I was distracted by the viral story of a tennis player passing a cap to a young fan. The video was short and its presence was persistent for days. If you somehow missed it in September, the video depicts an older person next to the child seizing the cap and rapidly secreting it in the handbag of the woman next to him.
We have all likely seen the inspiring videos depicting some fan being gracious. There are the caught balls graciously handed to some child. The most compelling instances are likely where the ball is immediately given away. I like the one where two fans end up with a ball, following each coincidentally catching an errant ball.
The world around us has become filled with cameras. This blog has featured that. A decade ago, I penned Assume Everyone is Watching (September 2015). I reiterated in Judicial Bullying in the News (April 2018), Surveillance, Conflicting Rights, and Balance (May 2021), and Pay Attention (July 2023). Each time, I remind of that old Rockwell song "Somebody's Watching Me."
Well, the story with the cap quickly evolved as the internet identified the gentleman who palmed the hat. He was apparently outed on social media and then in the press. The New York Post equivocated:
"The 'entitled' jerk who seemingly snatched a hat autographed by tennis star Kamil Majchrzak from a young boy at the US Open has been identified as Polish millionaire Piotr Szczerek."
Some might see some judgment in the choice of words. Nonetheless, the identity of the cap grabber became very public.
There were reports on social media that the man essentially justified his cap snatching with a statement like "first come, first served." That and other representations have been cast in doubt by some later news reporting. But see Facebook, Twitter, Tick Tock, and more.
Kudos to the tennis player. His reaction to the event was to seek out the young fan who missed the cap and present him with another, along with some additional conversation and engagement.
This made significant news. It was all over social media. It was a poignant reminder of cameras and poor behavior. Nonetheless, less than a month later, a fan labelled "Phillies Karen" was accused of hijacking a baseball from a ten-year-old at a Marlins game. There may be discussion of the circumstances, but the video seems to confirm at least physical contact (she appears to lay hands on others in her assault to reclaim a ball).
I struggle somewhat to commiserate because I have never really collected memorabilia. I understand why some would want such a souvenir, but I have simply not striven for that personally. I remember several years ago at the WCI, a sports star autographed something for an acquaintance. He carried that momento throughout the remainder of the conference as if he now possessed the Holy Grail. Different strokes for different folks.
But the reminder here is that the world is watching. All the time. A reminder was that a big part of the case against the miscreant lowlife who stabbed four young folks in Idaho (no, I will not use his name) was various home-surveillance footage depicting a particular car. There are cameras everywhere, gathering data.
Social media is everywhere. It is fast, accessible, and often compelling (see the baseball videos linked above). If those don't get you, try this one. This means the gathered data can be almost instantly redistributed, shared, endorsed, and spread.
Courtesy MLB.
The world is watching. Ask the CEO who took one of his managers to a rock concert. That one has had repercussions and has been the foundation for many social media posts. As much play as it received, has anyone paused to consider the impact on that CEO's children (ignore that the CEO seemingly did not consider it)? Do the children deserve the fame or infamy of the father's poor judgment?
The Polish CEO who was outed strove to make amends. He tried to explain his decision to have the cap. He reportedly contacted the affronted young fan. And yet, the aftermath and clean-up effort have not seemed to gain the traction that the initial cap-grabbing generated. The world is seemingly not as eager to have the story or amends as it is to have the outrage.
The point worth considering is that there will be instances, moments, in the course of life that will present challenges, differing perceptions, interpretations, and even recriminations. These may be in the business of workers' compensation, the litigation of various claims, or the resolution process.
We will individually and collectively be afforded opportunities for perceptions, conclusions, and feelings. In each, there may be anything from a mistake to malevolence. But, in most, there will be the chance for reflection, reconsideration, and perhaps even restoration. When poor choices are made in a moment, wouldn't it be nice if people paused to consider the potential for a positive path back?
Consider the compassion illustrated here. The tennis player was tired and distracted. He did no wrong to the child. But, learning of the poor choice of a fan, he took a moment to try to remediate. The man who took the cap sought out the young fan and reportedly gave him the cap. The vitriol died down. Grace and forgiveness are possible.
What if we all strove to admit that humanity will exhibit errors, poor behavior, and mistakes? What if we tried to focus on affording each other and ourselves a bit more grace and forgiveness in those instances? Let's admit that we hold different values. And, above all, let's all remember that we are all in the public eye every moment, just waiting for the social media hoardes to pounce.