Crazy for Adolf
Forestview High School in Charlotte, NC played part of a speech by Adolf Hitler / Joseph Goebbels (depending on the story you read) where the Nazi leader encourages his followers / troops “on to victory” over the PA system before a school soccer game. This was done in a game between Forestview and Charlotte Catholic. The speech was suppose to encourage the team “on to victory”. Two of the players downloaded the speech from Internet and attempted to sample just the “On To Victory”, which the team has been using as theme - in German. Apparently the students were “unable” to just get the “On To Victory” porition and some 90 seconds of the speech played over the PA. Only to make matter worse, some of the Forestview players also chanted racial slurs at black players on the Charlotte Catholic team during the game. Forestview’s principals explanation for the speech went along the lines of it being a motto, etc. That did not help matters. The school system says that schools are no place for such speeches and that this was out of hand. Numerous apology’s followed of course.
My question is who ever thought it would be ok for a high school soccer game? Last time I checked, stuff going over the PA does not come directly from the sidelines or the team. People screen it, they check it and then they play it. Who thought it would be ok to play the Fuhrer before a sporting match? That is just insane. How bad does the education of the two students have to be for them to think this would be ok? How bad is the management of the team by the coaches for them to let this happen? How weak in the principal to allow it to happen to begin with?
With that said though. Lets now look at this story from another view, freedom of speech. People have the right to free speech. When they excerise it, especially in inappropriate ways like this, they must also have to be willing / able to take responsibility for what they do or say. If someone wants to play Hitler speeches they should be able too as it is not illegal, just inappropriate. Understand, I personally think it is entirely inappropriate for a high school sporting match, but if the school wants to do it, and they are willing to take the heat for it, they do have the right too. Go to anyone, of any political stripe, and you will likely be able to find something that a school, a teacher, a student, or a class does, or has done recently, that they find inappropriate. Right wing, left wing, center of the road most people are offended by something done in or around education or educational venues. My point is that inappropriate does not mean illegal or banned. Freedom of speech is designed to protect unpopular and unpleasant speech, not just speech that myself and others approve of. If we only allow popular and pleasant speech we have given up a fundamental right of freedom. We have the right to speak freely, we do not have the right to never be offended, which I personally am in this case.
When this team / school decided to play this speech they should have be ready for the back lash and have been willing and able to take it. People being offended by it should not have been a surprise and the backlash from it should not have been unexpected. These players / coaches thought no one would care. That shows just how little they real understand about society and how foolish they are. When you say / do things people hear / see them and then they react. When offensive and unpopular things / ideas are expressed, or statements are made by offensive or unpopular figuires, people react. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from response, responsibility, or reaction. It does mean you can say inappropriate things though. It also means you have to be responsible for the waves that occur when you act inappropriately.
Playing speeches by Hitler will only isolate you, and your actions. It will also make MOST people react negatively, and it should in my opinion. If a speech / the words of Hitler are connected to a political action or movement it will make you and your views and your statements and your goals move to the category of IGNORE for most people.
No matter how you think about it, a speech by Hitler, or any Nazi leader, should be viewed a inappropriate before a high school game. Actually it should be seen as inappropriate before any sporting match. My question though, is does that mean that it should be stopped? Things that are viewed as inappropriate are discussed, debated, sounded, voiced, and supported everyday across the nation on high school and college campuses. In most of those cases people support those inappropriate things being done, acted upon, voiced, sounded, debated, discussed, etc. If a student wants to present or live or discuss or support a offensive / counter view typically lawyers arrive to ensure they get too. At least most of the time.
In this case though it seems that the inappropriateness is so great no one will defend it. I personally would not and do not. Understand, I am NOT defending this. I see no redeemable aspect here. I think it is way over the top. All I am doing is asking myself why some inappropriate speech is defended so vigorously and other inappropriate speech is not. Just something to think about as you go through your day. It is also something I will ponder as I consider how best to use my freedom of speech in the future.
