Sarinya Srisakul
No, NOT
the racist sentiments expressed by FF Sarinya Srisakul (“These white boys crying and complaining over this
because their white privilege is being messed with. Trying living a life being
racially profiled!!!!”), for in that regard, FF
Srisakul comes off very much like an old time segregationist, in her support for
race/gender preferences (http://nypost.com/2015/06/28/uproar-over-fdny-activists-white-boy-privilege-rant/).
I also don't think the calls for her being fired
over "violating the FDNY's social media policy" are NOT at all "GOOD," either.
Such policies are not only harmful to the general
discourse, but they tend to be abusive and worse still, unevenly applied. In my
view, they should be scrapped altogether, in favor of a single standard
(applied the SAME way to ALL) that ONLY those posts that rise to the level of a criminal offense
(direct threats, slander, online bullying, etc.) are to be subjected to
Departmental review AND, of course,
criminal prosecution.
What IS "GOOD,"
in my view, is that comments like these show that bigotry and intolerance exist
on all sides.
I don't merely "think," I KNOW that ridding this country of the
segregated standards that various "disparate impact" rulings have
brought about is every bit as much a Civil Rights issue as desegregating our
public schools & public facilities were and marriage equality is. Those who
boldly crow about such segregated standards and voice support for this modern
day "Jim Crow" are on the wrong side of history...and the wrong side
of Civil Rights.
I support free speech, both my own and that of Ms.
Srisakul. The response to bigoted views like hers SHOULD NOT be censorship and
punishment, but instead education and outreach. Bigots have to learn that their
views aren't merely unpopular, they are immoral and wrong.
But firing such people is NOT the way to teach any
such lessons. In fact, such draconian responses only (1) make martyrs out of actual bigots, often making "bad
guys," look like "the good guys" and (2) they generate more resentments and create a fertile ground on
which more bigotry is fit to grow.
People NEED
to talk more...and engage more and challenge more.
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