All Lies and Jest

 

The funny old thing about the First Amendment is that you can say what you want to say, and while the federal government can't prosecute you (unless your speech was sedition or fraud, and like, we are definitely going to see some cases about those kinds of things, right?) for the things you say, other people can criticize the hell out of you. And that is what is happening to a father of four from Oregon, who decided that "Let's Go Brandon" was part of his Christmas message to the White House. 

And I am all about Jared Schmeck's First Amendment rights--he exercised the heck out of it for the opportunity he had. It was the rhetorical equivalent of saying "Bababooey" and accomplishes nothing to advance the MAGA mindset, It was something akin (not to be ableist, I hope) to political Tourette's syndrome, in that he spontaneously behaved in an asshole manner according to his politics, and we can assume his upbringing otherwise would not have him wishing people get fucked in answer to Christmas well-wishes. 

But because I'm me, I do think it funny that he's shocked that he isn't greeted with universal high-fives, but is getting static from other people just exercising their free speech, and I also wonder if he ever considered that making Christmas a whole political to-do kind of made the White House call less a cool thing for his kids and more like a resignation to accept this is their dad now, the guy who did the thing. 

Of course Schmeck, a former Oregon police officer who resigned for reasons he doesn't want to talk about and who is now employed by the family business, thinks he is the persecuted one here. I don't want him persecuted. I think his pluck is revelatory, but not damaging to our democracy or anything--we have greater threats. But he thought he'd be more universally applauded for his MAGA cult catch-phrase. And he thinks telling us he's Christ-following now changes whether people find what he said disturbing.

Some people will. But if I say Trump can eat shit and die, people will criticize me for that, no matter how genuinely I mean it, or even if he somewhat deserves to swallow his own words and face the consequences of them in the figurative way I might have meant what I said. This is the consequences of my free speech. I will be criticized, and I accept that my whole online life. A long online life. 

So what I'm saying is, he isn't a free speech martyr because here he is! Still good. And he said what he wanted to say, and maybe discovered not everyone agreed with him. Oh, careless speech, there are sometimes reactions. This is called a conversation! Despite all lies and jest still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. But I want to think we can do better.  

Schmeck can do better and I hope he has the opportunity. But no, he isn't a free speech martyr, and I wish him both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, because I am exactly that kind of commie asshole.