'A waitress went viral for kindness at work and got $500. People going viral for ugly behavior are raising six figures': Worker exposes how workplace kindness isn't as rewarded as negativity

This time of year has a way of throwing everything into contrast. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of year, but it's also the toughest for many. No matter if you're dealing with grief, financial hardship, illness, or more, the holiday season can make everything a little more heightened. The cheer of the holiday can make those who are suffering feel even worse. Something about all the festivities and all the consumerism. Of course, it doesn't have to feel that way. Holiday cheer shouldn't be dependent on what you can afford, where you live, or who is surrounding you. We've all watched enough Christmas movies to know that the spirit is a feeling of generosity and kindness more than it is anything else. But that can be hard to remember this time of year. 

This is especially true when it comes to acts of kindness. We hear all about the random acts of generosity that crop up around the holiday time. It's a time when people feel involved in helping others. But this can only sometimes make us think about why we don't do it the rest of the year. Why do we need to wait until the month of December to show that we care about others? One worker brought up this idea when talking about the two different types of stories that catch our attention. We love to hear about positivity and kindness, but not as much as we like to hear about controversy. 

Author image for JR Atkinson JR Atkinson
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  • Someone tries to put a dollar in a glass with lights behind them
    via Unsplash+ (Lala Azizli)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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  • We all know about rage bait, and we've all fallen for it. Sometimes it's easiest just to click on something that makes us angry. It's not as easy to care about something that makes us feel a neutral wave of positivity. It's not as activating as an emotion. But what does this say about ourselves as humans? What does that say about our priorities and our commitments? It's worth interrogating, if only to make us more aware of our own patterns. That's what one man noticed, and commenters came in to agree with him. Read on to see what sparked this story and to see other people's reactions to it.

  • A waitress went viral for kindness at work and got $500. People going viral for ugly behavior are raising six figures.

    A few weeks ago, a TGI Fridays waitress named Brittany went viral after a customer filmed her calmly comforting a stranger's toddler while still doing her job during holiday travel chaos. It was a small, human moment that a lot of people connected with.
    via u/TravelTime2022
  • The company publicly rewarded her with a $500 check. Supporters later raised roughly $10,000 for her online, which was generous, but the story mostly faded after that.
    via u/TravelTime2022
  • What has stayed with me is the contrast. In several recent viral workplace incidents involving people behaving abusively or using hateful language, crowdfunding campaigns for those individuals ended up raising six figures. Kindness and emotional labor from service workers are often treated as symbolic, while outrage and controversy mobilize massive financial support.
    via u/TravelTime2022
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  • During the holidays, when service workers are stretched thin and asked to show endless patience, that imbalance feels worth talking about. If nothing else, it feels like a reminder of what we choose to reward.
    via u/TravelTime2022

  • Commenters gave their opinions on this take.

    Vahnvahn1 Evil is winning. But that doesnt mean good stops fighting. We can't give up
    via u/Vahnvahn1
  • SuckerForNoir Robots The best that most of us can do is refuse to give attention to the hateful stories and know that eventually the morons giving away money for these things will have no more funds to give. It also costs nothing to leave a ✰ review or take a survey if you work with a server or a cashier or anybody else that does an exceptional job. It might not get them $500 but it might put them in the running for a raise or a promotion or even just protect them from getting cut if the workfor
    via u/SuckerForNoirRobots
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  • Hundred dollar bills hang on a clothesline.
    via Unsplash+ (Kateryna Hliznitsova)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • NoSpankingAllowed Hateful people want to reinforce that behavior in others of their ilk.
    via u/NoSpankingAllowed
  • GladysSchwartz23 It's not what "we" choose to reward. It's that right wing lunatics are an eager audience that loves to shower attention and money on public bigots, while there is no similar grouping of people primed to reward good behavior.
    via u/GladysSchwartz23
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  • pastel-dreamer Engagement is easier with ragebait than "aww thats nice!"
    via u/pastel-dreamer
  • BigClitMcphee The mother of the toddler Brittany carried around started a GoFundMe for her.
    via u/BigC***Mcphee
  • eric-artman Fantastic stories. Someone got a 500 tip.. one server out of millions. how often it happens? Would you like a decent salary instead? Us land of free
    via u/eric-artman
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  • JoshiRaez Because even the crowdfunding are operations from outsiders.
    via u/JoshiRaez
  • givemejumpjets "hateful language" makes you sound immature, stop allowing them to win.
    via u/givemejumpjets

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