so...i have yet to make a comment about the Duck Dynasty/GQ thing. i
was actually conflicted by it, honestly. but i just read an article in response to the whole debacle and it got me thinking (uh-oh is right!) and i finally have something to say.
he's [side note #1: i will not call him by name as i'm not going to be a pawn in the fame game... i've already said too much] not the first or the last person to lose his job
because of something they said. just has he, the employee, had the right to say
what he did; A&E, the employer, had the right to fire him. just as there are laws to protect speech, there are laws to protect people if they feel they were wrongfully fired. but i'm sure
deep down in the contract he knowingly and willfully signed, A&E can do
just about anything they want to do. even in the crazy world of showbiz, sometimes,
you still have to lay in the bed you make… just like the rest of us.
i don't feel sorry for him or anyone else who is a "celebrity" that has fallen from grace. they know what they are signing up to do, to be famous... you take the good, you the take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life. [side note #2: personally, i don't even think there should be celebrity's. i think it's an unhealthy black hole of obsession, unrealistic expectations and don't even get me started on how many millions of dollars they make, while others go hungry on the streets... are they really that awesomely talented? the jury is still out.]
people throw around the term “but it’s my freedom of speech” so
much, it has really lost its power. it's effectiveness. it's drama. and that’s a damn shame because what does it really mean when everyone says it, who does it help if everyone uses it? (answer: nothing and no one.) so the next time you use it (and please use it sparingly) make sure it’s legit and that you're not just trying to win an argument or make a point...because that's not what it's there for. it's not there to justify close-mindedness or intolerance... in fact, it's there for just the opposite.
[side note #3: i could say the same for the word Nazi. first, Obama is not a Nazi… if you knew
one thing about the Nazi’s, you would know that it could not even be possible for
him to be one. second, i've been called the Love Nazi on more than one
occasion, but i’m not a Nazi either. in fact, i asked people to stop calling me
that, because it’s disrespectful and demeaning to the people that were directly affected,
tortured and killed by the (and this next word is very important) actual Nazi’s. if any Tom, Dick and Harry can be a
Nazi nowadays, then i guess the Holocaust wasn't that big of deal then, was it? you're a Nazi and you're a Nazi. everybody is a Nazi. i think i've made my point.]
the freedom's of speech, religion and to peacefully assembly
without persecution [side note #4: in Uganda, if 3 or more people are found to be talking about politics, the police have the right to shoot them on sight... just to put things into perspective here.] were made to protect the rights and lives of the
minority... and that's the reason i was so conflicted - because in this day in
age people like him are becoming the minority. but with that said, his comments
were filled with hate and ignorance and if that is the freedom of speech and
the America you want to protect and stand with, be my guest... but it sure as
hell isn't mine. i still want to protect, defend and fight for those who cannot
have a voice of their own... or their own reality show.
"no change of circumstances can repair a defect of character." - ralph waldo emerson