With all this commotion about Tracy Morgan’s “homophobic rant”, there are a lot of bloggers blogging about free speech. From what I am seeing, not many really know the true definition of the term “free speech”. Free speech does not give someone the right to say what they what to say, whenever they what to say it, wherever they please. What free speech means is that an individual could go out into an open-setting(a street corner, in front of a court house)with a bull-horn and voice their opinion(s) with about the fear of being arrested. It does not mean you can go on stage or on a radio in front of a live audience and offend people. Even though its not illegal, it is unethical.
So, why are people losing their jobs behind voicing their views? That is easy, it is BUSINESS. Comedy tours, radio stations, and TV networks all have lovely people called “sponsors”. Sponsors pay for their program to be seen/heard. So, if a comic or a radio show host offends a group of people or a community, members of that community will more likely boycott the sponsors for continuing to support the comic/radio show host, which causes them to lose money. So most likely its in the best interest of the sponsors to cut ties from the performer in the event something happens. So, next time a performer loses their gig because of something they said, don’t question “free speech”, know its all BUSINESS.
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