ESPN Comes for Host Jemele Hill for Saying what We've All Been Thinking
By: Kayla Pasacreta
It's abundantly clear that in times of political and racial division, true colors come out. It's easy for companies to be exposed for their ethical compasses by their decisions in these times - whether they choose to remain silent, take a stand, or stay neutral. This week, ESPN showed the country where they stand.
Jemele Hill, photo via Sports Illustrated
Yesterday, in a series of tweets, ESPN host Jemele Hill made a series of tweets blasting Trump as a white supremacist and bigot.
Anyone who has been paying attention to Trump's rhetoric, his base of supporters, and policy enacted by his administration, would know that Hill spoke nothing but facts. However, Disney-owned ESPN rushed to condemn Hill for her words and make it clear her beliefs did not align with ESPN's. The irony of ESPN doing this? They make millions covering the athleticism of thousands of black athletes, yet at the end of the day still don't give a damn about the struggles black people face.This is the same ESPN that caught heat last month for a virtual football auction that looked way too similar to a slave trade. We see you, ESPN - you're beginning to tread on very thin ice, especially since most of us woke folk already plan on boycotting the NFL.
Why are black people, or anyone willing to speak up about social issues, expected to remain silent? Much of Trump's uncanny popularity stemmed from his willingness to abandon the idea of political correctness. If the President of the free world is allowed to go on Twitter tirades bashing anyone who has something negative to say about him, why can't others? Jemele Hill is a black woman whose rights and well-being are threatened by the administration - why can't she speak on it?
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, photo via NY Daily News
The White House even chimed in on Jemele Hill, as Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described Hill's words as "outrageous" and a "fireable offense". In other words, yet again, black people are being told to STFU and do your job. One black woman is being targeted by the White House and her employer for speaking her truth. Perfect example of life for minorities in 2017.
It's ironic to notice parallels between what y'all's president gets away with, and what every day people get away with. CNN fired host Reza Aslan for calling Trump a "piece of shit" and an "embarrassment to human kind". If Jemele Hill and Reza Aslan are blackballed for making comments on the character of Trump, it's important to assess at what point Trump's inappropriate and un-presidential tweets deem him incompetent and unworthy of the Presidency. I challenge media organizations to think twice about scolding hosts for saying what literally every well-minded person is thinking. Trump should not be normalized, and society should not isolate and criticize public figures who are bold enough to keep calling him out.
After all, the White House using their platform to call for the firing of a public citizen for exercising her right to free speech just proves yet again how fuckin' crazy the administration is.
