Let's not confuse the First Amendment with the freedom to blurt out, or in the case of Roseanne Barr, tweet out hate speech.
In many workplaces across the country, that can and should get you fired.
To recap: Barr in a tweet referred to former President Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett as a “product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes.” She later removed the tweet, apologized and called her social media blunder a “bad joke.” But it was too late. There was no backtracking. ABC dumped her and canceled the short-lived reboot of her television show “Roseanne.”
By the way, what was the punchline of this so-called “joke?” What's funny here? Also, there's no blurred line or room for interpretation in what Barr wrote.
“Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement after Barr got the ax.
Not long afterward, Barr's talent agency, ICM Partners, also dumped her.
Let's cut to the freedom of speech debate right here, right now, when it comes to Barr and her rhetoric. The First Amendment protects people from the government jailing them over speech. But there are often consequences from our employers when it comes to saying whatever we want.
Most people in the working world understand that and adhere to it daily. This is common sense.
Barr was fired for crossing the line. She deserved to be fired.
Kudos to ABC for the decision.
The response was necessary.
Will it stop social media stupidity? Probably not.
But self destructing in a series of racist social media postings can be costly when it comes to earning a living. As it should be. In Barr's case, she also took her cast and crew down with her.
Take note, America.
