You knew it would get complicated.
ESPN’s Jemele Hill has been in the public eye more than usual this week after tweeting unflattering remarks about President Donald Trump.
Hill tweeted: “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.”
For good measure, Hill, who is co-host of ESPN’s 6 p.m. Sportscenter broadcast, added: “Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period.”
Of course battle lines have been drawn between those supporting Hill and those who consider her the worst human being in the history of mankind.
Not surprisingly this White House has thrown its two cents in.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who could probably fit all of her integrity into a thimble with room to spare, espoused that Hill’s comments are a “fireable offense.”
Our president, taking a moment from dealing with two recent natural disasters, the threat of a nuclear war with North Korea and a dysfunctional Congress that can’t seem to get out of its own way, decided he too should weigh in with a tweet, saying: “ESPN is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers. Apologize for untruth!”
(I don’t know what we did back in the old days when we couldn’t tweet stuff. Does anybody remember?)
Okay, let’s take a step back and ponder this.
It should be of no small concern that we live in a country where the highest level of government feels comfortable attacking a private citizen’s right to free speech, going to the extent of trying to damage that individual’s career.
If that doesn’t bother you I think you’re missing the big picture here.
But looking at the small picture, why is this a big deal?
Jamele Hill is an intelligent, successful sports reporter who has advanced to the top of her profession. Her opinion on Trump is one shared by many people in this country. You could make a pretty good argument she’s right.
All that being said, I don’t care what Jamele Hill thinks.
To be fair, I don’t care what anyone on ESPN thinks. When I watch the station to see a game or the news I don’t care who’s talking. I watch for the event, not the announcer.
Hill, who is African American, does offer a perspective those of us who are white can’t have. Her voice and the voices of those in the minority communities are important because their lives are affected by the racist aspects of the current administration in a way the rest of us can’t relate to.
And Hill has a right to state her opinion. It’s part of the deal of living in a free society. Remember, in this case she didn’t do it while appearing on the air, she did it through the personal forum of twitter.
Hill also has to deal with the consequences, including criticism, personal attacks and what, if any, action her employer decides to take.
Lots of people cringe when celebrities give their political views. The response is often “can’t they keep politics out of this.”
There is a time and place for everything, but let’s be fair. Our displeasure is often governed by how much we agree or disagree with the speaker. In this case, someone with my political leanings isn’t going to be upset like those on the conservative side.
When you think of it, Hill in two tweets showed more backbone than many of her critics, including those in the White House. A person in her position has everything to lose and not much to gain by sticking her neck out.
When I call Trump the most incompetent and corrupt president in history, who cares? But let a celebrity say something and they draw criticism like a bright light draws moths.
We should all wish we had the courage that Hill showed in her attack on Trump, even those who don’t agree with her.
The last I looked, she was just exercising her right of free speech without fear of reprisal, which is something any great country should embrace.
So, are we a great country or not?
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