KevinTest
When NBA player Jason Collins made news last week by becoming the first player in a major men’s North American team sport to announce that he was gay, words of support from fellow professional athletes, coaches, etc. were almost immediately reported. Many of the comments were similar to one on Twitter from Nick Swisher of the Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team which stated, “I will always support people for being who they are.” Now my comments here are not about Jason Collins, and I am NOT opening up a discussion about homosexuality, but rather about what seems to have become a very lauded trait…not only showing tolerance, but actively supporting someone’s actions or opinions…simply because they are honest.
In my opinion, a leader does not have the luxury of blindly accepting a person’s comments or position simply because that person is being “true to who they are”. After all, many individuals who behave in a manner that is lazy, mean, careless, or spoiled are probably being true to who they are too. And if that person’s actions are detrimental to others, a leader must resist the temptation to be politically correct, and they must expect (and sometimes enforce) appropriate behavior. And what of the racist or alcoholic, or dare I say it, the pedophile? Those attitudes and actions are not exhibited casually or accidentally, they come from that person’s core, but we wouldn’t celebrate those “honest” attributes, would we? Nor would we support a comedian who “honestly” thought it would be funny to yell “fire” in a crowded theater. And so as not to appear one-sided, what of the Christian employee who spends most of his work time witnessing to his coworkers and clients and very little time actually performing his job? Should his supervisor applaud that, or even ignore it, just because that worker is being who they are?
Back to Swisher… Would he “always support” a player trying out for his Cleveland Indians who was short, weak, lazy, and selfish? I would suspect that person’s performance in the batting cage would fail to inspire, regardless of the fact that it was an honest reflection of the person.
I have no issue with those supporting Jason Collins by indicating their admiration for the the courage that it took to make such an admission in a very difficult environment. That’s a valid opinion. But I find the concept that something is admirable simply because it is a true reflection of who that person is to be a cop out. Granted, I wouldn’t necessarily view Swisher as a leader in this case, but I have heard or read very similar comments from others who I would consider to be leaders, and I believe that if they think about the blanket statement that they made, they would find that they didn’t really mean it. Words have meaning…even if offered carelessly. Leaders must make sure their words mean what they mean for them to mean!
Photo credit: “Caveman Chuck” Coker / Foter.com / CC BY-ND
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Photo credit: Bohman / Foter.com / CC BY
You know, I have often heard folks say that they are the way they are because “that’s just how God made me.” I won’t dive into a theological discussion here, but I think that is often an excuse for not attempting to become all that we can be (to steal a recruiting phrase from the military.)
Do you think any of this has to do with the cult of celebrity and one celebrity standing in solidarity with another celebrity in hopes that some one will stand up for them one day when they do something that you or I could never get away with?
Kevin, I agree with your first comment. It’s like the husband that tells his wife, “Stop nagging me. You knew I was lazy when you married me!” That’s a two-edged sword. Perhaps she should have considered his character flaws more into account before agreeing to marry him. But that in no way absolves the husband from improving himself and becoming the husband he should be.
As far as the “fraternity” of celebrities supporting one another as a sort of insurance policy, I think that is true in some cases as well. However, Tolerance is quickly becoming one of the major expectations of our society. And the concept continues to evolve. It used to be, “what one does in the privacy of their own home is their own business.” But in recent years it has become a license to do whatever you want, whenever and wherever you want”. And if someone criticizes or even just questions your actions, the subject immediately moves to the one being intolerant as the problem.