If there is one thing that Roseanne Barr is good at, it is stirring up controversy.
Who can forget her rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1990? It was off-key shouting at its best. And she even ended the whole mess by grabbing herself and spitting on the ground.
She kept it classy, for sure.
The conspiracy lover and one-time comedian has recently seen her star rise again with the re-birth of her show “Roseanne.” It was a big hit for the ABC network this year, and was picked up for a second season.
At least until Roseanne tweeted out a vile, racist remark last week – a remark that I won’t repeat here. ABC swiftly cancelled her show.
And let’s not forget this is not the first racist remark she has made.
When I saw the news, I followed stories right for the comments so I could gauge how many people don’t understand what free speech means. The answer? A lot. Maybe most.
I have talked about this issue before, but it never ceases to amaze me that people just don’t get it.
Yes, Roseanne can speak her mind. Yes, ABC can fire her for that, which it did way faster than I thought it would. The government cannot abridge your right to free speech. But a private company like ABC can certainly take action if it believes your words or actions shine a negative light on the company.
Now, you don’t have to like it. If you are a person who agrees with her horrible tweet, you might even be angry about it. And there were plenty of people who were angry that she got fired, judging by the outcry on social media.
Not sure I would publically support a woman who would post that racist outburst, but feel free.
But none of that matters, because ABC is not the government and it can certainly fire Roseanne or anyone else who does something that the company finds not in line with its character or moral code or even its sensibilities.
The same goes with the National Football League. Like it or not, the NFL can fine players for expressing themselves on the field – during the anthem or otherwise. The NFL is not the government; it is a private business.
If you support the NFL, but are mad about the Roseanne situation, you might want to come to terms with your hypocrisy.
Words have consequences in the real world, people. The recent racist rant by a New York lawyer caught on camera and posted to the world have brought the man a lot of financial pain and shame. He was free to speak his mind, and the world was free to punish him for it.
Every action has a reaction.
Sure, you can tell your boss that he or she dresses like a drunken rodeo clown who has landed on his head one too many times and smells like an elephant’s behind, but just be prepared to end up on the unemployment line.
Will the Sitcom “Roseanne” land on another network? Maybe. Businesses often seem to err on the side of money over principles.
But make no mistake, this is not an issue of free speech. This is an issue of an employer firing an employee for a racist comment. Period.
