By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Last week, ESPN anchor Jemele Hill loaded her
140-character Twitter super soaker and hosed down 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with
this political torrent: “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely
surrounded himself w/other white supremacists.”
Whoa now. Using
Twitter against Trump is like deploying the Batmobile against Batman or Thor’s
hammer against the son of Odin himself.
No one insults, creates controversy or manufactures chaos with the
Twitter toy like the Trumper. No one!
Oh, but Hill did and, predictably, sent the impulsive
and proudly un-presidential Trump into a tizzy.
Channeling The Dude from The Big Lebowski (doubtful Trump’s seen the
iconic flick), you could practically sense The Great Comb Over exclaiming, “This
aggression will not stand, man…especially from an African American woman!!!” In true “kiss the ring” fashion, Trump
demanded something he’s never offered to any group he’s offended (like African
Americans and women) – an apology.
And goodie for him.
We needed our leader to pause and corral this brazen ESPN personality while
Caribbean islands are uninhabitable, Houston is rising from its knees, people
in Florida are homeless or living in darkness and North Korea is firing
missiles every other day.
I trust the sarcasm is palatable. As Hunter S. Thompson said, “When the going
gets weird, the weird turn pro.” So I’m
taking my big league hacks. How else to
navigate this demoralizing post-election world, eh?
At the root of this latest Trumpian Twitter-war is a
legitimate and increasingly pertinent issue: understanding the intersection
between First Amendment rights and the consequences of constitutionally
bequeathed free speech liberties. Freely
expressed thoughts are a decidedly American right (one of the few things left
with overwhelmingly bipartisan support), but in this amazing(?) social media
age, they can have lasting impact on relationships, reputations and, in Hill’s
case, employment.
CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin attempted a discussion on
the topic during a recent edition of her show.
To support the segment, Baldwin had two guests aboard: former ESPN
writer Keith Reed and Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis. Baldwin opened the dialogue by questioning
why Trump, who has received similar criticism from numerous sources, chose to
engage with Hill and ESPN and cued Travis for comment. Less than a minute into his salvo, Travis
dropped this gem: “I’m a First Amendment absolutist. I believe in only two things completely: the
First Amendment and boobs.” When Baldwin
asked for clarification, Travis confirmed the statement and added that the
First Amendment and boobs are “…the two things that have never let me down in
this country’s history.”
This from a married father of three.
The obvious: Travis’s statement was incredibly
immature, demeaning and horribly misplaced.
To mock such a serious issue and reduce Hill’s struggles with this
president, struggles she shares with many people from various walks of life,
with a throw-away, frat-boy-around-a-keg comment is confounding. Was Travis lost in self-promotion? Did he feel emboldened by this administration
to bring adolescent chatter onto a national stage?
In a weird confluence of circumstances, I read a piece
last week by Melissa Jacobs (TheFootballGirl.com) on former Rams QB Jim
Everett. A long time ago, a one-time provocative
radio and television talking head by the name of Jim Rome had Everett on his
show. Rome, in what was then typical
Rome fashion, sought to provoke Everett by calling him “Chris”, a childish reference
to Chris Evert, the great female tennis player of similar surname.
Everett took offense and warned Rome against
furthering the charade. Rome, with an
irritated Everett in his midst (exactly what he wanted), pressed on with his
“Chris” shtick. Everett snapped, tipped
over table and knocked Rome to the ground.
It was an embarrassment for all involved. Testosterone run amuck.
Rome has had a long career in sports media, but he
hasn’t completely out-raced that moment.
It remains front and center on his resume, a self-inflicted antagonist
typecast that’s pigeonholed his work into something forever short of serious
journalism.
Clay Travis committed a similar error. He’ll forever be “First Amendment Boob Guy”, a
label he earned while goofing off during a conversation about the consequences
of free speech. The irony is
omnipresent.
My fellow Americans, speak freely…but wisely.
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