UFC President Dana White came under fire for calling a reporter a “fucking bitch” (anti-humping dogs!), for using a gay slur, and although every media outlet is afraid to print it apparently it was the word “faggot” (anti-kindling!), and for calling her story “absolutely fucking retarded” (anti-virgins!).
Few things get me riled up anymore, but the constant rush to make people “apologize” is one of them.
Since when do a group of people have more rights than a single individual? I do not recognize the “rights” of a collective, since it’s merely a group of individuals who have chosen to forfeit their own individual rights to be part of something they deem stronger than themselves. Something which is controlled by (evil) individuals.
Since when are certain people groups allowed to use certain words, but not individuals outside of those groups? Black rappers and actors use “nigga” ALL THE TIME. Even in reference to white guys – ever seen Training Day? “Myyyy n*gga…” Gay men use “fag” as a term of endearment, a cutesy way of showing solidarity within their collective of people who like butt-sex.
As a supporter of individual rights, I don’t care what you call your friends. I don’t care what you do with your friends behind closed doors. Hell, I don’t care if you and your gay buddy dry hump in a public park – it doesn’t hurt anybody and I have the choice, as an individual, to walk away.
JUST DON’T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CAN’T SAY OR DO IF IT DOESN’T TANGIBLY HARM YOUR LIFE OR PROPERTY.
This “special rights” nonsense is destroying society. The world isn’t in this financial crisis because of capitalism – it’s here because “special rights” people (read: THOSE WHO COULDN’T AFFORD THE LOANS THEY WERE GIVEN) who happened to fit a certain skin color or poverty level or shitty credit score club all got special treatment.
Guess who is paying for that? You and me, the non-special people, hard-working taxpayers whose only crime was not belonging to the “special rights” group of “undisciplined, broke-ass mo-fo’s”. Capiche?
Dana White cracked under the pressure from the GLAAD people and “apologized”. He said he was sorry to a loosely defined group of people, who may or may not have been “hurt” by his comments. He didn’t say he was sorry to the individual he had directly insulted and whose story he had slammed.
How much sense does that make?
And of course he isn’t sorry. He’s no more sorry than a pro athlete who gets caught for something and is forced by their team management to apologize.
But Dana White shouldn’t be sorry. He did nothing wrong. Last I checked, we still have FREEDOM OF SPEECH in this country, right?
And as he said following his apology, the response to his rant from UFC fans was mostly positive, “way to go Dana, you’re the man”.
Well DUH! He’s the president of the UFC, it’s a fanbase of people who like to watch men brutally fight each other to the bloody near-death in a freaking cage. OF COURSE they think it’s cool that he got pissed off and went on a tirade about something and someone he didn’t like. THAT’S WHAT HIS DEMOGRAPHIC OF CUSTOMERS WOULD DO.
So why did he apologize? The vast majority of his paying, supportive target market are now going to think he just pulled a total wussy move. Which he did.
Thinking before you speak in public, especially when you’re a public figure, is wise. Apologizing because of pressure from the collective is just pathetic.
Kids understand the harsh truths of reality better than most adults, I think: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”
If my identity as an individual is DETERMINED BY ME, then the words of others – be they positive or negative – have no effect. I determine my own self worth, because I set my values, and I live up to my values, and I earn my own respect and self-love.
When you allow yourself to be lumped in with a “group”, special rights or not, you GIVE UP YOUR SELF and suppress it to come under the CONTROL OF THE COLLECTIVE.
And what is a collective? It’s a group of (potential) individuals who are used by a small number of evil, mooching individuals who choose how the rest of the group will live. Members of a collective forfeit their individual rights in order to be members. Their lives become the source for the blood-suckers who feed off the group to live. (See: David Koresh, Jesse Jackson, mega-church pastors, etc)
Sounds, sadly, like the direction the entire nation of America and the whole western world is heading.
Dana White was one of the last people I would have thought would bow to such reprehensible group pressure to retract his words, words which he meant and words which he had EVERY RIGHT TO SAY.
How sad.