7/22/2013

Didn't Fit in The Nutshell

I read a thought-provoking news article the other day about a big man and a pub.

A British man who is 6' 7" and almost 300 pounds was asked to stop going to The Nutshell in Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk because he is too big. The pub, officially Britain's smallest, has been operational since 1867 and is only 15' by 7' large.

The landlord put the ban into effect because the "Gentle Giant" as he's called takes up the same amount of space as four average-sized customers and in a pub this small, every inch counts. Fortunately, the ban is only in effect during the busiest time of the day.

The part of the story that interested me was the big man's attitude. He responded with aplomb, understanding why the pub's landlord would ban him. I wondered, would a person from the U.S. respond with the same matter-of-fact reasonableness? I think not. A banned bar drinker on our side of the Atlantic would demand his rights and would first, visit a lawyer and, second, contact the media which would probably decry the discrimination and widely publicized a demand for restitution.

Can we adopt a little of the Gentle Giant's attitude and stop demanding our rights all the time? Can we try, at least sometime, to see someone else's point of view? Grace is the word the Bible would use. We need to try to show each other grace, because occasionally, just occasionally another person's need really is greater than our own.

Three cheers to the Gentle Giant for showing grace.


9 comments:

  1. There'd be a discrimination lawsuit slapped on that pub so fast if it was in the USA.

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  2. You are so right! This never would have happened this way here in America, land of the "free to sue anyone for anything no matter how absurd".

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    1. So sad. Our judicial system needs a major overhaul. Too many nonsense lawsuits are prosecuted every year.

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  3. Interesting post! Hope the guy wasn't too thirsty :-) A month of Blog...

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  4. wow. Poor guy. Yes, here in the states, people would cry, prejudice against fat people! And the ACLU would descend. I, too, applaud the gentle giant.

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