The 'Zero Tolerance' World

It has occurred to me recently that the amount of 'zero tolerance' posters in shops, restaurants and cafes has increased. So what is a 'zero tolerance' poster? It is a poster that states that there is zero tolerance in said establishment of abuse towards members of staff. That the abuse will be treated with police intervention and that there may also be criminal prosecution where necessary. I may not go out and about often but I have noticed a massive increase in these signs basically stating 'please don't beat up our staff' as if someone is going to go in to punch in the head of the Starbucks barista, sees the sign and rethinks his/her stance. I think body cams might be a better deterrent or even allowing the member of staff to retaliate in an appropriate manner. People are less likely to smack the Starbucks barista if they find out that the woman making their coffee has a black belt in some ancient martial arts and is allowed to put their knowledge to good use.

But why is this happening?

Well, the sad news is that there is a rising frequence in the abuse of staff, especially those working in the public sector. From teachers to ambulance drivers, from doctors and nurses to the people on the front desk in government offices, this is on its way to becoming a national (or rather international as the USA is not any better than we are at the moment) emergency. From the Worker Protection Act (2023) which states that by law, places of employment must actively prevent the sexual harrassment of their staff to 'print on demand' posters which have the rules of zero tolerance already printed on them so that establishments might stick them about the building. This is more of a problem than even I first thought.

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Part 1: Who's Frustration is it Really?

In a piece of research from 2023 by the British Medical Association, it was found that there was an 85% increase in abuse directed towards GPs. During the case of staff shortages and delays therefore, frustration can build up in the person on the receiving end of it and thus directed towards the first target they meet - either the receptionist or the doctor themselves. The media definitely fuels this act of resentment by keeping on with the same message that GPs aren't working hard enough or that there are no appointments. Now as someone who lives in a very overpopulated city in the UK - how is it that I can still get GP appointments within the next few days whilst it is also stated that GPs aren't working hard enough? How can both things be true at the same time? The frustration is definitely fuelled by the media.

This is the same when dealing with the service sector. Jobs in hospitality and service usually mean that the staff will be in danger somehow of being abused, assaulted and/or harrassed. Again though, the media shows us rude waiting staff, often painting the job of a waiter or barista as being an 'in between' job instead of an actual career - so if you see someone of age working there it is implied by the media that the person is a failure.

But the question is why?

Why would the media want to fuel frustration towards these people?

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Part 2: Media Influence

i: News Media

It is my theory that the backlash against the public sphere is fuelled by the capitalist media empires. Why? It is to keep the poor fighting the wrong enemy and divert their attention away from what is really going on. We can see examples of this in 'soft news'. Doctors' wait times are scrutinised and this is labelled a 'GP' problem when this would have very little to do with the individual GP themselves but instead a staffing issue that comes from the top of the chain. Teachers are verbally abused by parents who feel like their child failing is down to the school and not by the ill-mannered parent who brought up said child. Government offices see front desk staff insulted and sworn at for appointment changes, results that people don't want to hear and other things that are completely and utterly out of their power. All this is pushed by the news media.

When the news reports, it normally catastrophises a situation based on a cherry-picked research study that would support the sensationalist headline they want to make possible. This is especially true for one of the most widely read newspapers in the UK (I am sorry Americans, I can only base what I see on where I am). This newspaper is called the Daily Mail. Deploying tactics in which people are pitted against their own kind, this newspaper seeks to make people misunderstand each other and thus, create strife between them. This is usually true of the right-wing tabloid media in the UK with the Daily Mail being one of the most read amongst the working class.

Featuring puns and stand-out headlines with short passages instead of in-depth stories, the reason this newspaper is so widely read is of course, because of its readability. However, one look into the sources for its stories and you begin to uncover the cherry-picked narratives that are common of the right wing.

Ben Goldacre has covered numerous times that the Daily Mail is probably the least reliable source for news in the UK.

ii: Social Media

Social media shares in the blame for especially the frustration taken out on the workers in the service and hospitality industry. TikToks and 'Reels' galore show us people flipping out at someone at Starbucks getting their order wrong, often in America, with the customer usually throwing the drink at the barista. These get more and more farcical as you watch them with many people obviously horrified in the comments' section but it also makes people more bold in their own actions.

The whole '15 minutes of fame' concept also comes into play. If people can see that other people are being recorded and posted online with the people in the comments section normally acting like this is the worst humanity can do. BUT, on the other hand the Starbucks where it was filmed becomes a hotspot for a week, the customer becomes infamous and everything 'goes viral'. That's all people want and so this content gets made over and over again, making bits and pieces of money along the way but completely warps people's perceptions of actual reality. The more you think about it the more you realise that the very people altruistically acting horrified in the comments' section would be the first to hop on to the trend if the chance presented itself.

The boldness and bravery of action spurred on by the chance of 'going viral' on social media creates a logistical black hole for these industries. Attacking a barista, sexually harrassing the waitress at the local bar, throwing overflowing popcorn buckets in the movie theatre so that someone else has to spend more time cleaning up your mess and even the dine and dash scams of the restaurant industry are all part and parcel of this horrifying emboldened nature of the younger, more influenced generation. It is terrible. Social media has created a world without good manners.

iii: You're Entitled to Compensation!

How many times have we heard this line?

Today, we must admit the harsh reality that people are more entitled than ever. You've probably heard people say that they want to get their money's worth when they go out - well, there's a fine line between that and beating up your waiter because you didn't get any cheese on your chicken burger. As the demand for new and exciting situations because of a mixture between dopamine deficiencies caused by a lack of literacy and critical thinking abilities becomes the new normal, the service and hospitality sector must have staff willing to bend over beackwards to more degrees than their pay suggests they should.

This is simply done to keep the entitled at bay, making everything feel good all the time - which is what this dopamine-shot addicted society wants even though that really should not be the reality for anyone because it promotes a lack of emotional intelligence. But rather than protecting their staff from these illiterate and entitled ill-mannered zombies of the internet, those at the top put a little board up to remind you not to assault a member of staff when you don't get the Instagram shot you truly want of your custom-made burger and fries with fifteen different amendments to it because it didn't arrive looking aesthetically pleasing.

Instead, it should look like you want to put it on Instagram. That way those at the top get free advertising and the member of staff who has nothing to do with your food apart from bringing it to you doesn't go home with a black eye. It's almost farcical: those who actually do the work aren't getting protected. They're getting a sign that says 'please don't beat up the staff'.

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Part 3: Zero Tolerance

If you're wondering what my unpopular opinion is it is not very unpopular at all, just difficult to prove: the media is spinning a narrative against low paid workers and the public sector because it suits the narrative of 'thankless' work so that they can justify making heroes out of these people and feeling a sense of altruism. This can be through a fake fundraiser or a simple social media comment expressing disdain for an abusive customer.

They are also spinning this narrative so that they may keep the public fighting the people in the belief that they are fighting the system. This is simply not true. The people they are fighting are so far removed from the system and means of production that Karl Marx's ghost just got a bit stronger.

So what's with the 'zero tolerance' stuff and what is it meant to do?

It is the people at the top basically looking for a cop-out. They can say that they are doing 'prevention'. I have never seen someone who's going to beat up a barista look at a sign and think otherwise. The emboldened nature of the chronically online, chronically tabloid public doesn't go away because you put up a sign stating your tolerances. You are not Martin Luther. It is the cheapest cop-out the elites and the businessmen could find because 'doing nothing' is no longer an option.

The 'nanny state' however prevents us (as in the British, I'm sure the Americans are probably better at this) from talking with direct intent and purpose to deliver a message. Instead we are pried with politeness maxims and social courtesy to not upset the general populous with harsh realities. The harsh reality is this: if you abuse people, you should go to prison - or at least be banned from using particular services.

For example: if you are abusive at the doctor's office, the doctor should be able to refuse you service even if you are in need. Though the paper may say this is the case when abuse happens, it barely ever actually gets put into use and the cycle is doomed to repeat itself. With a lacklustre policing service as we have in Britain today, there is a fat chance anyone's going to do anything about it. A slap on the wrist and it goes on and on and on forever.

But I'm not in charge and so, we must stay happy with the little boards and signs everywhere.

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Conclusions:

Zero tolerance signs are now becoming a normal thing and it doesn't really point out anything to me apart from two very clear things:

1. we have a societal problem with entitlement and manners - we need to return to teaching people basic human decency because it is fading fast
2. the people in charge of these companies don't really care about their staff all that much if they're not willing to do much more than put little signs everywhere reminding people that it's a crime to assault people

It is the product of our media-enhanced world.

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Have you seen these zero-tolerance posters?

Have you ever seen a worker assaulted?

If you have seen either of these things then what do you think should be done about it?