Or the unofficial thought police will knock your shit back in line. Especially when it comes to your opinion on homosexuality.
Or the unofficial thought police will come and knock your shit back in line.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10919412/don-jones-miami-dolphins-apologizes-fined-tweet-reacting-rams-selection-michael-sam

Personally, I don't care about it. If two people in love want to marry, let them marry. If they want the same tax breaks I get, fine. If they want power-of-attorney for their loved ones when they can no longer care for themselves, go for it.

But I still don't like to see two men kissing. Call me old fashioned, but gay just isn't that mainstream yet, and I haven't seen enough of it to be comfortable. That is just my opinion. Why should I get fined for it?

5/12/2014 1:55:34 PM

There is probably something in his contract about disparaging remarks, etc, which is why he was fined.

5/12/2014 1:57:46 PM

And what's with all the persecution of white American Christians?!? They're probably the most persecuted group on the planet!

5/12/2014 2:11:59 PM

THE 1ST AMENDMENT SAYZ I CAN SAY WHAT I WANT, WHY DO YOU HATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT!

5/12/2014 2:16:02 PM

yeah totally, what's happening to our rights?! Does anyone know which jail they sent him to? I'd like to help out with his legal fees

5/12/2014 2:30:36 PM

you are free to say whatever you'd like in this country, but be prepared to accept the consequences.

for instance, your thinly veiled homophobic remarks are probably going to be used to mock you for your ignorance.

5/12/2014 2:32:14 PM

Quote :

"But I still don't like to see two men kissing. Call me old fashioned, but gay just isn't that mainstream yet, and I haven't seen enough of it to be comfortable"

so you don't want to see it at all because you're worried about it seeming normal to you?

5/12/2014 2:35:26 PM

Quote :

"But I still don't like to see two men kissing. Call me old fashioned, but gay just isn't that mainstream yet, and I haven't seen enough of it to be comfortable."

so you don't want to see it, but you'd need to see it to be ok with seeing it?

5/12/2014 2:49:23 PM

Quote :

"unofficial thought police"

The Miami Dolphins?

5/12/2014 2:58:07 PM

Quote :

"Personally, I don't care about it"

Except that you do. Enough, apparently, to post a whole thread about it.

5/12/2014 3:05:00 PM

what's next, are employers going to start telling people what they can wear and when they have to be at work?! we can't have that!

5/12/2014 3:10:41 PM

Are people gonna start getting fired from their jobs because they post pics of themselves at stripclubs on facebook? Or teachers aren't going to get hired because their facebook page is filled with pics of their drunken shenanigans? What about the First Amendment?

5/12/2014 3:12:36 PM

Quote :

"Or teachers aren't going to get hired because their facebook page is filled with pics of their drunken shenanigans?"

To be fair, I do think this one is kinda bullshit.

5/12/2014 3:39:44 PM

I never said word one about the 1st Amendment. That protection is only from government.

That is why is said unofficial thought police. We don't need our government to do it, because you do a fine job of it.

Do you people agree with the ouster of the Mozilla CEO for his donation's to Prop 8? Or whatever prop it was in California?

5/12/2014 4:46:42 PM

No, we should nationalize their company and make business decisions for them.

5/12/2014 4:58:49 PM

When you work for a company you are often times told you represent that company in your public interactions. This goes double when you're in a job that places you in the public eye, like say.... professional athlete. This goes triple when the team you're on just went through a whole huge ordeal very recently about the perils of being a jackass on social media and behaving like a caveman.

If you can't handle the logical repercussions of voicing your opinions in a public forum don't express them publicly.

Now, all that said there is definitely something a little bit frightening about the way that twitter so rapidly forms a group consensus. It stifles debate in a way that I've never really seen before. It's like a really angry online version of taking a sociology class and expressing the view that maybe since social sciences aren't actually science there is room for debate about nature vs. nurture, etc.

Bill Simmons and one of his Grantland buddies spent a good portion of a recent podcast on this following the Donald Sterling debacle talking about how quickly the twitterverse forms an opinion and how you can no longer have reasoned debate on things because it's too potentially damaging to your career to even play devil's advocate.

5/13/2014 12:19:47 AM

"Unofficial thought police" aka society at large.

This is how things have always worked. The whole point of politics is to figure out how to take a stand without instantly alienating your opponents.

5/13/2014 12:40:13 AM

Quote :

"there is definitely something a little bit frightening about the way that twitter so rapidly forms a group consensus"

this

5/13/2014 6:51:18 AM

Seeing dudes kissing evokes emotions similar to seeing people cut into on a hospital show. But I ain't gotta go to twitter to whine about it like a little bitch.

5/13/2014 7:19:18 AM

Boo fucking hoo. Sorry you can't say whatever stupid shit pops in your head.

5/13/2014 8:35:45 AM

Yo rumfe! Tell'em what we do at the ranch.

5/13/2014 9:20:24 AM

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 9:43 AM. Reason : what a stupid fucking thread. shouldn't have clicked on TSB]

5/13/2014 9:41:01 AM

the whole "idiot says something dumb on Twitter, everyone is outraged" thing doesn't bother me, because of ^. making stupid public comments is on you; you have the right to say them, but everyone else has the right to call you an idiot.

my problem is with what happened to Sterling, where private comments are used against you. it used to be we lived in a society where privacy was valued and the police needed warrants and reasonable suspicion. now, they search your phone when you get arrested, and some dumb bimbo can illegally (assuming he didn't give her permission to record him) release a recorded conversation and get you hanged for it. THAT's what is becoming thought police, when private comments can be used against you.

oh sure, you'll argue "he shouldn't have said it all". but then that turns into, "he shouldn't have thought it at all." and that is dangerous. we think what we think, and sensoring ourselves to the public at least shows consideration for others (which is why I have no sympathy for those who don't, ie twitter). but having that demanded for private conversations/thoughts is a road we don't need to be going down.

5/13/2014 12:31:00 PM

no one forced sterling to go on CNN though

5/13/2014 12:44:04 PM

Quote :

"you are free to say whatever you'd like in this country, but be prepared to accept the consequences."

Thing is, most of the time nobody really gives a shit. But then the media sees dollar signs and works everyone up into a frenzy over (what is usually) bullshit. They practically force it down your throat.

5/13/2014 12:54:43 PM

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:04 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2014 12:59:43 PM

maybe he said "omg horrible" because michael sam is just a mediocre athlete that didnt deserve to be drafted regardless of sexual orientation?

hence don jones might have been forced to apologize ONLY because of the recent sterling event?

regardless of the 1st amendment idiots this whole walking on eggshells thing is going to get old fast.

5/13/2014 1:07:56 PM

^^i don't understand how a picture of your otterbox has anything to do with this thread

^he was a consensus all-american and SEC defensive player of the year. that's not too shabby.

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:10 PM. Reason : ]

5/13/2014 1:10:15 PM

I dont consider myself a sports buff by a long shot, but plenty of people have been saying the same thing.

Unless they are only critical of him because hes gay, which I suppose is possible, but why was he such a late pick?

Was that because he was gay too? I havent heard anyone talking about his merits as a player. I suppose thats to be expected since hes a novelty, but I dont like it when that happens.

Did he rightfully just make the cut? With all the media attention and novelty factor you might assume he would have been a very early pick. Or would that have been to obvious since hes mediocre and then people would cry he was only picked because he was gay?

So many theories! Someone with sports knowledge please simplify for me.

Also is it possible the "omg horrible" wasnt homophobic?

5/13/2014 1:18:08 PM

Quote :

"and some dumb bimbo can illegally"

I haven't kept up with the details, but wasn't the recording legal (two parties)? And if not, would you be fine with it if it happened in NC (one party state)?

I don't see what the source has to do with this. There isn't the slightest hint of "thought police" in this entire issue.

5/13/2014 1:21:00 PM

^^I think he was a later pick mainly because a lot of people question whether his success in college will translate into the NFL. Hard to say if his draft pick was affected by his coming out. And I'm pretty sure "OMG Horrible" was homophobic, because the guy made a statement and apologized for it.

^supposedly he was well aware that he was being recorded, and he even requested it, so he wouldn't forget stuff. supposedly.

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:22 PM. Reason : ]

5/13/2014 1:21:33 PM

to summarize yowilly: dem dere foosball team just wanted them a homo! he ain't no good at ter foosball.

5/13/2014 1:23:32 PM

I go back to Brandon Eyck. He privately donated money to Prop 8, out of his own pocket - not Mozilla's. It was only after that donation, that California passed laws that made donations public. Then someone mined the data and found his name.

To me, him being ousted is just as scary as the Sterling situation (pending that he did not know about the recording).

I think it won't be long before people as a whole get fed up with the PC police. Like someone else said, walking on eggshells is getting old.

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:28 PM. Reason : that not than]

5/13/2014 1:28:16 PM

^^^^ that's why I said "(assuming he didn't give her permission to record him)", because the rumor is he did, which is pretty fucking dumb

Quote :

"no one forced sterling to go on CNN though"

this also was dumb. Sterling is a retard, for sure, but don't hang him because of the leaked convo. it was well "known" for years the guy was a racist, but that didn't stop the NAACP from giving him one (almost 2) lifetime achievement awards, or players from coming to the team, or head coaches from signing. everyone was just fine with the guy as long as he kept it behind closed doors, which he did (for the most part) until that conversation was leaked. now it's being used as an excuse to ban him, make him sell the team, etc. which would be fine, if he stood on the steps of the Senate and yelled about everyone he hates. it was behind closed doors though; that's what I don't like about this.

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:31 PM. Reason : add another ^]

5/13/2014 1:30:23 PM

Again, he is an example of an important person that said things his company didnt like.

Mozilla probably has statistics on how many of their users are homosexual (or something).

Is there a browser that gay people prefer? If so (and if its Firefox) you obviously dont want to alienate them.

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:31 PM. Reason : ^^]

5/13/2014 1:31:39 PM

I'd never heard of the guy until this scandal.


As far as the NAACP... it's a political organization.... you can buy your way into their graces. No different than the NRA, if you want a right-side example.

5/13/2014 1:34:26 PM

that's the point - his money was fine to everyone (NAACP, coaches, players) as long as he kept it to himself. if they're gonna criticize him now, they should be criticized too for turning a blind eye to it. it isn't like it was a surprise. he just followed what should be done, which is keeping it to yourself.

5/13/2014 1:38:37 PM

people are criticizing them too

5/13/2014 1:45:31 PM

people have been criticizing him for years, this was just the last (very public) straw that broke the camels back.

5/13/2014 1:49:39 PM

^That's my understanding. And how would the average person even know if NBA players and coaches and members of the NAACP weren't criticizing him, unless they came out and said it in a very public manner (twitter or in an interview) or the media told you?

[Edited on May 13, 2014 at 1:58 PM. Reason : ]

5/13/2014 1:58:21 PM

I think it's pretty funny how he said, "I don't talk about people ever, I talk about ideas!" and then five minutes later he's saying that Magic Johnson should be ashamed of himself for having AIDS. LOL

5/13/2014 2:07:29 PM

Quote :

"that's the point - his money was fine to everyone (NAACP, coaches, players) as long as he kept it to himself. if they're gonna criticize him now, they should be criticized too for turning a blind eye to it. it isn't like it was a surprise. he just followed what should be done, which is keeping it to yourself."

He said it in the privacy of his home - he was keeping it to himself.

(again, not defending his views here)

5/13/2014 2:12:05 PM

1) there are still (unconfirmed) reports that he requested to be recorded

and

2) he has confirmed that it was him

5/13/2014 2:15:03 PM

he was talking to himself on the phone!

5/13/2014 2:16:12 PM

Quote :

"He said it in the privacy of his home - he was keeping it to himself. "

again, supposedly he requested that he be recorded, supposedly.

and he certainly isn't keeping it to himself in his follow-up interview with Anderson Cooper.

5/13/2014 2:20:19 PM

I feel like you people talking about the "PC Police" and saying companies need to stop "walking on eggshells" are failing to look at this in terms of actual business. Do you not agree with the free market?

Mozilla was forced to make a business decision, and they decided the risk of keeping a CEO on who might hinder their future sales was higher than the potential reward of keeping him on. The NFL was forced to make a business decision, and they decided that addressing the situation would be of more benefit to their future sales than not addressing the situation.

And your opinions are they should risk their business to appease people like you who are offended that people get offended too easily?

5/13/2014 2:34:36 PM

5/13/2014 2:46:35 PM

Walking on eggshells?

Not saying racist and homophobic shit is walking on eggshells?

Lolololllllooozzzzzzz

5/13/2014 2:59:56 PM

apparently...though I can't tell you what these people are thinking exactly

5/13/2014 3:03:20 PM

"omg horrible" is pretty ambiguous...

The OP not wanting to see men kissing is pretty funny though, not gonna lie.

5/13/2014 3:11:04 PM