FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

America is a great nation because government is restricted from punishing a person for saying something only government authorities would find offensive. Citizens in the US are allowed by our constitution to speak their minds without fear. They are protected from the repressive hand of government’s power under the first amendment and the Bill of Rights.

Nevertheless, what one expresses does have natural consequences. If someone says something nasty about another person the person hearing the insult probably will shun the speaker or retaliate with another offensive remark. There is an adage:

“If you cannot say something good about someone, say nothing at all.” A person’s or groups’ horrendous behavior should be noted as not to be repeated.

When a powerful politician makes a speech he is going to receive positive as well as negative comments. When the constituent’s reactions are lopsided, either pro or con, the politician learns if his objectives were met. The individual evaluations of their presentation should determine their strategies for proceeding.  Reactions to one’s words and deeds should always be expected.

Celebrities, the media, sports and Hollywood personalities are just people although they may have a large audience and live the life of the 1%ers.  When they use their celebrity to speak their views there is going to be a reaction. It certainly will increase their name recognition among new and different audiences in a negative or positive way.

The Bill of Rights only protects one’s speech from government punishment. As a known expert or performer, one’s deeds and words are of the utmost importance. An expert caught in falsifying information or outright lying is not immune from losing his credibility and professional position.

Athletes are just as vulnerable as other celebrities. When sports elites take hypocritical positions they can suffer. The present protest in football was inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s stance against racial inequities in America. He did this by “taking a knee” instead of paying tribute to our flag which started two years ago long before Trump was president. He did this in front of thousands of people who came to watch a sporting event not a political anti-American demonstration. As an employee in his workplace he could have been fired on the spot for not acting according to the expectations of the team owner or the league.

Instead this fortunate multi million dollar, unproductive, bench-sitting quarterback became a media darling and idol by the progressive left. Other league players saw his unpunished actions as behavior to emulate to gain notoriety. The NFL has lost a large portion of its television and stadium audience due to behavior that alienates the fans. Kaepernick’s behavior is disrespecting and degrading of our flag and the soldiers who died protecting the freedom of speech. His position is ridiculous and unpatriotic.

The recent game in England between Baltimore and Jacksonville was beyond the pale. In front of people from another nation, team members used this platform to “air their dirty laundry.” They disregarded the harm that would be done to the reputation of the freest country in the world. It was a despicable and false demonstration of what America actually is. These players and the owner portrayed the United States as a nation in racial disarray.  These millionaire football entertainers destructively misrepresented our nation. It borders on sedition.

These are not items to start a discussion on social justice but inflammatory acts inciting potential violence not dialogue. It should motivate team owners and the league to hand out clear expectations and consequences for disrespecting our country in front of their customers. These customers came to see an entertaining game, not personal political commentary.

If these professional sports celebrities want to have an impact, uplifting black citizens, they should devote time and money to start self-help infrastructure throughout the United States.  These developed organizations will have an immense impact on making youngsters more educated and aware of strategies to help themselves and others. This will take personal effort and money to inspire and teach children to be part of the solution instead of walking down the path of anger, hate and destruction.

Too many sports celebrities are hypocrites. They may feel guilty for having so much wealth and power for merely playing a game they love when there are so many people who are working hard every day to stay afloat. Celebrity football players should stop making token gestures.  They need to be hands-on mentors of future leaders of their local community. Bending the knee in the workplace does not solve anyone’s plight, it only gets plenty of airtime giving them more Facebook friends.

These prima donnas are dividing, not uniting people of our nation. Our national anthem joins us in celebrating and appreciating the greatness of our country.  We need to return to it finally through a dialogue on race.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a new just published book, entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.