What’s going to happen to the poor homophobes now that Michael Sam will be playing for the St. Louis Rams, the concerned folks over at FOX News wondered in this morning’s episode of Fox & Friends. Does this mean they can’t be homophobic anymore? Is free speech officially dead? Is America going to hell?!
The conservative TV hosts were discussing Miami Dolphins player Don Jones, who was fined by the NFL after tweeting “omg” and “horrible” in response to Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, upon learning he had been drafted to the St. Louis Rams.
Survivor star-turned-talk show co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck warned that the NFL’s actions against Jones sets a dangerous precedent. She posed the question: If Jones is punished for making homophobic remarks, what’s going to happen to all the other NFLers who make disparaging comments towards gay people?
Said Hasselbeck: “When you look at what the NFL is saying though, now, this is a strong message. They are going on the offense against any sort of offensive comments out there. But does it offend those with their free speech and their opinions to voice them?”
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She continues: “Certainly when it comes on the field. Will they then go after what is said in the huddle, in a tackle, on the bottom of a pile? Because if you have those times mic’d, you’re going to be hearing a lot of comments which would be deemed offensive. Where does this go from here?”
To be clear, Miss Hasselbeck, free speech is alive and well. People can say whatever they want. But sometimes our words have consequences, as Don Jones learned over the weekend.
Later in the show, the ever-charming Donald Trump called in to offer his two cents on the matter. He said Sam celebrating with his boyfriend “looked pretty out there to me.” And when it came to Jones being reprimanded for sending homophobic tweets, the toupee-wearing millionaire warned: “We’ve become so politically correct in this country that the country is going to hell.”
Last we checked, political correctness didn’t insure a one-way ticket to the Underworld. Greed, adultery, fraud, and divorce, on the other hand, can easily land a person in Satan’s playground.
ingyaom
I wonder if these people know that “Fox and His Friends” is the name of a gay movie by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Kind of ironic.
erikwm
I’m so over people not understanding what “free speech” means. It means THE GOVERNMENT can’t punish you for your speech. It doesn’t mean your fellow citizens can’t criticize, condemn, or punish your speech. When you reply to someone else’s speech, believe it or not, that’s speech, too!
Dakotahgeo
Words have consequences! Donald Trump is an ignorant, criminal, a$$hole! IMHO, of course. He should wear his rug over his face! Both his face and his head would look better!
Cam
So just so I have this straight. Sara Plain can spend 3 years crying and whining that Katie Couric attacked her by asking her a question about where she gets her news and we are supposed to take that seriously, but this guy who publicly attacked the idea of his organization hiring another guy was apparently not doing anything.
Ok, conservatives we get it. You are wimps and cry when somebody disagrees, and you want the right to attack others.
Cam
Also, Hassleback obviously also must feel that it is ok for other employees at FOX to mock women, attack women’s right to work etc….
Brian
Is “going on the offense against offensive comments” offensive? Fox is just tossing words around randomly.
AJAnders
*SIGH* Elisabeth Hasslebeck.
When she was on the second season of Survivor, that was at the very beginning of the reality show phenomenon that took the country by storm and made instant celebrities out of nobodies. Nobodies that got offered TV host jobs, movie roles, book deals and other ungodly offers simply for being on a reality show. Enter Barbara Walters who jumps on the bandwagon and hires her to the View despite having the credentials of nothing more than a fashion designer. If she wasn’t on Survivor over a decade ago, nobody would know who she is today. And now she’s on Fox where the common complaint among Republicans is, “Why can’t we have free speech?” which coincidentally only seems to be brought up when anti-gay matters are involved. Lucky us.
Most logical people would be embarrassed to have Donald Trump on their side but not them.
michael mellor
So they have a cheesy blonde bimbo and two dorks as morning hosts, do they? The only things missing are Rupert Murdoch’s incontinence pads.
Dakotahgeo
@michael mellor: LOLOL… thank you for my last giggle for the day and my last comment. Good night.
Elloreigh
@erikwm: Couldn’t have said it better myself. Some people just can’t handle others’ freedom.
Cam
@michael mellor:
That’s what the dorks ties are for. 😉