Adventures in Tabling in Oro Valley

Here is a report from one of our intrepid tablers, Cris Gumbmann, on her experiences recently in dealing with people on both sides of the political spectrum.

Yes, adventures - some are good, others not so much, but sometimes they turn out better than you'd expect.

During the last couple of weeks, I've been tabling at the OV Recreation Center, a busy place with people coming and going for their classes. One person in particular seems to be a regular who likes to yell at us tablers as he walks by. His "beef" is with the school voucher initiative and the signs we have displayed on our table. Last week, a younger woman was helping her mother across the street; they had come solely to sign the initiatives. The "yelling gentleman" arrived just as they were stopping at the table. My table mate and I stayed quiet and let him yell, but the younger woman took offense and immediately fired back, giving him a piece of her mind. There was so much yelling between the two of them that people leaving the Rec Center were giving our table a wide berth! Not ideal! We tried to calm both sides down, but nobody was listening. The next day, a woman who had apparently heard the commotion stopped at the table and apologized for the man's behavior. Very gracious of her!

The following week, there he was again, walking in and yelling. Another woman had just passed by without signing anything, but she suddenly turned around and said, "How awful of this man to yell like that! I believe in freedom of speech, but this goes too far. I'll sign everything you have on your table, just because he was yelling at you!" And she did — she signed all three initiatives, and we had a lovely conversation. Once again, something unpleasant turned into something good!

So, my friends, let's keep tabling and enjoy all the good and pleasant encounters that come with it and not let the occasional unpleasant experience get us down.