Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Sorry, Aaron, That's Not Enough

Until a few days ago, this My Two Cents would have been a pat on the back for Aaron Rodgers and his comments about a bit of ugliness before Sunday's game (before the real ugliness that took place after kickoff all the way through the botched field goal to end it).  You've likely heard that during a moment of silence for the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks, a fan yelled out "Muslims suck!" audible to others in the stadium--and apparently, the Packers sideline.  In his post-game comments, Rodgers expressed his disappointment in the behavior of the fan and chided others who might think the same way.

Like I said, until a few days ago I would have applauded Mr,Rodgers for using his First Amendment rights to free speech to criticize an idiot that also exercised his First Amendment rights to free speech to prove what a moron he is.  But a new precedent for an "acceptable" response to such comments is now in place, thanks to the University of Missouri.  And therefore it is clear that Packers fans and players must do more than just denounce the "culture of racism" at Lambeau Field.

For starters, Packers fans should set up a makeshift camp on the field itself and refuse to leave until Team President Mark Murphy and General Manager Ted Thompson are fired or quit.  It is through their inaction that the fan in question--who has never been identified--was allowed to express his racist thoughts.  It is only through the removal Murphy and Thompson that such incidents can be guaranteed to never happen again.

To show their support for this "courageous effort", Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers should refuse to practice or play until Murphy and Thompson are removed from their positions.  The coaching staff should also voice their support for protesters and the players--and work as "security" to prevent the press from entering the makeshift camp to report on what is being done and said there--as it is an obvious violation of the protesters' "safe space".

And once Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson are fired or quit--the fans should continue their protests--demanding that admission to the games be free from now on--that the credit cards they used to purchase past season tickets be paid off in full by people that don't even attend Packers games and that fans of opposing teams never be allowed inside Lambeau Field ever again--as cheering for the other team creates a "hostile environment" both for Packers fans and their players.

So unless you are willing to take these steps to crush any expression with which you do not agree, Aaron Rodgers, all you are doing is providing lip service.

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