Removing All Doubt

I am all for free speech.  I like being able to speak my mind without ramifications from the government.  I like that I can disagree with a policy or social mores or whatever is on the docket and not have to worry about going into a political prison.  That's what great about our country, I'm sure most of us can agree upon.

There's an old saying that goes, "Best to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."  There are some folks in the public arena who certainly subscribe to that notion, but allow themselves to be raked all over the press.  I don't necessarily agree with some of the viciousness that's spread around, but that's a drawback of free speech, that flame speech is up for grabs.

That is, unless, you are being paid by an entity who feels your comment may have crossed some invisible lines.

There is an old saying in the corporate world that if you are to do something, and mostly if that something is "visible," what would it look like to the company or entity if it showed up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal the next day?

In recent days, the recent debate about Hank Williams, Jr., "Bocephus" himself, made an inflammatory comment about President Barack Obama, wondered how far "free speech" ethics and limitation of those with a difference of opinion affects his status on ESPN's Monday Night Football.  You see, Bocephus provided the MNF intro and was incredibly recognizable to that brand.  I have no idea what the terms of his deal were, but let's imagine that Walt Disney Co, the owner of ESPN, is paying a whole bucket of money for the copyright usage and rights and all that jazz to use that music. 

Oh and what he said?  He just happened to compare President Obama to possibly the worst war criminal in the history of the world.  Other have claimed that what he said was taken out of context, the usual, or that it was "perfectly okay when someone said it about President George W. Bush."  Now, I have to admit, I was probably one of W's biggest critics.  I thought the "Hitler Didn't Need Search Warrants Either" bumper stickers were a bit much.  But you know what -- the difference here isn't that Bocephus has a difference of opinion, or that his comments were taken out of context or even that he said them on Fox News and is a Tea Party supporter.  It's that these schmoes who sold these bumper stickers or made them in their garage are folks like you and me.  They are not on a world stage.  They are trying to make a buck off a political item.  When someone like Alec Baldwin said he did not agree with Bush is another thing.  He did not come out and say, "Bush is Hitler."  There's a big difference between what Williams said about Obama.

Now Williams claims his First Amendment rights were violated here.  Here's a guy who has had the privilege of having a famous name, of being his own man and beloved by millions for his music.  I mean, this guy has made an empire out of the very things that Good Ole Boys stand for.  Not to say he hasn't worked hard to where he got, I mean I remember listening to old Hank Williams Jr songs in my dad's truck as we drove around on the weekends...but he parted ways from a private corporate entity, that had to deal with backlash from derogatory remarks that could be potentially damaging to their brand.

It's nothing to do with race, class, free speech or corporate versus private thinking.  Hank Williams Jr is no schmuck like you and me: he's not begging someone for a job or living paycheck to paycheck.  When this whole thing blows over, he'll still make out nicely, methinks.

Despite what your political or social beliefs are, what makes this world go 'round isn't just love, but also differences of opinion.  It's okay to not like the President of the United States, especially if he's your President and you've come to that conclusion yourself after careful thought, not having been told by a news organization to think a certain way. 

But that brings me to another double-standard about this whole shebbang.  Remember in 2003, when Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks made an offhand remark about how the band was ashamed that President Bush was from Texas?  This happened to take place on a stage in London, and the night before attacks were launched on Iraq.

Remember what happened next?  These three talented and family-oriented women were thrown under the bus by the very fan base who supported them, they were called derogatory names like "Dixie Sluts" or told to get back into the kitchen.  I had to admire Natalie, Martie and Emily for taking those negatives and turning them into positives for themselves and their fans who didn't care what they thought?

The difference?  They were women who didn't agree with the President's philosophy, and their music was banned from country radio stations, particularly in the Bible Belt.  These women worked very hard to get to where they were, and were not employed by these radio stations per se.  They disagreed with them and subsequently trashed them to support their own views.

And you know what?  Maines' comments about Bush were not even a millionth as nasty as Williams' was.  Which leads to the question that Richard Roeper from Chicago Sun-Times asks, if Maines was a traitor, is Williams too?

Kind of makes you think, right?  There is a difference between working under someone's brand name and working under your own, and making a flame comment that the world can see or hear, as opposed to privately.

Better to keep you mouth shut and be thought a fool, indeed.