You Are Replaceable- And Maybe By The “Beaner Slinger”

You go to work every day.  You’re dedicated, right?  Passionate about what you do?  Give it your all nearly every day?  We all like to think we go above and beyond and that it is seen and recognized as value.  We all like to believe that although unsaid, that we’re somehow buying ourselves some job protection and that we’re not replaceable.  Well, that may not be the case.

Take the case of P. Stephen Potter.  Stephen, who is a lawyer by trade, moonlighted for thirty six years as the “Hot Dog Man” for the University of Nebraska.  What is a hot dog man exactly?  Well, Mr. Potter would dress rather eclectically and wander around the stadium on game day throwing hot dogs as high up in the stands as he could.  People then wrapped their money in the hot dog wrapper and threw it back to Mr. Potter.

After so many years and becoming an icon at the stadium with the Nebraska fans, he was told his services were no longer needed.  Some think it was because he had asked to bring his granddaughter on his back, without a ticket.  But some think it was because of….The Beaner Slinger.

From the Daily Nebraskan News

About four years ago, another hot dog man showed up with The Beaner Slinger, an air gun (of sorts) for shooting hot dogs farther and higher into the stands.

Call it technology or maybe declining performance of the man throwing hot dogs manually.  Either way, Mr. Potter lost his job.  So, the next time you are going about your daily routine, remember the hot dog man.  Are you doing all you can to keep up with technology and bring new and innovative delivery to your job?  Maybe you should.