Because the more I think about this, the more I realize it could not have gotten more strange, so here ya go.
Got a call at work today. Man says he's new to town and was at a local grocery store when he saw a disturbing package of chips. This bag of chips had a child on it. A little pioneer boy. Standing in a field. With a shovel.
Cue the child labor concerns.
The man wants to know if we will do an investigation into why the company and store are able to sell potato chips with such a horrific image. Because where he comes from this is inappropriate and, what kind of a town is this?
After figuring out that he wasn't talking about Lay's or something, and that this was an actual Utah-based company, I told him he might want to contact the actual company. Or the state's Better Business Bureau. He started to get agitated. He asked if he was completely off base, and I told him I didn't really know much about this type of thing. I mentioned that perhaps since it was a historic photo (in which the kid wasn't actually working), and the company presumably isn't using children to make its product now, it was perfectly fine.
He freaked out. Asked what kind of a community this was to promote child labor. Asked if we would actually do anything about this. I said probably not because the potato chip company wasn't in our coverage area, but I suggested he call the newspaper that was in that area. As soon as I said "Ogden," he got belligerent and said I was just giving him the run-around, and why wouldn't I just do a story about this? He asked again if the boy on the chips was illegal. I said I really didn't know, and we were just a small-town newspaper that probably couldn't follow a story outside our coverage area that would take so much time.
I asked for his phone number and name so someone could call him back. He said he wouldn't give me his phone number because he doesn't know what type of town this is, and he doesn't want his house to be blown up. I assure him that wouldn't happen, and we'd just use his number to, you know, call him back. But he says no.
Then he yelled at me, so I said goodbye and hung up.
I found out he'd already talked — and been nasty to — another reporter, the poor girl in the back who answers the phone and the actual potato chip company. (It's a long story, but they called it a "very strange" phone call.)
That's all. Also, I feel bad for whoever he ended up getting at the BBB and Standard-Examiner.
6 comments:
I my first reaction was to laugh my head off but then I realized how serious of a disorder this guy could have. And then my third reaction was to laugh again.
If it weren't the for the other phone calls that were made, I would tell you it sounds like a certain friend from high school were pranking you and having a glorious time.
I'm also with Daedree on the laughing.
Seriously, that poor kid had to use a shovel... and pose for a photo. What sort of place do you live in, anyway?
I still remember my voicemail from Boyd, an old man who verbally assaulted me for leaving out some information in my story. He was right. I should have included that information. But that alone should not have provoked his tirade over the phone. We all had a good laugh over it.
That's a weird reaction to a photo on a bag of chips.
Oh the joys. I think my reaction was a little like Daedree's.
C'mon Emilie! That was the perfect chance to use the title "Poor kid on a bag of chips" for your blog post. I have been looking for a way to use this title for one of my posts for years! And here, you just through away that opportunity! What kind of town is this!?!
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