Say Anything Blog

Freedom of Speech does not mean that we are free of the consequences of our speech.  Just as Freedom of the Press does not mean that the press is not held accountable for their views and publications.

Now imagine that in asserting my right to freedom of speech, I get on local TV while at a protest rally holding a sign that says “F*ing Godbags Keep Your Hands of my Uterus”.  (Note, I don’t have a Uterus, but you get the point) Or I am speaking at a public venue and start dropping n-bombs (ala Michael Richards).  Maybe I am drunk and start ranting about Jews.  I am certainly free to do all of the above and the government won’t come and arrest me for being a bigot.  That is the First Amendment.  What we don’t talk about is what my boss does when he sees me engaging in an activity that harms our business. 

In 2002, Phoenix DJ Beau Duran called the widow of pitcher Darryl Kyle prior to a playoff game when the St. Louis Cardinals were to play the Arizona Diamondbacks:

The disc jockey who made an on-air prank call to the widow of St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher Darryl Kile was fired, a radio station announced Monday.

KUPD-FM morning radio personality Beau Duran called Flynn Kile at her hotel room and asked if she had a date to Thursday’s playoff game. It didn’t stop there as Duran told Mrs. Kile she was “hot.”

The prank raised intense anger among the Cardinals and the City of St. Louis.

KUPD suspended Duran last week, but advertisers pulled their spots from the station and citizens continued to speak out against the stunt.

In a written statement Monday, general manager Chuck Artigue said Duran was fired.

What about Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press?  It is probably those damned Godbags that want to control his Uterus.  Blogging is no different than working at a newspaper, on the TV News, or at a radio station. 

Words have consequences.  We are free to say anything we want and free to offend whoever we want.  But expect that if your boss reads you writing an op-ed piece for the Anti-Semetic Quarterly or sees you at a Klan Rally with your hood off, you might be looking for a new job.  Expect that your friends and neighbors might be embarrassed to be seen with you. 

Marcotte posts on her site a reference to Jesus saying “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.  As if losing a job is akin to being stoned to death.  As if saying hateful, hurtful things should be allowed in her case, but not in the case of Beau Duran, Michael Richards, or Mel Gibson.  As if politicians that say “macaca” shouldn’t represent the people of Virginia, but those that are members of the Klan should be allowed to represent West Virginia.

Some hatespeech should be tolerated and other hatespeech should not.  And John Edwards shouldn’t have allowed those Godbags that attacked her to influence his campaign.  I don’t think Edwards wants his image tied to Marcotte’s “godbag” comments any more than George Allen wants his tied to his “macaca” slipup.  Freedom of Speech has consequences.