Watch What You Say...

This weeks article is of an employee of a national sandwich shop chain, Subway, who was fired for remarks made on social media. Sierra McCurdy celebrated the death of two police officers that were shot and killed in Mississippi, following a traffic stop. First, I need to rant about the fact that people are getting a bit carried away with their right to "the freedom of speech". The First Amendment is not a pass to say vile things without consequence. It also does not protect the way others perceive you based on your opinion. In an attempt to objectively understand why this young lady made her remark, I consider the state of current police/public relations. This woman obviously feels betrayed by the police. The police are her enemy, and as such she feels that we are better off without them. It is an unfortunate consequence of the negative portrayal of police in media, they are such brave public servants. In this situation, Sierra is not necessarily evil, as her post would suggest; she is merely voicing an opinion based on environmental stimulus. She should have considered the consequence of her actions. Several recent instances of police injustice include the Baltimore shooting of Freddie Gray, and the North Charleston, South Carolina shooting of Walter Scott, among other such cases. The expression pioneered by German philosopher Hanna Arendt, the banality of evil, provides theory to Sierras statement. Sierra's employment was terminated from Subway. It is important to understand that  people must consider who they represent at that present moment before voicing an opinion. Subway responds, "This kind of behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the values and ethics of our brand."

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