Facebook Picture of Girl Flipping Off Unknown Soldier Tomb Goes Viral

reply to post by Carreau


You have said perfectly.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it

By Evelyn Beatrice Hall, often mis-attributed to Voltaire.

This pretty well sums up this situation. We forget that or don't wish to know this. You have the right to say or do whatever you want to, but you have to survive or live with the consequences.

This is a clear cut case of everyone flipping out over nothing. Obviously she thought it would be funny to pose next to a sign that reads silence and respect while pretending to scream and flipping of the sign. It was meant to be a play on the sign and had nothing to do with disrespecting the location.

Regardless of motive some people are stupid but a simple stupid Facebook post does not necessitate this kind of punishment.

This really isn't a "freedom of speech" issue, folks.

If she had been charged with a crime for doing this little stunt, *then* we could have a nice, long discussion about whether or not her First Amendment right to free speech had been violated. Since she isn't facing criminal charges, the whole "freedom of speech" argument isn't applicable.

As far as her losing her job because of this stunt, that has nothing to do with her legal rights. It has to do with the consequences of her actions, and with the fact that what an employee does reflects back on the company that employes them. I work for the State, and my job requires that I pass regular background checks and carry a security clearance card with me at all times. If I get a DUI/DWI, I can be terminated. This doesn't mean that my legal right to consume alcohol is being infringed (Yes, I am, indeed, over the age of 21. How far over? Far enough over that my birthday candles can set off the smoke detector ), it simply means that if I do something that shows profound bad judgement, and reflects badly on my employer, no matter how legal it might be, it can (and probably will) have negative consequences.

Her rights aren't being infringed in the slightest. She didn't lose her job because of what she said, or how loudly she said it, or where she said it. She lost her job because she showed a lack of good judgement and maturity, and did something in a very public place that reflected badly on her employer.

Originally posted by UnBreakable
Just like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. You're free to say "fire" but there are consequences for saying it.

Yelling fire in a crowded theatre is not protected by freedom of speech laws in America. Actually a similar example is used for what is not protected.

Originally posted by UnBreakable
Gives me an idea. I'm going to walk in my local Catholic church Sunday (I'm a "lapsed Catholic" and now an agnostic) and exercise my freedom of speech by yelling anti-Catholic, anti-USA rhetoric. I wonder if all those patriotic "Christians" will be tolerant and accomodating of my freedom of speech rights.

This is also not protected as free speech in America. It would probably fall under fighting words, but even then you would be on private property. They could make you leave.

There was this person I met once that said something kind of like ...

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" ... It was probably that Jesus person. I'm not so sure, but I think it would maybe apply here.

Was also a poet that said "There but for the grace of God go I."

We've all done stupid things. Do we really need this much discussion on this one? Same with the mind reading about the person's motivations and if she means her apology or not (Look out John Edwards, mind readers coming through) ... I've seen serial killers get more sympathy on this board.

Surely there is more important stuff in the media? ... ... ... Le sigh ... ... ... I guess not. *Does Gangnam style dance*

...

Anyone got a spare toaster and a bath tub I can borrow?

reply to post by FlyersFan


The article says she was on a company trip when it happened, i dont think it has a lot to do with her company. I think there's to many people here just joining the herd and crying for blood over what is just a rather immature joke to do with a sign. A few people are reading to much into this and all the other sheeple are mindlessly joining in.

There far more evil people doing stuff on a daily basis that need to lose their jobs but everyone just lets them get away with it. Think people are focusing on here because they sense weakness because she is a nobody. It real school yard stuff.

So i dont agree with you no one deserves to lose a job over something as dumb as this. We have all done dumb stuff at work.

I'm going to say something profound..brace yourselves..


Facebook is f***'ing stupid and that's what she gets for having the need to post every little stupid thing she does online for people to see. Ah ha.

There is no reason I should know about this.


What is truly sad, is how so many people pretend to care about something this inane.

reply to post by DirtyLiberalHippie


I like seeing peoples stupidity bow up in their faces. That is not "wishing ill" on anyone. Twisting my words to fit your need, you truly are a dirty liberal but definitely not a hippie.

Originally posted by LightWarrior11
I'm going to say something profound..brace yourselves..


Facebook is f***'ing stupid and that's what she gets for having the need to post every little stupid thing she does online for people to see. Ah ha.

This.

reply to post by UnBreakable


It's disrespectful, but it's your right to do it. Honestly, growing up in church I've had people come in off the streets yelling far worse, so it wouldn't bother me. Actually, if I felt you needed help or were that upset, I'd try to help you. Not call you names and try to get you fired. That's not what I feel like God wants me to do.

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
I am glad she lost her job. She's a dumb useless twit and an example of what's wrong with the latest generation of kids.

She deserves every bit of ridicule that comes her way!

I agree that it is disgusting, but I don't believe she should have lost her job over this. An employer has no right to be making up laws to meet public demand.

This opens the floodgates to people loosing all their employment rights. You can now be fired for any reason at all. Boss doesn't like your face? Fired. Boss thinks you have no sense of humour? Fired. Boss thinks you should walk on your hands for three hours and you refuse? Fired.

There are laws protecting people and their employment, and they are there for a reason. You cannot just go around changing laws because you want to vindictively attack someone who pissed you off.

While I think what she did was wrong, this is trial by mob, people ganging up on one individual and being vigilantes, ignoring the laws of the country. This makes you no better than religious led dictatorships.

You CANNOT just act on public opinion, that is wrong! And I would say that's actually far WORSE than what this idiot of a woman did.

reply to post by seagull

Like I said, my husband served in Vietnam so he does have a right to his opinion in this, and he's not amused but thinks everyone is over reacting. He said that as disrespectful as she is she has the FREEDOM to do that because of men like him. When she is no longer free to act a fool THEN his service was for nothing!

reply to post by BASSPLYR


I was going to give you a star until you started name calling. Look, we all know the youth does dumb things. It doesn't make them any better or the situation any better to call them names and make them feel small. That doesn't work for anyone's self esteem. I understand you clearly don't care but I can't support the things you say whether I feel the same or not, which I did ...until you called her a dumb stupid twit. That just makes you look bad ...

I don't feel bad for what she has put her self through, but nobody deserves to feel less than others ...it's just not true.

Good for you for trying though, you got half your point across and then it was lost in ignorance and disrespect for all humanity.

Originally posted by UnBreakable

Originally posted by jude11
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

Freedom of speech ... even if it's pure ignorance. That being said ... I hope someday she goes for a government job requiring a security clearance and is turned down for it.

So she should be turned down for a Govt. job, fail a security clearance, which means being placed on the No-Fly list and possibly labelled a potential terrorist for exercising her Freedom of Speech?

How is it Freedom of Speech when your life is ruined for exercising that Freedom?

Peace

Just like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. You're free to say "fire" but there are consequences for saying it.

Really? You are comparing the two as the same?

Yelling Fire in a crowded theater is instigating a false alarm which is illegal. Emergency response costs, panicked public etc.

Yelling at a grave is....?

Need a better analogy than that.

Peace

If this girl is 'real' or not who knows, what concerns me with all these things though is the loss of freedom/freedoms countenanced by so many.

In the UK last week there was the national celebration of Rememberance day, remembering the dead of WW1, WW2 and other conflicts, it is a huge thing in the UK and people wear 'poppies'. These paper flower representations are made by the Royal British Legion, a bit similar to the USA's veteran associations - literally 10's of millions are worn.

A young man decided to share his thoughts on this matter of Remberance day by posting a picture of a burnt poppy on facebook - result? He gets the 'knock on the door' and is hauled in for questioning by the police.

That's wrong, it is also wrong that within only a very few weeks in the UK a man was been jailed for 4 months for telling bad taste jokes again on facebook, and another has 254hrs community service for tweeting what he thought of UK troops in Afghan and another got several months for wearing a T-shirt the police found offensive.

Freedom is what many of our grandfathers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, ouselves and now our sons and daughters have fought for and died for - and now we throw it away for what? Because someone dares to disagree? We and our forefathers dared to disagree, which is why we fought for freedom.

Really people, some of you need to stand a very long way back and take a very deep breath - and think.

i don't find it offensive, nor do i really care about what she has done. it was merely a joke. the sign says "silence and respect" so she posed in the opposite way. she's not disrespecting the soldier(s), which seems to be what some of you think. she more than likely didn't have that in mind. this whole situation is so petty. to be offended by her actions is ridiculous. if russel peters or louis c.k. posed the same way in front of that sign, would anyone be offended? or would they say "ah, that guy is hilarious. classic."

the media, and everyone, has made mountains out of a mole hill with this. the video op linked for us is, for lack of a better word, stupid; it's meant to create an issue out of something so trivial. her actions are hardly newsworthy.

there are worse things we should be worried about. i find it dismaying to see that over ten thousand people liked a facebook page to get her fired. why can't people use this sort of "passion" for far more serious matters?

just suck up, move on and do something better with your time.

reply to post by davcwebb


Wow.. simply wow. idiot is stamped all over her forehead. Yeah we have freedom of speech but dang you just do not do stuff like that and not expect blowback.

I do not agree with our military involvement all over the world but i would not go disrespect someones grave. I hope she actually did this out of what she believes and not just to be funnny. Either way is bad but if it was just to be funny i hope they flame her till she gets an eating disorder... oh wait to late.

Without reading the tons of pages, and risk this already being said, I will say my thoughts: If she got fired for this, sue the job for wrongful termination. Even if it was a joke, I don't imagine she had no idea what the consequences of this would have been. I have two words: Attention whore. And she is probably loving every minute of this, regardless of what she says.

There is a certain level of massages and comments you can post on her Facebook and such, but at some point you have to draw the line and then it becomes harassment and can even be considered a crime if threats are made, or even suggested.

Given that said, I do not condone her actions, nor the encouragement to harass such individual. I will get crap for what I am going to say now: At least she wasn't pissing on their tomb.

Originally posted by grey580
reply to post by jam321

 

No publicity is bad publicity.
Kim Kardashian is proof of this.

kim kardashian is a rich celebrity(for what i dont know)..big difference

Originally posted by vonclod

Originally posted by grey580
reply to post by jam321

 

No publicity is bad publicity.
Kim Kardashian is proof of this.

kim kardashian is a rich celebrity(for what i dont know)..big difference

Not a big difference...why? Example: Both want attention = attention whore. Neither of the two are famous for anything other than pissing other people off or even annoying them.