A out there hypothetical because people found my approach weird, well it started on something else and got here you can substitute Osama or any hated person you want.
No responses about zombies, for the hypothetical evil incarnate is alive. And like I said substitute someone else it it poisons the well for you.
Anyway my response was I would treat him like any other customer, assuming he didn’t do crazy shit or start screaming about slavic brewing machines or something. I wouldn’t tell him to leave or pee in his drink. I don’t have a personal beef with him, it would seem wrong somehow to abuse my position to punish him or something.
Needless to say this was an unpopular opinion.
But I stand by the fact unless there is a valid reason to tell him to leave it feels wrong to treat someone other than how they treat you, based on outside info or how others feel.
Everything is an option, you can invite him to a three way if you want.
But for the hypothetical lets assume the person who is evil incarnate is not an active fugitive and authorities would laugh you off.
EDIT:To clarify the hypothetical this started about a person in the media who is hated and others saying they hope he eats a lot of urine and semen and other filth over the years or is just shunned everywhere.
I would poison the coffee if I had the means. Otherwise, I would not charge him, make him the best damn coffee ever, and ask him to leave and not come back.
Bah ok the original conversation was about George Zimmerman and his ongoing trollish posts to social media, I didn’t want to post it because I didn’t want a derailing along political or other lines.
No, sorry, I draw a line. This is Hitler we’re talking about. I wouldn’t poison him but I’d tell him to leave my coffee shop and not come back. He’s banned for life.
Hitler wanted to be recognized as a leader. He didn’t want to outrage public opinion; he wanted the public to bow down before him. He wanted to walk into coffee shops and have people saluting him and offering him free coffee.
Refusing to serve him coffee would be showing him that he was not going to get the respect he thought he was entitled to. And the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it would demonstrate his lack of power in modern America. And finally, he didn’t get a cup of coffee. So my reaction would be the furthest thing from what he had wanted.
Hitler is a poor example (hence Godwin’s Law), not only because he’d be over 130 by now, but mainly because he’d count as wanted on criminal charges.
Some politician you hate for his opinions and policies is not quite in the same class; it might make a difference if they were currently active, rather than the object of historical debate. It’s open to doubt if there’s any point in trying to persuade some currently active politician to change their mind about whatever it is you disapprove of them for, and certainly not to try to argue out the rights and wrongs of what they did or didn’t do twenty years ago. I don’t see the point of simply showing you hate someone in this sort of context, but you don’t need to go out of your way to be obsequiously pleasant to them.
The way I’m imagining my coffee shop is that there is a long line of customers here in present day 2015.
These people are grabbing a coffee before they have to do what they have to do for the day. I’m imagining 10 people in line. Hitler is next
“I"ll take a medium iced coffee, 2 creams, no sugar.” Hitler
“Your total is $2.27, cash or card?” Cashier hands three dollars Hitler hands back change Cashier receives coffee Hitler leaves
Next person, then the next, then the next.
Now if Hitler walks in and is like “I’m Hitler! Give me coffee NOWWWWWW” and skips people in line-- or otherwise acts an ass-- he would be shown the door.
Anyways, same scenario… Hitler orders the coffee and the Cashier tells him to leave-- now the 9 other people in line are being held up because he’s most likely not going to just be like “oh, certainly I’ll leave.”
I deny him coffee at my shop and now this is likely subject to scrutiny by the media-- some people call me a hero, but Hitler is in the media affecting all viewers in some way, shape, or form-- thus acknowledging his existence as someone other than just another person in line for coffee… which could be empowering for him. The negative feedback from my cashier could fuel his rage to execute x, y, and z. Whereas indifference would likely have no negative effect that could be traced back to my humble place of business.
brovolone’s coffee shop is not going to be partially responsible for a fucking massacre.
Hitler would know that most people disgust him. He’d go to Dunkin Donuts drive-thru to get his coffee if getting coffee was simply his goal. Prior to walking into the coffee shop, he would likely already have a plan of action to deal with being told to leave given that he is most likely already anticipating this response.
Don’t give him the response he’s expecting-- he doesn’t get to use his little preconceived ass-showing, and everyone goes on with their day.
Treat him as if he is a nobody unless he starts acting like somebody-- then off with his head. Or whatever.
Besides, Hitler would totally expect baristas to poison his coffee. He would probably order it and not even drink it. He’s not completely oblivious. I don’t think he’d ever just nonchalantly walk into a business to simply purchase something. He knows people hate him and wouldn’t subject himself to environments such as this if he didn’t simply want attention or a solid reason to freak the fuck out.
And like I said substitute someone else it it poisons the well for you.