Eternal damnation or unemployment? A Georgia factory worker chose the latter.
Billy Hyatt was fired from a plastics factory job at Pliant Corp. after he refused to wear a sticker with 666, which boasted that the factory had been accident free for 666 days.
He believed the number would cause him to “accept the mark of the beast and be condemned to hell.”
He’s seeking punitive damages and back pay in a federal lawsuit.
80 comments
I wonder if there's something to the story we haven't heard about yet. Because otherwise, he didn't deserve to be fired.
Not enough data to make an informed decision, though.
OK, everybody, what was the Mark of the Beast for ?
As I recall, in the Bible, it was supposedly about being allowed to buy and sell stuff. Not about having accident-free factories.
Hmm, maybe Christian eschatology desperately needs accident-free factories, and none of that trippy stuff no one seems to understand.
I suspect his firing had other subtexts going on. I'm sure the factory wouldn't have any problems finding other workers who don't like the number, refused to wear it, and yet, miraculously, still have their jobs...
> The factory HAD to know 666 is offensive/spooky to some people. This seems immature on the factory's part.
ooh, yeeah. You used the letter "D" in your post. I think it's offensive; you had to know this. So i think i'm going to file a federal lawsuit.
I'm with the majority here. This is no reason to fire someone, and if they already were going to fire him, they owe him to give him the real reasons.
Hope he wins in court, businesses shouldn't feel like they can fire someone over the pettiest disagreement.
Wouldn't the Mark of the Beast only be administered to people during the End Times; i.e. after the Rapture? So Hyatt evidently believes that he (as well as his entire congregation) missed the Rapture.
Though I do think that 666 is such an arbitrary number, and I have a feeling that they chose it specifically just to anger the fundies. I actually don't know if I can support such blatant trolling.
So the factory bought stickers with 666 on them, distributed them, insisted employees wear them, apparently took the time to determine if everyone was wearing them, only to have the whole silly exercise become obsolete the following day.
I call baloney on the whole story. I say its a myth spread by the crowd that is desperately trying to prove that American Christians are being oppressed. Or else, its a rumor being spread by some wise guy who is trying to ridicule the latter group.
@Brendan Rizzo
Wouldn't the Mark of the Beast only be administered to people during the End Times; i.e. after the Rapture? So Hyatt evidently believes that he (as well as his entire congregation) missed the Rapture.
Depends on his beliefs. Some Christians (the Rapture Ready crowd, for instance) believe in a "pre-Tribulation Rapture" -- that is, all believers get taken away before things get really really bad.
Others believe in a "post-Tribulation Rapture", or, less commonly, one that occurs mid-way through the seven year Tribulation.
If Hyatt was in the latter group, he didn't miss anything by his beliefs, but, again by his beliefs, would be sacrificing his chance of being Raptured if he wore the safe workplace sticker of the Beast.
Assuming that is his belief system, he's being logically consistent, though the basis of his logic is... somewhat debatable, to put it mildly.
Oh Jesus Christ. It's just a number, people! And at the worst, you only would have to wear it for a day. Or if it bothers you that much, smash your hand with a hammer or something and reset the number back to 0.
"He believed the number would cause him to “accept the mark of the beast and be condemned to hell.”
He’s seeking punitive damages and back pay in a federal lawsuit."
And the company's lawyer is rubbing his hands in glee*, saying 'Easiest job ever! All I have to do is point out that said Number of the Beast is actually 616 , and he'd already worn it previously. That dumbfuck fundie doesn't have a legal pot to piss in! ' >:D
*- I must get a tin of that sometime. I hear it's better than Neutrogena or Swarfega. X3
I've been waiting for this one to show up here. I saw the news reports about it, including a video with the employee in question.
The factory has a good record of work safety. All employees wear a sticker boasting the number of accident free days. It's part of the company uniform.
That number increments every day. The employee knew that day #666 was approaching. He made a big fuss ahead of time. "I refuse to wear the mark of the beast and have my soul go to eternal damnation."
I don't want to insult anybody from the South, but Southern accents tend to make people sound pretty dumb. This clown is no exception.
This guy is a complete loser. I can only guess that his refusal to wear that sticker for *one day* was only the last straw.
Go to CNN-online and watch the video. It's comical.
He may be a fundie, but he had a right to not wear something that offends him. I think the factory are in the wrong here. So in a way, this IS a darndest thing, just not in the usual way.
Even though it probably was more than this that caused his disemployment, refusal to wear stickers should not be a valid reason for firing people. They should've fired him on grounds of the real issues, not this stupid excuse.
Saw this on CNN.
If the sticker is the issue, they should have given him the day off, or exempted him (and anyone else that complained), or done something.
But termination for not wearing a sticker? There's either something going on with this guy that's not been said, and this was the excuse to get rid of him, or he's actively trying to be oppressed.
The law usually requires employers to make reasonable accommodation of peoples' sincerely-held religious beliefs. For example, they'd probably face problems if they required an orthodox Jew to take off his yarmulke if it wasn't interfering with his work. Its hard to see how letting him forgo wearing a badge for a day would affect the work of the company, so I suspect the company will lose on this one unless there are other factors.
@ Matante:
This is no reason to fire someone, and if they already were going to fire him, they owe him to give him the real reasons. Hope he wins in court, businesses shouldn't feel like they can fire someone over the pettiest disagreement.
In the U.S., a business can fire an employee for any reason or none at all , as long as the reason is not based on a "suspect classification" (e.g., race, national origin, religion, etc.).
One of the criteria for a suspect classification includes the group being powerless to protect themselves via the political process. Does anyone want to seriously argue that Christians are powerless in U.S. politics?
And as noted elsewhere in the comments, he had an option: take day #666 off.
He won't win his suit.
I doubt that this was all to the story. Maybe they did hand it to him and he did get fired. That's if he acted like a rational person, then his lawsuit would be valid. Though I'm going to say that he probably didn't get fired for not wearing the sticker but probably for his reaction, perhaps screaming at his co-workers and managers calling them "agents of the devil."
Alright, Billy didn't do anything wrong here, you guys, and this isn't fundie. Yea, it's a bit superstitious, but it's not his fault his religious culture saturated the number 666 with apocalyptic garbage.
And why does he have to be forced to wear a sticker, anyway? What happened to having a damn sign on the wall? These stickers sound like a fucking money-sink, and if you're going to fire someone over not wearing a damn sticker, I feel the lawsuit is entirely justified.
One question:
Is this what the conservative fundamentalists mean by small government and unchecked free-enterprise? That the government should make laws to regulate companies and protect workers, right down to the bits, including tiny details about workers uniforms? Huh?
I thought this is exactly what they **don't** want. I thought this is what they call fascist liberal Obama marxist nazi communism.
This is called "wanting to have it both ways".
Personally I agree that *at face value* as presented in the press, the company went overboard on this. We don't however know the further circumstances. Having seen this man in the video, I feel it necessary to feel that there's more to this than just the sticker and this one instance.
image
(emphasis added):
'Fear is the main source of superstition , and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. '
-Bertrand Russell
'I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfnameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. '
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt (inaugural speech)
Isn't the only fear Billy-boy here is supposed to have, is Fear of the Lord...?
What part of "at-will employment" do the people who are talking about "legitimate reasons to fire people" not get!? In most states, there are specified lists of illegitimate reasons to fire people, and it is legal to fire someone for *any* other reason, or for no reason at all, as long as they don't have a contract that says otherwise. He disobeyed orders that were not unsafe or illegal; he should be fired. End of story.
Frankly, if the story is true as it appears, which is unlikely, then this isn't really all that Fundy. The man has a right to express his religious beliefs and the factory does not have a right to force him to wear something that goes against that. Honestly, if what the article is saying is true, I'm siding with the worker.
Edit: @christopher, except that you're forgetting that the factory violated his constitutional right to freedom of religion. He is constitutionally allowed to believe what he wants and practice what he believes and the factory is not allowed to fire him for doing so.
@dfmfundies -
Precisely. "At will" employment has been the rule of just about every state for many decades, some almost a century. Employers can terminate employment for any reason, even unionized employees. So it makes no difference why the employer here fired the guy. The sticker could just as easily be considered part of a "required uniform" like a hairnet at a restaurant. The guy has no chance at winning. (Not that I would defend the employer for choosing such a stupid reason to fire a guy, but it's their legal right.)
Yeah, it sucks that he got fired, but lol at his superstition. Especially since 666 isn't even the mark of the beast. That makes it lulzier.
That being said, pretty shitty reason to fire the guy. Though I'm inclined to believe he was being a generally bad employee and this was just the final straw. The actual article is only like three sentences, so for an unabridged story you should probably google it. He's a fundie, but if he was just fired for not wearing the sticker he should get his day in court.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 overrides the "at-will" rules. It prohibits religious discrimination in employment, and requires reasonable accommodation of sincerely-held beliefs when requested - even if based on whack-job personal interpretations of Revelation - unless accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the business. To win, the company would have to show either that not wearing a badge would impose more than a de minimis cost or burden on the company, or that he's faking his religious beliefs.
I guess this moron would be really upset to learn that in the oldest manuscripts the mark of the beast is 616.
Seriously though, what kind of dipshit outfit fires someone over something like this?
#1352863
dfmfundies
And as noted elsewhere in the comments, he had an option: take day #666 off.
He tried. They wouldn't give him the day off he requested.
Poor guy. I would imagine, there's more to this story, but until such details surface, firing someone for refusing to wear a sticker is low, and I hope his lawyers take 'em to the cleaners.
Do I feel that his reasons for not wanting to wear the sticker are silly? Yes. Do I feel it's grounds for a 3-Day suspension with a termination at the end of it? Not by a long shot.
Billy? I bet he's feeling more like Hyatt from the (ultra-surreal, and hyper-lulzy) anime series "Excel Saga":
Useless.
PROTIP: The organisation Excel (and Hyatt) represents - ACROSS - who, as per their leader Ilpalazzo considers the world to be completely corrupt, and aims to change such, are just like the Religious Right today:
Useless.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excel_Saga
@ checkmate
I can only guess that his refusal to wear that sticker for *one day* was only the last straw.
Home Depot "requires" us to wear all manner of silly stickers. pins and badges. Criminy, there are more of those things than an Eagle Scout could amass. Not everybody wears them. And while HD regularly gives people the axe for any and all goofy reasons, (they can always find something ) I have yet to hear of this one happening. From the fundies I've known I'd guess this clown has been antagonistic for a long time, and on many issues.
Or not. Some bosses are genuine intolerable shitheads.
My paraphrasing this particular Ferengi Rule of Acquisition has never been so appropriate:
Pride and the sack is worth the sack.
Said Rules of Acquisition are the philosophy of the Ferengi, Billy-boy. I suggest you study the above. Especially the implications of the emphasised part.
@dfmfundies
And as noted elsewhere in the comments, he had an option: take day #666 off.
So, according to you he has three options:
1) Lose a day of income.
2) Lose his job.
3) Do something that goes against his beliefs.
Let's flip this around, and see if you can see why that's not a good set of options:
A kid is in school back when mandated school prayer was legal. He has three options:
1) Not engage in prayer, and risk being punished, ridiculed and/or bullied.
2) Miss a day of school
3) Do something that goes against his beliefs.
Just because we may not agree with this guys beliefs doesn't mean that he shouldn't be accorded the same respect we expect to be given ourselves. If it would be wrong to force an atheist to attend a prayer event, it is equally wrong to force a theist to do something that goes against his religious beliefs.
Granted, I'm kind of on the fence as to whether this happened at all, but the sentiment is still valid.
Factory Guy: "Goddamn it, it's just a sticker, wear it already!"
Factory Staff: "Goddamn it, it's just a sticker, he doesn't need to wear it!"
It appears that every party involved had a serious case of the dumbs.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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