On May 16, 2020, a Costco customer by the name of Garrett took a video of himself confronting a Costco employee. In the video, Garrett is refusing to wear a mask and swearing at the Costco employee who is politely asking him to put on a mask, as per the recent Costco safety policy, which was implemented on May 4, 2020.
The video starts with Garrett threatening the employee, saying “I’ll just put you on my 3,000 follower Instagram feed, mostly locals.” However, instead of covering his face and preventing himself from being seen, the employee who is seen with a nametag reading “Tison”, responded professionally and quickly. He is heard saying “Hi everyone, I work for Costco, and I’m asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy.”
Garrett then cuts off the polite employee, saying “And I’m not doing it because I woke up in a free country,” which is the stance of many anti-quarantine and anti-lockdown protestors and citizens in the U.S, who believe that being prevented from meeting physically with friends and observing social distancing rules is unconstitutional and not fair.
Tison then responds to Garrett’s noncompliance by politely saying “Have a great day,” and proceeds to wheel Garrett’s shopping cart away from him. Garrett then rudely responds by swearing at Tison, saying “He’s going to take this cart away because he’s a f*cking b*tch. There he goes.” Tison is seen quietly walking away, ignoring the noncompliant customer, cleanly and effectively handling the situation, at which point the video ends.
The video has since gone viral, with many Internet users supporting Tison and thanking him for upholding social distancing rules and policies, and for politely dealing with an unruly customer. The hashtag #IStandWithTison was trending for a while, and Tison himself responded to the gratitude and support with a tweet, in which he says “People of Twitter thank you for all of the support 🙏 I was just trying to protect our employees and our members. 😘 #Tison”.
There has been many an outcry against social distancing since the first mandatory stay-at-home-order was issued by the state of California, resulting in many anti-quarantine parties, social gatherings, protests, and even Facebook pages. Many pastors, like one Louisiana pastor named Tony Spell, are refusing to cancel church services, later facing legal trouble for their actions. Many people are also blatantly disregarding the stay-at-home orders, such as a large group of armed protestors in Lansing, Michigan, who blocked traffic, honked horns, caused a commotion, and gathered closely at the steps of the State Capitol to protest Michigan’s stay-at-home order. President Trump later expressed his support for the protestors in Michigan, tweeting “The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
Coronavirus cases in Michigan have since increased by over 1,000 since the protests. In response to these protests and social media, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said “[These protests cause] a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control, which in fact will paradoxically set you back.”
In these times, when even the President supports anti-lockdown rallies and the endangerment of the safety of the general public, we must all remember to stay safe, practice social distancing by staying six feet apart from others at all times, staying home as often as possible, and washing our hands with soap, to prevent the spread of this contagious disease.