Don’t Put Me in a Box! I’m a Free Man.

Two rules for surviving an unforgiving world.

Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
4 min readJan 19, 2024

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Photo courtesy of author

“Hi, it’s Pete here. How did it go? Tell me!”

At that moment, it felt like all the other guests in the high-end French restaurant stared at Pete. Conversations ceased, and forks stopped mid-air. For a split second, Pete seemed to be the center of attention as everyone appeared eager to hear from the person on the other end of his phone.

Soon after, I began receiving social media messages about a “clown” dressed in a blue suit and accompanying yellow tie in a French restaurant downtown. He was standing at his table making a phone call while continuing to eat his starter, which appeared to be escargots. People weren’t interested in Pete’s conversation anymore. They were irritated.

“Who does he think he is?”

“Another arrogant corporate type who thinks he’s above the rules.”

“Give this guy a chair and tell him to shut up.”

Pete became the target of negative posts and reactions on social media.

A real-time Internet meme.

People judged Pete based on his behavior and appearance, but — of course — they didn’t know the whole story. Even those who weren’t present at the restaurant felt the need to share their…

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Written by Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Where Gen X memories meet today’s struggles.

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