If this is a country of FREE SPEECH, why do people get fired from their jobs for things they say?

Question

Doesn't that violate their First Amndt. right to free speech?

Answer 1

Well, they don't get arrested for what they say. If the offensive things you say cost your employer money, then they have every right to fire you. If your question is related to Imus, his job is to entertain people for ratings, which brings in advertising money. When people turn off the radio because of what he says, he has failed in his job. He didn't get fired for WHAT he said, but because of the effect his words had on the finances of his employer. It applies to every profession. If you are a waiter, a cashier, a salesman, etc., and you tell every customer to f*ck off...you'll get fired for losing business for your employer.

Answer 2

Free speech questions can be difficult because the standards are not fixed. First-what kind of speech is it? Political speech is the most protected; commercial speech is the least protected. Second-where did the speech occur? An employer can limit free speech in the work place. The prime example is religious speech. A devoted follower of any religion can be stopped from promoting his/her religious beliefs in the work place. Under the sexual harassment laws, speech deemed subjectively repugnant to the listener is banned from the work place. Does this mean free speech is dead? No--it means that free speech can only reliably be exercised away from the job. Outside of the work place, recent US Supreme Court decisions have really made the right to free speech greater. That why you will never see a successful lawsuit against Don Imus for his comments. It's unlikely the Rutgers players could survive a motion to dismiss if they tried to sue him. Nonetheless--there is really no freedom of speech left in the workplace.

Answer 3

Nope.

His free speech wasn't violated, no one stopped him from saying what he said.

As to people wanting IMUS fired, well people have the right to not watch MSNBC and CBS......right ?

Companies have the right to not advertise on MSNBC and CBS............right ?

People have the right to not buy products from companies that advertise on MSNBC and CBS .......right ?

MSNBC and CBS have the right to not go broke, because companies are pulling thier advertising....right ?


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Your making the common mistake in thinking that Free Speech means there are no consiquences to your speech.

IMUS has a federal right to say whatever he wants to say.

But the public also has the right to decide as long as IMUS is still employed by MSNBC and CBS, not to watch or do business with those networks.

Isn't America great.

Democracy in action.

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I find the whole thing funny, so many people trying to stand up for IMUS and saying he deserves a second chance.

Can you imagine them saying that if say " Karl Rove " had made those comments?

Or if O'Reilley had made those comments?

We all know reactions would be alot different if either of the above two made those comments.

Heck, just look at the reaction to "Rush's " comments on ESPN NFL boadcast.

I don't remember anyone wanting to give him a second chance.

Answer 4

Free speech applies to the government. In other words, the First Amendment protects a person's speech in that the government cannot act to suppress that speech (although it has done so at times).

However, an employer is not the government, and may have valid reasons for curtailing certain kinds of speech, that it may view as harmful to the company's image.

Answer 5

The problem is that some people think that the First Amendment is a license for bad taste. Look at Howard "The Imbecile" Stern, he's long overdue for a pink slip.

Actually it all comes down to a question of taste and our fractured society. With so many people and their differing senses of what good taste is all pining for their kind of entertainment, we are never going to agree on a policy whereby the entertainment media has to abide by a hard set of rules.

Then there is the aspect of television programming being owned by entertainment empires. Serious news programming of the Sixties is dead and gone. Schlock sells and as long as the public buys it, they will produce it.

But that is where the answer lies, it wasn't until the sponsors made their feelings known that MSNBC decided to do something. And the sponsors love their customers money.

Answer 6

As long as we stand alone and make a speech nobody bothers.

But when made public , the free speech should not affect anybody, any policy of the state or company, any individual, constitution etc.

Without affecting the above mentioned things anybody can make a free speech. But I can understand your question," what is the use of a free speech without mentioning the above items" ?

Answer 7

As someone pointed out:

"Let's be clear: free speech is one of the holy tenets of our American society. But just because you are free to say it does not imply that you are free from the consequences of what is said."

Answer 8

It certainly shows the truth about these two "men of god" who seem to be totally unfamiliar with the concept of "forgiveness".

If Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he'd have forgotten the incident already.

Answer 9

They don't get fired until the sponsers pull the plug.

Answer 10

Double Standard......