It seems that mob mentality is creeping into our society.
If you act, speak out against, or do anything to piss off the mob, they will come after you.
Not only can you face relentless scrutiny but you can even lose your job.
And the mob often will come to their conclusions without all the facts.
A perfect example of this is the campaign for Brad’s wife.
Bradley Reid’s wife, Nanette, was fired from their local Cracker Barrel on his birthday.
That’s when the mob came for Cracker Barrel and the results were hilarious, whether the backlash was warranted or not.
“Why did you fire my wife,” Reid posted to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s Facebook page.
Reid was understandably upset and also took to his own Facebook page to vent.
In the process, he insulted the woman who fired his wife by name and incited people to harass Cracker Barrel.
“To say I’m pissed off would be an understatement. After 11 years, those low lifes at Cracker Barrel let my wife go,” Reid wrote.
“I would really like to know why and those of you who know me these days, know that I WILL find out. In the mean time, if any of you would like to know also, please go to their Facebook page and ask them.”
Without knowing who Nannette was, why she was fired, or whether or not her termination was warranted, the mob decided they believed Reid’s account of the story and sought to defend his wife.
First people started trolling Cracker Barrel’s page asking directly about what happened with Reid’s wife.
However, Cracker Barrel (wh0 likely couldn’t respond even if they wanted to because of legal reasons concerning employees) ignored the mob’s pleas.
Things got even more hilarious from there.
No matter what Cracker Barrel posted on their Facebook page, people related it back to Brad’s wife.
Comedian Amiri King caught wind of Cracker Barrel exchange and shared it with his more than 2 million followers.
“There is a absolute s–t show going on at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Facebook,” he explained.
That’s when things blew up and the hashtag #JusticeForBradsWife was started.
The campaign then spread to Twitter.
Then the memes started. Someone even started a Change.org petition titled “Justice For Brad’s Wife, Cracker Barrel!!!”
“Brad was a kind and simple man. His wife, a loyal Cracker Barrel employee of 11 years. On a day that should have been full of cake and laughter, there was sorrow,” the petition stated.
“It was Brad’s birthday (actually it was the day before his mom’s 82nd birthday, but…) and his wife, Nanette, was unfairly, unjustly, terminated from her employment. 11 years, Cracker Barrel. 11 long, hard years. It is for this reason, we demand answers. Cracker Barrel owes this much to this kind man and his loving wife.”
That petition had more than 26,000 signatures.
Other businesses started to get in on the fun too.
Chick-fil-A even offered Nanette a job.
People even started hitting up Yelp and Google pages for Cracker Barrel giving bad reviews.
They also claimed that Brad’s wife was the best server ever.
Nanette, however, was a retail manager and not a server, according to The Washington Post.
There are now dozens of Facebook pages dedicated to “Brad’s wife” titled My Brad’s Wife Cracker Barrel Page, Justice for Brad’s Wife, Rehire Brad’s Wife, and Brad’s Wife Matters to name a few.
Some people tried to sell Brad’s Wife t-shirts.
Even Reid decided that the situation was getting out of hand.
“Good morning. I would like to repeat that your local restaurant/store had nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING to do with this. Please send all of your questions/comments to the home office. They are the ones who can answer them…. or NOT!” he wrote on Facebook.
This type of mob mentality can really go two ways. Thankfully this situation ended on a more hilarious side. Unless you’re Cracker Barrel’s social media manger.
However, there is one person who found the positive side of the Brad’s Wife movement.
“It’s people like Brad’s wife who give me hope that our nation can unite behind one cause,” @MegansRight tweeted, in a post that’s no longer available.
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