Teen Caught Stealing American Flag From Business Is Taught An Important Lesson

Today’s cancel culture of lambasting, devaluing, and ostracizing any and everyone for the slightest misstep or mistake is incredibly toxic. The only way to correct this habit is to do a complete 180– but what would that look like?

A business owner from Pacific, Missouri has one idea.

After a local teen was caught and identified on surveillance footage stealing an American flag from Beacon Car & Pet Wash, owner Bill Hoaglin accepted Keaton Chandler’s offer to return the flag and countered with a proposition of his own: Rather than press charges, Hoaglin encouraged Chandler to spend the day at his business handing out miniature US flags to customers.

“I just feel this is a better learning experience for the young man and potentially for other people who know he is here doing it,” he said.

Hopefully Chandler feels the same. Considering his willingness to take responsibility and atone for his mistake, I suspect he does. I’d even venture to say he’s come out of the experience a better person because of Hoaglin’s willingness to help him learn a lesson about growing and improving as a human being.

Funny how that works.