It always amuses me when I go to football games and hear people criticizing the players. It seems that they are always yelling and making a fuss about what play we should have made and what a big idiot so-and-so is for having done that. I always want to ask them, “If you are so good, then why are you in the stands and not on the field?”
People can be so ridiculous when it comes to judging others. I feel sorry for public figures because they take so much junk from people who have no idea what they are talking about.
I even feel sorry for Britney Spears. I will admit that her VMA performance wasn’t the best, but I don’t understand why people have to be so cruel about it. Do they forget that celebrities are humans too? I am not even a fan of her music, but I still respect the fact that she is making it. I have never been on MTV, so who am I to judge?
Things only get worse when it comes to talking about our president. I have seen “Bush-bashing” T-shirts, bumper stickers and even voodoo dolls. And to all of this I have just one question: What ever happened to respect?
I am not saying that you have to always agree with President Bush, because you don’t have to agree with someone to respect them. Regardless of your feelings, you can at least respect the fact that he is our president, that he won thousands of votes to get there, and that he is running an entire country. That is probably a lot more than you have ever done.
I firmly believe in freedom of speech and I think that it would be wrong to censor the Bush bashers, but at the same time I wish that people would learn to censor themselves. Even beyond that, I wish that people had some respect for those in authority. Don’t get me wrong, I am not just standing up for George W. Bush. It’s not even about him. What I am talking about is respect and treating people like human beings. Is that so much to expect?
I could also bring up that letter to the editor from a few weeks ago that ripped apart our student body president. It’s one thing to express your disagreement with someone; it’s a totally different thing to call him or her a failure at life. That is just unnecessary.
Whether it is the quarterback, President Bush or the person sitting next to you, they all deserve to be treated like human beings. It doesn’t matter if you like them, just show a little respect. I think following The Golden Rule that we all learned back in preschool would bring us a long way. So think about your words; and if you are on the sidelines, don’t assume you know what it’s like to be on the field.
Kendra Moll is a junior majoring in psychology and religion. She enjoys obscure bands and may be contacted at k.moll@umiami.edu.