{"id":2135,"date":"2026-07-09T04:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2135"},"modified":"2026-07-09T04:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:26:58","slug":"railway-conductor-who-went-viral-with-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-in-major-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2135","title":{"rendered":"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><b>Jack Peterson<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a part-time conductor with Tennessee\u2019s famed Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, found himself at the center of controversy after his Fourth of July greeting to passengers went viral.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTo the <\/span><b>very few Americans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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, <\/span><b>you can leave<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d a TikTok video captures him saying.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-highlights\"><span class=\"h2\">Highlights<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"bullet-wrapper\"><i class=\"bullet\"\/><\/span><span>Jack Peterson\u2019s viral Independence Day message sparked controversy after Incline Railway passengers accused it of being exclusionary.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"bullet-wrapper\"><i class=\"bullet\"\/><\/span><span>He suffered a major career setback after the incident was reported to the transportation authority.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"bullet-wrapper\"><i class=\"bullet\"\/><\/span><span>Peterson has since defended his remarks as patriotic and launched a GoFundMe campaign.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Peterson sees his remark as \u201cpatriotic,\u201d a tourist traveling with him viewed it as exclusionary and <\/span><b>reported him<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the concerned authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This led to major disciplinary action against Peterson, leaving him questioning what it means for America as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat has this country come down to?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The railway conductor who went viral over an Independence Day message has suffered a career-ending blow<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbf9cbe9__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbf9cbe9__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbf9cbe9__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbf9cbe9__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbf9cbe9__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"560\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=1027886719380250&amp;set=pb.100064767934309.-2207520000&amp;type=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lookout Mountain Incline Railway\/Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) oversees the operations of the Tennessee Incline Railway.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agency, in a statement released on Monday, confirmed that Jack Peterson was fired after Florida-based father-and-son duo Charles and Nathan Schafer submitted a video of his Independence Day message with the hashtags \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/anti-racism-photo-contest-activism-around-world-agora\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">racism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d and \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/broke-brother-racism-drama\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">xenophobia.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbad9570__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbad9570__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbad9570__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbad9570__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbad9570__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"980\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@natescherer\/video\/7658823571321392415\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">natescherer\/TikTok<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charles, in his conversation with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WTVC<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, said the message \u201creally\u201d upset him, adding that he kept thinking, \u201cThe company needs to know about this because he was the only one representing the company, and I just had a feeling that they don\u2019t know that he is saying this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scott Wilson, CARTA\u2019s chief of staff, confirmed to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fox News Digital<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that they were unaware of Peterson\u2019s actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 700px; min-width: 325px;\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@natescherer\/video\/7658823571321392415\" data-video-id=\"7658823571321392415\">\n<section><a title=\"@natescherer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@natescherer?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@natescherer<\/a> Had an interesting train operator on The Incline in TN today <a title=\"lookoutmountain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/lookoutmountain?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#lookoutmountain<\/a><a title=\"racism\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/racism?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#racism<\/a><a title=\"xenophobia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/xenophobia?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#xenophobia<\/a><a title=\"theincline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/theincline?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#theincline<\/a><a title=\"tennessee\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/tennessee?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#tennessee<\/a><a title=\"\u266c original sound - Nathan Scherer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7658823576195222302?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" staff-link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">\u266c original sound \u2013 Nathan Scherer<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe role of the conductor on Chattanooga\u2019s iconic Incline Railway is to welcome visitors from around the world to our Scenic City, get them safely [to their destination], and play an audio recording about the railway\u2019s history,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cInstead of following the protocol \u2014 and common decency \u2014 this new seasonal employee used the microphone to make assumptions about the citizenship status of our visitors and their disposition towards our country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"><span class=\"dfp-ad\"><span><span class=\"pg-ad-label\">ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/span><span data-aa-adunit=\"\/46481815\/bp.com_desktop_singlepost_bottom_728x90\" id=\"adverge-div-gpt-ad-1491844427478-6\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He acknowledged that \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/revenge-on-rude-customers\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rudeness<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d towards guests is the exact opposite of what the company stands for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Wilson said he agreed that America was \u201cthe greatest country on the face of the planet,\u201d he emphasized that Peterson, as a company representative, should not have made a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/brutal-political-posts\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">political statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, adding that this was the reason for his dismissal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>CARTA apologized to passengers who witnessed the remarks<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbf30d8ee__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbf30d8ee__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbf30d8ee__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbf30d8ee__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbf30d8ee__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8lfmI-FS6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Local 3 News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his interview with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WTVC<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Charles Schafer said Peterson\u2019s remarks were particularly troubling because his<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/grandparents-meeting-grandchildren\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> granddaughter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was on the ride, explaining that it was not the idea he wanted her to pick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another passenger who disagreed with the conductor was heard yelling, \u201cShut up,\u201d in a viral video.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc5b2a0b__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc5b2a0b__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc5b2a0b__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc5b2a0b__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc5b2a0b__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8lfmI-FS6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Local 3 News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this and to everyone who has seen the video and felt the sting. It should never have happened,\u201d Wilson said while commenting on the matter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"><span class=\"dfp-ad\"><span><span class=\"pg-ad-label\">ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/span><span data-aa-adunit=\"\/46481815\/bp.com_desktop_singleimage_bottom_728x90\" id=\"adverge-div-gpt-ad-1491844427478-3\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/stupid-work-school-rule-backfired\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">zero tolerance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He added that \u201cevery passenger who boards\u201d their railway deserves to feel \u201crespected and welcome,\u201d before noting that, to ensure this is \u201calways the case,\u201d they have decided to bar Peterson from working for them in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe will not work for CARTA or the Incline Railway again,\u201d Wilson said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Jack Peterson called his firing unjust and was met with an outpouring of support online<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbd86f80__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbd86f80__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbd86f80__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbd86f80__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbbd86f80__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8lfmI-FS6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Local 3 News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peterson spoke with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">News 9 ABC<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about his dismissal, saying he was punished for merely celebrating the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/fourth-of-july-quiz\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA\u2019s Independence Day<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with his \u201cfellow Americans, native or non-native.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI truly believe we are the greatest country on earth. My statement about if you don\u2019t like the country and don\u2019t believe we are the best, then you can leave, was about the freedom of the USA that many other countries do not have,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not a racist or xenophobic thing to say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc37597d__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc37597d__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc37597d__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc37597d__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc37597d__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8lfmI-FS6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Local 3 News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an interview with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fox News Digital<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meanwhile, Peterson argued that \u201cCARTA as a company has a lot of thinking to do when it comes to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/foreigners-completely-misunderstand\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> supporting this country.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI do not feel my firing was correct or just. My personal thought is, what has this country come down to when someone can get fired on Independence Day for a patriotic statement?\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"attachment-link-container shareable-image-block\" id=\"railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc197908__700\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?image_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc197908__700.jpg\"><a class=\"web-share-button list-item-share new-share-experiment\" data-location=\"single-post-image\" data-title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-faces-huge-karma-update\/?media_id=railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc197908__700\" data-image=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc197908__700.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i><svg class=\"svg-icon icon-share-icon\" role=\"img\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"M0 15C0 10.8824 5.22292 10.0588 8.79817 10.0588V14.1765L15.7006 8.23061C15.7941 8.15345 15.8695 8.05559 15.9213 7.94441C15.9731 7.83323 16 7.71155 16 7.58824C16 7.46492 15.9731 7.34314 15.9213 7.23196C15.8695 7.12078 15.7941 7.02302 15.7006 6.94586L8.79817 1V5.11765C2.3995 5.11765 0 9.76235 0 15Z\"\/><\/svg><\/i><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/railway-conductor-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers-faces-huge-karma-update-6a4ecbc197908__700.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" title=\"Railway Conductor Who Went Viral With Independence Day Message To Passengers Faces Huge Karma In Major Update\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content-media-source\">Image credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8lfmI-FS6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Local 3 News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some netizens agreed with him, with one noting, \u201cHe should have been promoted instead,\u201d and another asking for Charles and Nathan, as well as the CARTA head, to be \u201carrested and charged with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/worst-traitors-human-history\/\" class=\" staff-link\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">treason<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Incline Railway passengers say conductor&amp;apos;s &quot;disturbing comments&quot; began when they boarded the trolley\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z8lfmI-FS6Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday, Peterson started a GoFundMe in response to the support he has received since the incident made headlines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His fundraiser, as of this writing, has secured $6.2K of its $8K goal<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u201cHe is going to have plenty of job offers,\u201d a netizen said<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/><span class=\"post-desktop-ad-within-content post-ads margin-left\"\/> <\/p>\n<div id=\"postPoll-10882829\" class=\"post-poll poll-wrapper single-post\" data-poll-viewed=\"false\" data-post-id=\"10882829\" data-main-post-id=\"\" data-poll-id=\"28326\"> <input class=\"post-10882829-poll-value\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"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\"\/> <\/p>\n<div data-bind=\"if: isInitialised()\">\n<div data-bind=\"if: !isLoading() &amp;&amp; isShowingResults\">\n<div class=\"poll-content\">\n<h3 class=\"answered-content-title\">Thanks! Check out the results:<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"answered-content-question\" data-bind=\"text: currentQuestionText()\"\/>\n<p> <span class=\"text\">Total votes \u00b7 <\/span> <span data-bind=\"text: totalVotesFormatted\"\/> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Newsletter --> <\/p>\n<div class=\"subscribe-to-newsletter-block-wrapper\">\n<p>Newsletter<\/p>\n<div class=\"subscribe-to-newsletter-block\">\n<p><h3 class=\"title\">Subscribe to Access <br \/>Exclusive Polls<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"right\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/boredpanda\/images\/icons\/subscription-panda.svg\" alt=\"Subscribe to Access &lt;br\/&gt; Exclusive Polls\"\/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you&#8217;re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boredpanda.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bind=\"if: newsletterSubscribed\" class=\"thank-you\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p class=\"right\">Thank you! You&#8217;ve successfully subscribed to newsletters!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Newsletter --> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"didomi\/javascript\">\nwindow._fbSDKPromise = window._fbSDKPromise || new Promise((resolve, reject) => {\nwindow.fbAsyncInit = function () {\nFB.init({\nappId  : '887842622821495',\nversion: 'v17.0',\nstatus : true,\ncookie : true,\nxfbml  : false\n});\nresolve(FB);\n};\n\/\/ Load SDK only once\nif (!document.getElementById('facebook-jssdk')) {\nconst script = document.createElement('script');\nscript.id = 'facebook-jssdk';\nscript.async = true;\nscript.src = `https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/${BoredPanda.Config.wp_lang}\/sdk.js`;\nscript.onerror = reject;\ndocument.head.appendChild(script);\n}\n});\n<\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jack Peterson, a part-time conductor with Tennessee\u2019s famed Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, found himself at the center of controversy after his Fourth of July greeting to passengers went viral. \u201cTo the very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fb_image_6a4ecbfd41d54.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}