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Why do U.S. Americans hate on American athletes for speaking their mind?

74x12

74x12

Well-Known Member
Epic Beard Man said:
Free speech only applies to government not persecuting you for having a dissenting opinion about the gov't entity itself. Speech is never free. I cannot freely talk at work. There are other platforms I can take and sure, there are jobs that allow "aggressive" speech, but why is trump okay but the athletes not? So I cannot as an athlete use my platform to talk about blacks being harassed by cops and injustice arrest and killings but Trump is exercising free speech to call me a son of a b**ch?
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I was joking. Of course the athletes can say whatever they want. But backlash ... from people who don't like it is also protected ...
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
74x12 said:
I was joking. Of course the athletes can say whatever they want. But backlash ... from people who don't like it is also protected ...
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It's important to reiterate that just because some people object to others' speech, this does not prevent exercise of that speech. So one talking head objects to an athlete opining....this says more about the talking head than the athlete.
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
74x12 said:
I was joking. Of course the athletes can say whatever they want. But backlash ... from people who don't like it is also protected ...
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It's important to reiterate that just because some people object to others' speech,
this does not prevent exercise of that speech. Wrong headed people object to
athletes opining....this says more about those objecting, who in turn deserve criticism.
 
Enoch07

Enoch07

It's all a sick freaking joke.
Premium Member
Epic Beard Man said:
Why do we as a society choose to silence these people, but allow the ones that ought to be silent, a platform to be heard?
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Nobody is silencing them. That is just about impossible to do no matter how hard someone wants it to happen.

Athletes have the right to speak their mind just like anyone else. But as a public figure if you speak your mind, your ideas are open to criticism. That's just the nature of of being a public figure.
 
Epic Beard Man

Epic Beard Man

Bearded Philosopher
Enoch07 said:
Nobody is silencing them. That is just about impossible to do no matter how hard someone wants it to happen.

Athletes have the right to speak their mind just like anyone else. But as a public figure if you speak your mind, your ideas are open to criticism. That's just the nature of of being a public figure.
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I understand that but why is their profession up for critique and not their views? Ingraham made it about Lebron's profession and not about his views. He should just dribble a ball because he as an athlete is not qualified. If occupation is defines us whether or not to make an opinion most if not all people on this board is not qualified to comment on politics then.
 
Akivah

Akivah

Well-Known Member
Epic Beard Man said:
Inspired by the following:

Way before the issues of Kaepernick, but spearheaded by him, it seems that athletes are barred from having a public opinion of something that affects them.
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There is nothing new here. We can admire our athletes, actors, comedians, and other people for the work that they do. But once they start sharing more than that, whether it be their political opinions, sexual preferences, etc, they open themselves up to criticism by the people that disagree.
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Akivah said:
There is nothing new here. We can admire our athletes, actors, comedians, and other people for the work that they do. But once they start sharing more than that, whether it be their political opinions, sexual preferences, etc, they open themselves up to criticism by the people that disagree.
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And we will often tell them to go back to their day job.
(Except for Al franken....I wouldn't want him trying but failing to be funny again.)
It's a common criticism which caries no weight.
Look at all the criticism of Trump for being a mere annoying reality show host.
Many still want him to return to that.
That strikes me as reasonable criticism.
 
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YmirGF

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
Epic Beard Man said:
Any idiot can say that, but the intelligent would understand that athletes are on a world stage and intelligent people understand that these people use this platform to their advantage because they know those who are less fortunate, less exposed to a world platform have no voice....just a theory.
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And their are welcome to sabotage their own lucrative endorsement deals.
 
Akivah

Akivah

Well-Known Member
YmirGF said:
And their are welcome to sabotage their own lucrative endorsement deals.
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Just as they are free to offer their own opinions, others are free to deliver consequences for those opinions. It seems to me that the smartest athletes, entertainers, etc, keep their personal opinions to themselves. Why ostracize half of the audience?
 
C

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Akivah said:
But once they start sharing more than that, whether it be their political opinions, sexual preferences, etc, they open themselves up to criticism by the people that disagree.
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It also depends on how they go about it.
It's one thing to hold and express an opinion on your own. As much as I disagreed with Kaepernick on the issue, I had no trouble with his expressing it. What I had trouble with was doing it on the field during somebody else's event. Once the NFL decided it was ok, I simply didn't care any more.
I felt the same way about causes I do support. Awhile back Mike Pence went to a theater performance. Right as the play ended, before the audience could move, the cast went on a big long rant directed at him personally. While I agreed with most of what they had to say, I thought that was an appalling abuse of the circumstances.
Tom
 
Enoch07

Enoch07

It's all a sick freaking joke.
Premium Member
Epic Beard Man said:
I understand that but why is their profession up for critique and not their views? Ingraham made it about Lebron's profession and not about his views. He should just dribble a ball because he as an athlete is not qualified. If occupation is defines us whether or not to make an opinion most if not all people on this board is not qualified to comment on politics then.
Click to expand...

Fox news are real a-holes sometimes, a lot of times. Political bias is extremely divisive nowadays.

I am not trying to justify anybody's thinking here. But sports is usually an escape for a lot of people. Something the use to get away from their problems. And when sports stars say something political it ruins people's escape, because now politics is forced back on them. It doesn't mean that an athlete or entertainer is voiceless. It's just not what people pay $15 for a movie ticket for, or $75 for a seat at a basketball game. Hopefully that makes sense. It's not right for fox to say what they did, buy at the same time there is a small truth to it.
 
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