I think "baseball" certainly could have disciplined Rocker without sending him to see a shrink. In fact as a businessman I perhaps would have fired him summarily. My product goes to the public, a public that increasingly consists of minorities, and yet I am to allow, in the name of free speech, one of my employees to repeatedly insult whole sectors of the very public to which I cater? Forget that crap. One may call me "PC" if one wishes, but that sucka is outta deah. Indeed I would make a public example of him. If anyone in my organisation is going to publicly assault the public, it is going to be me. If I should decide, especially as a matter of policy, that I am not going to assault the public (i.e. my customers and prospective customers), then I certainly will not tolerate a subordinate doing so. If the subordinate is determined to yet take advantage of his right to free speech, then he may do so-- but only while part of someone else's company or while unemployed.
Now concerning your question as to why it is crazy to disparage blacks and homosexuals, but no other group. I think, as Neocon has said here, this Rocker/shrink move is a mere ass-covering tactic, a way to appease liberals by implying that racism and the rejection of homosexuals is somehow insane. You see, this will allow the bosses to "do something" but keep Rocker at his post. It really is an unprincipled tactic, but such is life in America. I am a pro-life Christian, and as such am insulted nearly everyday. JLA is correct that hardly anyone notices when we are insulted. Nevertheless that is not the point. The point concerns one's willingness to accept the protocols established by one's superiors. No dang body got a right to work even while challenging the standards of one's bosses. Yet this is what Rocker proponents imply when they bring up his right to free speech and whatnot. Believing as I do regarding homos and feminazis, I cannot logically expect to last long as NOW's Public Relations director, for example. And I should not think myself ill used should my bosses fire me from that post after I have publicly challenged their beliefs. If one's superiors deem it acceptable to insult Christians but not blacks and homos, then one has the choice of keeping one's opinions to oneself, negotiating the point, challenging one's superiors and becoming appropriately unemployed, or leaving the authority of one's superiors to spout off at will without risking incurring their wrath. That is the issue. Rocker apparently has challenged the hand that feeds him. He therefore should starve to death or find a hand that agrees with him. |
