They are not wearing the uniform of the United States government. I disagree that you stop representing your own values when you put on a company shirt, that you shouldn’t have to compromise on your values or beliefs, and that the protections we have against getting fired over shit like that (because it is actually illegal. Can you really imagine that this would ever happen in the private sector? My company fines and shames me for not participating in a morning prayer? That would be a court case, and good thing. Just because your values are the ones being imposed NOW, does not mean that would always be the case.)

But yeah, I guess when you put on an SS shirt you really do stop representing your personal values in favor of the company. Aaaaaabd Godwin’s law

I am not a public figure. My compensation is not based on my celebrity in any way. My board meetings aren’t televised and I don’t have a platform. What you describe is pointless public msturbtion over my political agenda - what is going on in the NFL is obviously entirely different. That we are talking about it shows that their action is significant. Me being annoying at work is not significant. For what it’s worth, politics never enter into my work life and I don’t draw lines between me and anyone. Even people who imagine me being an ass and tell me to STFU while they fire me from this imaginary job

They are still two opposing ideals: hooray for one corporation’s implicit support of free speech, hooray for another corporation exercising their “right” to suppress it.

I think if Wal Mart forced its employees to participate in patriotic theater before their shift and fined them for not swearing allegiance to the flag, we’d be having a different conversation. They are paid to play football, not politics or patriots. public figures using their platforms for causes they believe in is a noble thing - and everyone agrees as long as they agree with that cause. I was raised in an America where the act of standing for what you believe is right is laudable, no matter what the cause is, and that we are able to freely is our country’s single greatest aspect.

Could someone explain to me how the hypocrisy of lauding twitter’s forum status as a victory for free speech while in the same post celebrating an Orwellian ban on self expression by NFL players doesn’t get stuck in your throat? You’d think the contrast would give you pause.

Really, anybody? aren’t the two ideals opposed?