Just to offer a warning, this post may be uncomfortable to read.

A friend pointed out an old news story that has made my blood boil. ABC’s 20/20 reported on the events that transpired one evening during the dinner rush at a McDonalds in Kentucky. Someone called and claimed to be a police officer who had the store manager on the phone. It was claimed that 18-yo Ogborn had stolen a purse from a little girl:

Ogborn was told to empty her pockets and surrender her car keys and cell phone, which she did. Then the caller demanded that Summers [the assistant manager on duty] have Ogborn remove her clothes — even her underwear — leaving her with just a small, dirty apron to cover her naked body.

Summers says she never second-guessed what she was being asked to do, as she firmly believed the person she was talking to was a police officer.  Ogborn says she trusted her manager to do what was right.

Because it was so busy, the “police officer” told the manager to call her fiance in to watch Ogborn. When he arrived:

Nix, a 43-year-old exterminator, began following the caller’s commands,  ordering Ogborn to drop her apron, bend over and stand on a chair.

This was the beginning of two hours of torment that involved Ogborn being struck and having to perform sexual acts. McDonalds was sued—read the full article for more details, I’m skipping to the end—and in defense was this:

In one of the most explosive moments from the trial, a psychologist hired by McDonald’s testified that Ogborn had “grown in some way” from the horrific incident.  Forensic psychologist Alan Friedman, who was paid more than $50,000 by the fast food company, acknowledged that Ogden experienced post-traumatic stress, but asserted that she has grown from the experience and is more assertive and self-reliant than she was before the 3½-hour humiliating ordeal.

Why are you still reading this? Go out and get raped. It will be a growing experience for you.

What happened to the caller, you ask? They found him by tracing phone cards and surveillance videos, but…

In the end, there apparently wasn’t enough evidence to convince the jury.  After two hours of deliberations, Stewart was found not guilty on all charges.

The article has an analysis of why this could be made to happen. Fast food chains try to have everything “by the book” and the moment that you introduce someone into a unique situation, they are at a loss for what to do.

If you want to see this happen sometime, walk through the drive thru after one of the chains has closed the dining room area for the night. Try to convince them to sell you food. The employees quite literally freak out (I walk late at night and sometimes get hungry).

The friend who pointed this article out was trying to make the point that wives and daughters should not be allowed to work outside the home. I have to disagree. In the article was an example of a strip search ordered on a male employee by his female boss. Incidentally, Summers said she trusted her fiance. She has since broken off the engagement. This was not a gender-specific problem but nobody had the backbone to hang up on the caller.

There is nothing wrong with questioning authority. Some times and places require you to blindly obey someone who has already proven themselves. Try not to let others decide when those times are.