Whatever Happened to R-E-S-P-E-C-T!?!?!?!?
Ok, getting up on my soapbox now...
I'm sure by now, most of you have read or heard about this article, http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/DC-Facebook-Firestorm-Should-She-Lose-Her-Job-180301321.html and are up in arms about Ms. Stone's choice to express her opinion in such a disrespectful manor. I'm about to buck the trend and let it be known I DON'T think she should be fired.
Here's my reasoning. Ms. Stone, as well as a huge part of our society, seem to feel it is the "in" thing to do or that it is "cool" to buck authority of any kind, that if you're not doing/saying/posting something against anyone or anything considered "THE MAN" then you MUST be LAME! What we as a society are failing to realize is that while we live in a country where we have the right to express our feelings, we could be living in one where a little girl gets shot for wanting an education, where people don't go to vote for fear of being attacked or blown to bits, where the government tells you how many children you can have. We seem to be living in a country full of wanna-be anarchists, but not realizing the freedom that allows this did not just fall out of the sky. Men and women have fought long and hard so that we can protest just about anything, launch a petition for just about anything, so that we can use the anonymity of the internet to rip those like Ms. Stone a plethora of new ones...
But we can't lay the blame for Ms. Stone's actions solely at her feet. She was just acting out in the same manor we see others acting everyday. Whatever happened to basic human decency and respect for one another?!?!?!? Sure, we all see a huge surge in the "help your fellow man" display when there's some kind of disaster (i.e. Katrina, Haiti, and most recently NJ & NY), but what about in our everyday lives? When was the last time you held a door open for someone, or said "Hi" to a passerby, or even helped an elderly person cross a busy street?!?!? These were respectful things/actions that used to mean something. Now you've got people knocking over old ladies to try to get at a sale item, people under the guise of "religious freedom" picketing military funerals, and now people flocking to the internet in droves, with their pitchforks and torches raised high, petitioning for Ms. Stone to be fired.
I think a much better option would be to use this as a learning experience. What she did was appalling, but instead asking for her head on a pike, give her a chance to learn from her mistake or at least to learn why she has garnered a massive amount of haters. I believe she works for a non-profit who helps with housing for the disabled. Well, send her to a V.A. hospital to work with the wounded veterans who were injured protecting her freedom. Or send her to a local V.F.W. to talk to the members about their Brothers and Sisters in Arms who lost their lives protecting her freedom. Let her go out with a group who puts flowers/wreaths/flags out at the graves in Arlington Cemetery and have someone explain to her about the sacrifice made on behalf of her freedom. I think we should take the stance of DON'T HATE, EDUCATE!!
I have not served in the military, but I have family and friends who have and I wholeheartedly support our Men and Women in the Armed Forces. They have my utmost respect and gratitude. I do not condone Ms. Stone's disgraceful act, but I don't feel firing her is the best option. If nothing else, it could fuel her need to "challenge authority in general." Let's take this opportunity to teach not only Ms. Stone, but the rest of our society as well, about sacrifices made by these brave Men and Women, about human decency, and that RESPECT is not just an old Aretha Franklin song.
Ok, getting off my soapbox... Now I send you back to your regular program...
I'm sure by now, most of you have read or heard about this article, http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/DC-Facebook-Firestorm-Should-She-Lose-Her-Job-180301321.html and are up in arms about Ms. Stone's choice to express her opinion in such a disrespectful manor. I'm about to buck the trend and let it be known I DON'T think she should be fired.
Here's my reasoning. Ms. Stone, as well as a huge part of our society, seem to feel it is the "in" thing to do or that it is "cool" to buck authority of any kind, that if you're not doing/saying/posting something against anyone or anything considered "THE MAN" then you MUST be LAME! What we as a society are failing to realize is that while we live in a country where we have the right to express our feelings, we could be living in one where a little girl gets shot for wanting an education, where people don't go to vote for fear of being attacked or blown to bits, where the government tells you how many children you can have. We seem to be living in a country full of wanna-be anarchists, but not realizing the freedom that allows this did not just fall out of the sky. Men and women have fought long and hard so that we can protest just about anything, launch a petition for just about anything, so that we can use the anonymity of the internet to rip those like Ms. Stone a plethora of new ones...
But we can't lay the blame for Ms. Stone's actions solely at her feet. She was just acting out in the same manor we see others acting everyday. Whatever happened to basic human decency and respect for one another?!?!?!? Sure, we all see a huge surge in the "help your fellow man" display when there's some kind of disaster (i.e. Katrina, Haiti, and most recently NJ & NY), but what about in our everyday lives? When was the last time you held a door open for someone, or said "Hi" to a passerby, or even helped an elderly person cross a busy street?!?!? These were respectful things/actions that used to mean something. Now you've got people knocking over old ladies to try to get at a sale item, people under the guise of "religious freedom" picketing military funerals, and now people flocking to the internet in droves, with their pitchforks and torches raised high, petitioning for Ms. Stone to be fired.
I think a much better option would be to use this as a learning experience. What she did was appalling, but instead asking for her head on a pike, give her a chance to learn from her mistake or at least to learn why she has garnered a massive amount of haters. I believe she works for a non-profit who helps with housing for the disabled. Well, send her to a V.A. hospital to work with the wounded veterans who were injured protecting her freedom. Or send her to a local V.F.W. to talk to the members about their Brothers and Sisters in Arms who lost their lives protecting her freedom. Let her go out with a group who puts flowers/wreaths/flags out at the graves in Arlington Cemetery and have someone explain to her about the sacrifice made on behalf of her freedom. I think we should take the stance of DON'T HATE, EDUCATE!!
I have not served in the military, but I have family and friends who have and I wholeheartedly support our Men and Women in the Armed Forces. They have my utmost respect and gratitude. I do not condone Ms. Stone's disgraceful act, but I don't feel firing her is the best option. If nothing else, it could fuel her need to "challenge authority in general." Let's take this opportunity to teach not only Ms. Stone, but the rest of our society as well, about sacrifices made by these brave Men and Women, about human decency, and that RESPECT is not just an old Aretha Franklin song.
Ok, getting off my soapbox... Now I send you back to your regular program...