Disclaimer: The following post is purely my opinion. I don't expect you to agree with me. I am just putting my frustrations out there. This may or may not offend you. Read on if you dare.
For a long time, I have been struggling with the horrid abuses of the First Amendment. It is something that really bothers me. I truly think that people have no sense of common decency for their fellow humans. Here's why I think that.
Just because you have Freedom of Speech, doesn't mean you have to spout your racist, biased, hateful garbage. Yes, you have the RIGHT to, but you don't HAVE to. I have my opinions, and very often, they don't meet up with a majority of people's views. That's fine. I don't feel the need to publicly, and in a completely disrespectful way, smear them across social media or the internet in general. If someone asks me, I will tell them how I feel in a manner that isn't completely hateful. Just because you have the freedom to speak your mind, doesn't give to leeway to be a completely disrespectful and biased assclown. You do have the right, but again, doesn't mean you have to. People would respect your opinion a lot more if you did things respectfully. Get respect by giving respect. Novel concept.
My next issue is everyone's favorite: Freedom of Religion. I don't care what your religion believes or says. I don't. You are entitled to your beliefs as I am to mine. As is everyone who is an American citizen. That means that everyone has the right to believe what they want, and does not have to live according to what you believe. That's their right. I don't need you to tell me I'm going to burn in Hell. I don't need you to tell me what is or isn't socially or morally acceptable. I think that as a pretty moral and upstanding person, I can determine that on my own, thanks. That's the beauty of Freedom of Religion. I can choose to believe or not believe whatever I want. That's every American's right. The right we don't have is to tell someone what they have to believe or what they can't believe. The biggest issue I have seen with this, besides the complete bigotry towards any other religion, is homosexuality. I don't care what your religion says. It's not your place to tell someone they are wrong based on your religious beliefs. Technically, because of the previous mentioned Freedom of Speech, you CAN, but it doesn't make it right. Goes back to that common decency thing. Believe what you want. I encourage it. Just don't damn me or anyone else because we don't share your views. I think there was some guy a long time ago who talked about being decent to others and treating others respectfully. I think some religions were based on his teachings too. Funny how some of those groups are telling people they will burn in Hell for their beliefs. Hypocrisy is fun to watch.
My last and most reviled issue... Freedom of the Press. As a former journalist, I am ASHAMED of the current state of the business. I realize that journalism has never been a pristine profession. There has always been dirty journalism, and I'm fine with that fact. It is what it is. However, the current state is appalling. No one has a private life anymore. No one. Everything anyone of any merit does, is dissected, reported, and put on display for the world to see. I don't care what some movie star wears to the grocery store. I don't care about their drug habits or their sexual proclivities. You know what I do care about? Unbiased, true to the point journalism. A story that reports on things that do matter. A story that isn't skewed to the biased worldview of the author. True journalism is dying. Social media is killing true journalism. For every one truly pure journalistic piece, there are 100 op-ed columns passed off as a news story. Also, I'm tired of the "misery and chaos sell" mentality. Every time I am on a news site, it's all bad. Always. There may or may not be a story of genuine goodness shoehorned in there. It's alarming how focused we are, as a culture, on the negative. I think if reporters (or people in general) really tried, we could find one heart warming story for each heart wrenching one. But feel good doesn't sell. Death, destruction, and mayhem do. Shame on us, as a people, for allowing this to happen. The news world should not be leveled when some sports or movie star does something stupid. The news world shouldn't stop when something awful happens. Report on it, and of course, follow up on it. But I don't need the news story, and then everyone's fucking opinion on it. Maybe it's asking to much. Maybe instead, we could do the same thing for the good things that happen in the world. Maybe balance it out? It will never happen, but it's a good thought.
I realize that me complaining about these things isn't going to change the world. I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to share my opinion and give everyone something to think about. You don't have to agree with me. I just wanted to share, and remember kids, sharing is caring. Moral of the story is: don't be dick. Leave people alone, and let them enjoy their Constitutional Freedoms without pissing all over them. Be respectful and decent.
Is that really so much to ask?
Probably.
For a long time, I have been struggling with the horrid abuses of the First Amendment. It is something that really bothers me. I truly think that people have no sense of common decency for their fellow humans. Here's why I think that.
Just because you have Freedom of Speech, doesn't mean you have to spout your racist, biased, hateful garbage. Yes, you have the RIGHT to, but you don't HAVE to. I have my opinions, and very often, they don't meet up with a majority of people's views. That's fine. I don't feel the need to publicly, and in a completely disrespectful way, smear them across social media or the internet in general. If someone asks me, I will tell them how I feel in a manner that isn't completely hateful. Just because you have the freedom to speak your mind, doesn't give to leeway to be a completely disrespectful and biased assclown. You do have the right, but again, doesn't mean you have to. People would respect your opinion a lot more if you did things respectfully. Get respect by giving respect. Novel concept.
My next issue is everyone's favorite: Freedom of Religion. I don't care what your religion believes or says. I don't. You are entitled to your beliefs as I am to mine. As is everyone who is an American citizen. That means that everyone has the right to believe what they want, and does not have to live according to what you believe. That's their right. I don't need you to tell me I'm going to burn in Hell. I don't need you to tell me what is or isn't socially or morally acceptable. I think that as a pretty moral and upstanding person, I can determine that on my own, thanks. That's the beauty of Freedom of Religion. I can choose to believe or not believe whatever I want. That's every American's right. The right we don't have is to tell someone what they have to believe or what they can't believe. The biggest issue I have seen with this, besides the complete bigotry towards any other religion, is homosexuality. I don't care what your religion says. It's not your place to tell someone they are wrong based on your religious beliefs. Technically, because of the previous mentioned Freedom of Speech, you CAN, but it doesn't make it right. Goes back to that common decency thing. Believe what you want. I encourage it. Just don't damn me or anyone else because we don't share your views. I think there was some guy a long time ago who talked about being decent to others and treating others respectfully. I think some religions were based on his teachings too. Funny how some of those groups are telling people they will burn in Hell for their beliefs. Hypocrisy is fun to watch.
My last and most reviled issue... Freedom of the Press. As a former journalist, I am ASHAMED of the current state of the business. I realize that journalism has never been a pristine profession. There has always been dirty journalism, and I'm fine with that fact. It is what it is. However, the current state is appalling. No one has a private life anymore. No one. Everything anyone of any merit does, is dissected, reported, and put on display for the world to see. I don't care what some movie star wears to the grocery store. I don't care about their drug habits or their sexual proclivities. You know what I do care about? Unbiased, true to the point journalism. A story that reports on things that do matter. A story that isn't skewed to the biased worldview of the author. True journalism is dying. Social media is killing true journalism. For every one truly pure journalistic piece, there are 100 op-ed columns passed off as a news story. Also, I'm tired of the "misery and chaos sell" mentality. Every time I am on a news site, it's all bad. Always. There may or may not be a story of genuine goodness shoehorned in there. It's alarming how focused we are, as a culture, on the negative. I think if reporters (or people in general) really tried, we could find one heart warming story for each heart wrenching one. But feel good doesn't sell. Death, destruction, and mayhem do. Shame on us, as a people, for allowing this to happen. The news world should not be leveled when some sports or movie star does something stupid. The news world shouldn't stop when something awful happens. Report on it, and of course, follow up on it. But I don't need the news story, and then everyone's fucking opinion on it. Maybe it's asking to much. Maybe instead, we could do the same thing for the good things that happen in the world. Maybe balance it out? It will never happen, but it's a good thought.
I realize that me complaining about these things isn't going to change the world. I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to share my opinion and give everyone something to think about. You don't have to agree with me. I just wanted to share, and remember kids, sharing is caring. Moral of the story is: don't be dick. Leave people alone, and let them enjoy their Constitutional Freedoms without pissing all over them. Be respectful and decent.
Is that really so much to ask?
Probably.
