.

Those employees deserve significant raises and a few cases of their favorite IPAs. Their reaction to a bigoted moron was perfect in every respect. They gave Schmidt nothing to work with and, in the end, made him look like the fool and coward he is.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you deal with a bully.