Yahoo! news is running a story today about a racial hoax that had the internet abuzz this past weekend. McDonald’s has denied all involvement with this sign that was photographed on what appears to be a McDonald’s restaurant’s window. Here’s the thing: I can look at this picture and say no company representative with half a brain would ever dream up this policy, print this sign, and post it on the front door of their business. However, a disgruntled ex- (or even current) employee would. A group of kids with Microsoft Word and a color printer would. A lot of people could and would do this. That is the scary part. Someone could tape that sign up, snap a photo, and distribute online in seconds. Technology has globalized every individual with access to the internet. This photo blazed through Twitter all weekend and had search terms like ‘Seriously McDonald’s’ trending.
This story reminded me of a conversation I had five or six years ago with a coworker. A mutual friend had sent a tawdry, tasteless, profane email out to all of his friends, of which we were included. Naturally, I was ecstatic. I mentioned the email to my coworker, asking if he had seen it. He said he had not, and wasn’t planning to open it. In fact, he said he had never viewed any image or document of any kind that could be considered “dirty” on his computer. Ever. “Nonsense,” I replied. “There’s no way that’s true.” He insisted he was telling the truth and offered this defense: “Let’s say I’m walking through the mall one day, minding my own business. Some teenage girl walks up and says ‘That’s him! That’s the guy who assaulted me!’ and they arrest me based on her word. Now obviously, I did nothing of the sort, but it’s now her word against mine, and the authorities begin their search. A background check comes up clean, but they confiscate my computer looking for evidence to build their case on. The more “dirty” stuff I have on my computer, the worse it looks for me. Any good lawyer is going to crush me, and now my character is in question.” Holy crap. This blew my mind. It really would be that easy. Our reputation and even our freedom are so fragile, and could be obliterated at any moment by a random hoax. Exactly what happened to McDonald’s over the weekend, except the girl walking through the mall was a jackass with a color printer.
