This morning, I awakened to Doug Banks Radio as usual… and as usual, I was shocked at the outright ignorance of people. The subject they were discussing was Tim Hardaway’s anti-gay comments and his subsequent ban by the NBA from the All-Star weekend. Instead of discussing whether the ban was reasonable or not, the question for call in was, “Should he have made the anti-gay statement?”
They’re mad lucky that the line was busy, ’cause I was about to tell them about themselves. I’m not saying whether I agree or disagree with Hardaway, because I don’t want to muddy the point I’m about to make. My opinion is irrelevant to the issue. The real issue is why is this man being punished for having an opinion?
Black people were calling in saying that Hardaway should have held his tongue. They said, overwhelmingly, that he should have not voiced his opinion and that he had no right to say what he said. In the words of Huey Freeman (who I seem to be quoting very frequently these days), “Man, that’s some ol’ bullshit.”
the Perversion of the Constitution
The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every American citizen freedom of speech. Interpreted, this means that we can say pretty much whatever we want without fear of being punished. But Americans have become so selfish and PC in their dealings that the Amendment is more often interpreted as “You’re free to say whatever you want to say, as long as you don’t offend me.”
This country was founded on offensiveness and argumentativeness. Don’t you think the British monarchy was offended by the revolutionaries questioning their “god-given” right to rule? Don’t you think that racist whites were offended by the idea of having to go to school and share facilities with colored folks? It is only through open and unchained discussion that anything can happen in this country.
You ever notice that the only initiatives that get pushed through these days are by extremists who don’t give a damn who they offend. You want a good example, because I just so happen to have one. Do you really think that Bush cared about what you thought of him when he declared war on Iraq? Nope. He just bully-footed his way into it. It’s pretty obvious that most people were like WTF? when he targeted Saddam Hussein instead of Osama Bin Laden. But it was politically correct to support the troops, wave flags and (above all) not question the Commander-In-Chief so we as a collective people just fell in line… all because we were scared to utilize or freedom to speak.
I repeat, “That’s some ol’ bullshit.”
what does this has to do with Hardaway
Whether or not you or I agree with Hardaway is, as I said at the beginning, irrelevant. The man has a right to say what he feels without fear of punishment. The same constitution that allows gays and lesbians to march in a Gay Pride parade should be protecting Hardaway right now. The same constitution that allowed abolitionists and civil rights leaders to speak on the behalf of the black minority during times of slavery and segregation should protect people like Michael Richards when they say things that go against the grain.
Michael Richards is a bag of douche.
Yeah, I tossed Richards in there, but he’s the perfect counter-example. He said some racist things. He offended me and I don’t like him as a person, but the constitution that we live under as American citizens say that he can say whatever he wants so long as it doesn’t bring me immediate physical harm.
If we as a collective say that it is okay to squash the opinion of a single man, then we’re saying that it’s okay for the government to censor our speech and ignore our pleas. We’re saying that it’s okay for you to be fired from your job because you don’t worship the same God as your boss. We’re saying that it’s not okay to have your own mind or to be different. Ask any lawyer and they’ll tell you that you must be very careful and aware of what precedents you set.
man up America!
It seems that in America we’ve become so obsessed with being PC and non-offensive that it’s impossible to tell what anyone thinks about anything. We’ve become homogenized into a sea of politeness and tiptoeing around issues. All of the politicians are saying the same thing, the safe thing. You never know how your neighbors feel about any of the serious issues in this country, because people are so worried about accidentally offending someone.
The offshoot of this is that your (yeah… you) First Amendment Rights are compromised every time you censor yourself in the name of being politically correct. Every time you don’t voice your opinion for or against racism, homosexuality, abortion, war or any other issue because you don’t want to offend someone, you are putting your own rights in check.
America needs thicker skin. Offensive words are just that, offensive words. My mom would call me a punk if I went running to her every time someone called me a name, and she’d be right in doing so. Toughen up America, your rights are worth more than your feelings.