According to Conservatives, Freedom Of Speech is Only for Bigotry
In the middle of all this Phil Robertson controversy, I just have one quick question: Where were all these freedom of speech-loving Republicans when Martin Bashir was forced to resign from MSNBC? They certainly have jumped on the Constitutional bandwagon when it suits their political purpose.
So after Phil Robertson was suspended from the hit A&E show ‘Duck Dynasty’ after making obscene, offensive and tasteless comments about blacks and gays, Conservatives, and Sarah Palin interestingly enough, have taken mighty offense to the decision by the private company who employs Robertson to censure him after he was giving them negative publicity.
Many employers have guidelines for employees about behavior that might negatively impact the employer’s public image, especially for highly visible employees who are regularly in the public eye. That is why Martin Bashir had to leave MSNBC for saying someone should defecate in Palin’s mouth, and that is why Alec Baldwin had his upcoming show on MSNBC cancelled after he called a paparazzi “faggot,” among other things.
Conservatives championed for their removal, as so did the liberals. But oh no, because Phil Robertson claims to be a man of God, he gets a free pass to say anything he wants, such as comparing the yearning for ones private parts over another (I forgot which passage explicitly lists which genitalia is better, can someone direct me to it?)
Now, here’s a reminder, Republicans: the 1st Amendment really only applies to the government (Congress shall make no law.. abridging the freedom of speech) not having any right to limit or censure you for exercising your right to free speech, NOT private corporations. I would ask you conservatives to please make up your mind whether you want free enterprise, or government enterprise, because if you want free enterprise, then the fact of the matter is a company has a right to fire anyone who says offensive or tasteless language or comments that will reflect badly on their company. There is no way around it. A television network, or A&E in this case, is funded through their sponsors, and if those sponsors were unhappy (as they should have been) by something that they saw, they stood to potentially lose revenue, and they had the right to take action.
A&E made a business decision. It wasn’t a decision on words, religion, or rights. It was money.
Isn’t this what all these free enterprise conservatives usually fight for? And now they’re saying no, this is not how it goes? I’m confused by the conservatives of today’s world.
After Bashir had to leave MSNBC for his comments, Sarah Palin, the “champion” of free speech apparently, said that “those with that platform, with a microphone, a camera in their face, they have to have some more responsibility taken.” Not even a month later, she went on to do a complete 180 and said “free speech is endangered species; those ‘intolerants’ hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing personal opinion are taking on all of us.”
Oh I see. When it involves you by all means fire the guy. But when it involves blacks and gays, and Jim Crow laws and how black Americans just loved them, say whatever you please! Just remember to say ‘God’ so you don’t get in too much trouble.
Now people are turning this into an issue of religion. However, no one is bringing to light the offensive things he said about black people and their lives in racial segregation.
And Conservatives say the liberals turn everything into a race issue.
Instead, everyone is saying that he got fired for supporting the bible which is just ridiculous.
It’s really quite funny because all of the “support Phil” pages on Facebook and Twitter are including only his attempt to “rephrase” what he said (aka what his publicist released for damage control). Nothing from the actual GQ magazine seems to make it on the pages that support his blatant homophobic, racist remarks.
Contrary to popular Republican belief, this isn’t “big government” censoring people’s words or religious beliefs, it’s a private corporation exercising their rights as a business (again, isn’t that what conservatives are supposed to fight for?)
Hold on a minute, can anyone tell me what the Dixie Chick’s are up to? I seem to have forgotten the GOP outcry when they were banished from the airways after criticizing President Bush at one of their own concerts.
Robertson had the freedom to say what he believed and act in a manner consistent with his beliefs. So did A&E. Dixie Chicks criticize Bush for being a bad Texan, and they become forgotten like Sarah McLaughlin.
Favorite talking head Sean Hannity went off on Fox News about how liberals allow themselves a free pass when it comes to offensive language, citing Ed Schultz calling Laura Ingrahm a “talk slut.” However, he failed to mention the times Rush Limbaugh has called women sluts, and when Glenn Beck referred to feminists as “femnazis.” But everyone knows that after Limbaugh called Saundra Fluke a slut, many of his sponsors hit the road. Conservatives didn’t complain about that. Why? Because it was his sponsors right not to associate themselves with bigotry and sexism.
Freedom of speech is only for bigotry, according to conservatives. But the scary part is that they seem to be the ones who are defining what bigotry is. When liberals say offensive things, everyone, including liberals, want them off the mainstream. Conservatives say offensive things, only liberals want them off the mainstream.
I wonder why that is.
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