Re-education camps in America?

from The Gray Area:

Miami Dolphins defensive back Don Jones tweeted his opinion on the now-famous kiss between openly gay defensive end Michael Sam and his partner, “OMG”. “Horrible”.

The Dolphins responded immediately, fining Jones and suspending him from team activities until he goes through “educational training,” according to the Associated Press.

Fined. Suspended. And, sent to “educational training”? Now, let me think about this one. Is this diversity training? Is it sensitivity training? Is this the kind of “HR” training that goes on in all of our corporations today in this country, and has for 30 years? The kind designed to make our workplaces free of discrimination, so the business of the business can go forward unimpeded by personal opinions or bias? Oh, well then I guess this action by the Miami Dolphins should not alarm me, right?

Wrong! As explained in relation to the Daniel Sterling comments of a few weeks ago, this kind of over-reaction is a very, very slippery slope.

Think about it yourself. In a country based on free speech, we are not allowed to have an individual thought. Right or wrong, good or bad, smart or stupid – we are not allowed to have it. Because the powers that be (and who is that?) say they don’t like you thinking those thoughts. Or, you will be fined, suspended and sent to “educational training”, so that you understand it is not acceptable to have those thoughts anymore! Even if the ‘politically correct’ position that someone in power holds is not particularly smart or right or good? Like maybe you don’t agree with Obamacare, maybe you should just keep your mouth shut now that President Obama has said “the debate is over”? If it has come to that, where is your free speech? Not only that, where is your free thought? Can you actually have a free thought for fear that you might forget and say something that will give away your free thought and then be sent for ‘educational training’?

Sounds a little to close to Nazi ‘re-education camps’ to me. Some mock the concern. Now wait a minute big fella, don’t go overboard yourself with that comparison.

Okay, if you can be assigned to ‘educational training’ for saying something that “someone” doesn’t like, you are walking very close to that slippery slope where all your freedom is gone. Remember, the German people didn’t see it coming either and in less than 10 years they were living it. Neighbors watching neighbors. Friends afraid of what they say around friends. Family members looking over their shoulders among other family members? Frightening. If you don’t think its real, seek out a Jewish person from the World War II generation while they are still around to speak history to you.

We joke about “political correctness” gone too far, about the “thought police”, about losing jobs, careers or being sued for having an opinion that someone doesn’t like. Lets stop laughing. It starts with the acceptance of forced apologies. Don Jones apologized for his comments Sunday and described them as “inappropriate”.

In fact, Mr. Jones could have shown more discretion and better judgement by keeping his thoughts to himself on this “hot topic” issue, recognizing that his thoughts may reflect badly on his employer. And we would be talking about something else in this column. But, does that mean he is not allowed to have that opinion opposite someone elses, even on “hot” political issues of the day? Dangerous step. And, another very, very slippery slope.