VIDEO: Train Conductor Gave Passengers Patriotic Welcome on July 4, He Was Fired Almost Immediately After
One train conductor finds himself out of the job after a message to passengers on the Fourth of July.
The incident took place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, aboard the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. That Saturday, WTVC said the part-time conductor went on the intercom system as the train was departing, telling passengers, “To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day.”
“To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave.”
The footage went viral via social media platform TikTok, where it was posted by one of the passengers who the news outlet reported was Nathan Scherer.
@natescherer Had an interesting train operator on The Incline in TN today #lookoutmountain #racism #xenophobia #theincline #tennessee ♬ original sound – Nathan Scherer
WTVC caught up with Scherer, along with Charles Scherer, who was also on board, to get their thoughts.
“I kept thinking, ‘The company needs to know about this,’ because he was the only one on there representing the company and I just had a feeling that they don’t know that he’s saying this,” Charles Scherer said adding, he approached the box office after the ride. “They couldn’t believe it. They said there was a third-party company that runs the incline and they would reach out to them and make sure they’re aware of that.”
@katiegweatherNathan and Charles Scherer were vacationing from Florida to Chattanooga and decided to record their Incline Railway conductor after they felt his comments were very upsetting. I sat down and talked to them about their experience.♬ original sound – katiegweather
Scherer could not let it go, saying he went home and found an email address for the incline company and wrote about the matter there.
“I wanted to make sure they knew that we don’t have any problem with the incline, we like the incline, whatever. We just really had a problem that you should be aware that he’s making comments like that,” he said, concluding he felt “embarrassed” that the remarks were made with his granddaughter with him.
The younger Scherer gave his take next. “I just kept thinking like, ‘This sucks for all the people on this train trying to enjoy this time,’ assuming everyone was fine with being here in America.”
In explaining why he decided to film, he said that he wanted the company to have a word with the operator.
The employee worked for The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. After CARTA received the footage, the railway’s director met with the employee and fired him.
WTVC claims to have identified the man as Jack Peterson, who offered comment about that day.
“I’m very patriotic it was the USA’s Independence Day. I was celebrating with my fellow Americans (native or non-native). I truly do believe we are the greatest country on earth,” he said.
“My statement about if you dont like the country and dont believe we are the best then you can leave is a freedom of the ISA that many other countries do not have. It is not a racist or xenophobic thing to say. If you dont believe in making this country better then why are you here?”
Why is Peterson being punished for stating the obvious?
This is the greatest country on the planet, and people who do not countenance that statement do not belong here.
If the reader is curious as to why Peterson must fend off accusations of racism and xenophobia, look to the man filming, Scherer. Those are the hashtags he used for his video.
Moreover, look closely at his shirt during the interview. It reads “Abolish ICE” in the font used by the ICEE company. He appears to be no fan of President Donald Trump or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Hearing that this is the greatest country on the planet, and people who hate it are not welcome, would definitely be offensive to someone holding his views.
The statement harmed no one aside from the passengers — like Scherer — who believe we are among the worst, not the best.
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