This blog is typically dedicated to my faith-based perspectives, but I just wanted to chime in with a few thoughts on America's current Public Enemy #1.
Today was the first time I watched The View since Raven Symoné joined the cast. As I looked on, waiting for her to say something crazy, I got to thinking: The show is called THE VIEW, as in the Point of View of its various hosts. It's not called "Popular Opinion of the Day". It's not called "Politically Correct Chats". It's not called "Socially Acceptable Perspectives". So, as much as Raven Symoné's opinions irk the nerves of the entire world, she is merely offering HER VIEW of social/cultural affairs. She's just doing her job. Talks of people trying to remove her from her job simply because she's sharing an opinion with which they may not agree is bothersome to me. It's social bullying, censorship and punishing someone for doing her job (and doing it quite well) against the backdrop of exercising her Constitutional right to freedom of speech! I thought these were things America hated!
To put it to you another way: I disagree with strippers. I find the stripping profession to be off- putting. I believe the women who do it not only sell themselves short, they also perpetuate the hyper-sexualization of women. But if I put up a petition to get these women fired, I'd be considered a hating behind prude who is blocking someone from "getting her coins". I'd be considered judgmental...closed-minded. I'd be told that I have no right to try to end the career of someone who clearly is fine with what they do for a living. No matter how much "self-hate" I assume these women have...no matter how much damage these women do to the plight of women (in my opinion), their right to express themselves through the LEGAL profession of exotic dance is their choice. Their VIEW is it's not all that bad. Just like Raven, these women are using what they know, albeit in the most controversial way, to come up in the world.
I'm sure most of you just read that analogy thinking "WTH" is she talking about? Good! That's exactly how I feel when reading about growing petitions to get Raven fired from her job. It makes NO sense! At the end of the day, I guess we Americans have to decide which is most important to us: Ensuring everyone says something AGREEABLE or ensuring everyone has the right to simply say something. I've always thought we deferred to the latter.
I can't stand her opinions or her perspective, but I'm glad she has the right to express them; just like I have the right to express my opinion of how stupid they are; just like I have the right to offer insight that counters and might help change her views. But it ends there. No one has the right to get this woman fired. America has become such a hotbed of hyper-social awareness we don't even realize that just as we use PC tactics to protect some, we're implicitly infringing on the rights of all. We don't correct in love, we punish and we do so rather harshly. We bully the "bully", so to speak, and this makes me wonder how we dare believe our views and actions are any better than the person we're attempting to lead to the "light" of social consciousness.