For over four decades, fans across our great nation (and then some!) have settled into their recliners on Monday nights with their beers close at hand and their Doritos in their laps and let the cares of the world melt away as they let the NFL occupy our thoughts and time. Even those who aren’t sports fanatics are acutely aware that Monday night means football and that Tuesdays are for talking about “last night’s game”. Part of that tradition, included Hank Williams Jr ushering in Monday Night Football with his famous lyrics, “Are you ready for some football?”
This year, however, after making comments which likened Barak Obama to Adolf Hitler, the powers at ESPN that decide on theme songs have chosen to no longer use Junior’s song to kick off the Monday night tradition. And to that, I say, “Touchdown!”
Please understand: I’m not saying that Junior doesn’t have the right to express his own opinion about politics. He absolutely does. It’s a right guaranteed by our constitution; however, when he goes so far as to say that our president (who hasn’t led a massive genocide of any race of people) is likened to Adolf Hitler, he demonstrates his blatant disrespect for the office that Hank Jr, himself, held so dear when the Dixie Chicks expressed their lack of satisfaction at having George W. in office a few years back. And once again, he exercised his right to free speech to bash the female trio from Texas. What gives, Jr.? What’s good for one president is good for them all!
Regardless of your politics, our country has allowed our own viewpoints to become so divisive that we no longer can stand united on anything. Sadly, we’ve become a nation so entrenched in our own political agenda and our own personal opinions that we sadly subscribe to the philosophy that if you aren’t with me, you’re against me.
At what point did we decide to stop embracing America as the melting pot, full of differences which allow for much more possibilities within our great nation?
I believe whole heartedly that we, as a nation, will never be in agreement 100% over any individual we elect to The White House. That’s a fact we’re going to have to just accept. We will disagree. But, we must disagree respectfully.
As I learned in kindergarten, calling names is not nice. Hank Jr. must have missed that lesson.
Maybe we, as a nation, could learn from Monday night football: Regardless of whether we are cheering for the Cowboys or standing for the Steelers or rooting for the Raiders, we can accept that each of us has our own team and what matters most is that we can sit down together in our respective living rooms, drink our beverage of choice and enjoy a good game of football. Now, thanks to ESPN, we’ve been reminded that if we can’t play nicely, we won’t play.
It’s a "play" we should run in politics as well.
