A Newcastle Cafe owner won’t apologise for a job advert that labelled depression sufferers as not “real people”.
Annie Calabria says she wants strong workers, but her comments have created a storm, and some customers say they won’t come back.
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Dear Annie,
May your business be blessed with drug addicts, thiefs, alcoholics, child abusers,wife beaters, rapists and murderers. God forbid you should end up with ‘real’ people with depression! I hope never to grace your door with my presence nor my purse.
On another note…
Sadly the most ignorant and obnoxious feel the need to be heard in order to fill a need within them, usually to mask their own inadequacy. People with self awareness, compassion and true understanding know they don’t have to destroy or ridicule others in order to be perceived ‘better’. In fact, they are confident that ‘giving’ to others takes nothing away from themselves.
I also hope you never suffer a dibilitating loss (divorce, death of a child, incapacitating injury, business foreclosure etc which could precipitate depression. If you do, I hope you encounter wise and helpful people, unlike yourself, who will graciously reach out to you with kindness.
Well said Gina. We are all just one sad loss or devastating life event away from possible depression. Having a job gives you a reason to get out of bed. I don’t meet the criteria, and am happy employed and getting by just fine.
So does your add discriminate against intellectually disabled people such as your self? You are a true advocate for the importance of education!!! Truly scary !
I can’t believe the complete and open idiocy of this woman. Has anyone told her it’s the 21st Century? No self respecting person, regardless of their mental health status, should work for, or be a customer of, this disrespectful and disgusting human. She is not less than human, but she certainly needs to learn about being human.
Lady, you’re a fracking moron.
The problem with this whole thing, and what is not being taken into account by the media is the fact that the staff there AREN’T being treated well – they are being abused and have unstable work conditions. They have gone through that many staff for a reason – both the bad treatment of staff, and the fact that they fire people over the smallest/most trivial things. It’s outrageous and that woman is one of the best actors I’ve ever come across…most of the time.
So Annie claims she has built her business on a friendly reputation? Funny, every time I have been there she, personally, has been nothing but downright rude to me – that was after she had finished ignoring me. Then proceeded to much up my order on each occasion and refuse to take responsibility for her own mistakes. Businesses don’t go through 30 staff in four years if it’s a nice place to work.
This woman should be held accountable for her discrimatory behaviour. The relevant authorities need to be notified of her actions.
Mental illness is a shocker, but toomany people are using it as a get out of Jail free card. Like my Aunty who 3 shoplifting cases squashed because of her mental illness, 1 case maybe 2 but 3 or morenar just aint on.
The old saying people vote with their feet comes to mind. If her business fails and she goes into depression is that called karma?
OH FFS People, You are reading too much into it, she clearly stated that ” your assumptions ” were not the case at all. Get over it, It was a tongue in cheek comment about ingrown toenails etc etc etc, Maybe a podiatrist shouldn’t apply wither, Get the F over it , GEEZUS, she wants workers, not whingers 🙂 Simple
So she didn’t think before she wrote but i wish all the people bagging her actually knew how hard it is to run a business! Public Servants will never understand! Surely u all have more important matters to be concerned about than ruining a business! Get a life !!! Go save the whales people
i have been badly treated as a customer at this place, i complained politely about my order and was told not to come back if i didnt like it the way they did,the man threatened me, i was fearful