Maybe if you call an African-American the “N” word in anger, and it’s caught on camera...and then you are fired from your job…maybe you did it to yourself and it didn’t just “happen to you?”
It’s called accountability.
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Kismet 
However – If, in a presentation on the first ammendment and an example of inflammatory rhetoric is used, an example that is qualified to all present as an example, one should not be fired. Our reactionary culture is walking a fine line on, and often trampling the constitution. We have the right to choose to disagree with inflammatory language, define it as stupid or insensitive as others may do to our belief systems. But technically we do not have the right to punish disagreeble verbosity. Unweight the vocabulary of hate. Without weight words are meaningless.
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I protect the First Amendment as well. However, free speech is not protected against hate crimes. Verbally berating an innocent (and presumeably unarmed) Uber and using direct racist monikers (along with the violence of slamming doors, etc) in my opinion, aligns closer to a hate crime than a mere exercise in free speech. I grew up in Iowa….constantly called chink (I was in elementary school) by children and adults alike. My house was decorated with eggs and toilet paper regularly. People who have experienced racism know how scary it is.
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Hate crimes and violence are inexcusable. Having been a Haole in 70s Hawaii and been the wrong color as the only white guy in a 9 piece “black” show band, same era, I get it. Break time I had to be escorted to the men’s room. I’ve never understood it.
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That’s why racism is so scary. I just hosted a Holocaust survivor to speak to our sixth graders. They had absolutely no idea of that history. I am grateful she agreed to come and tell her horrific stories. When white people call people of color “Whiny” or overreactive, I just think to these examples. Hate is hate and it’s not to be taken lightly. Although I’m sure you experienced pain, I am glad you experienced what you did so that you can empathize and understand.
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Phil, this man has also used every excuse under the sun: He’d been drinking, he was tired, etc. His apology does not sound remorseful in the least.
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Stupid is stupid and excuses don’t cut it. There’s no such thing as “oops” bigotry. But to fire a law professor because students were offended by a stated example of inflammatory free speech?
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Phil, I am unaware of the law professor thing. All I can say is, Hans’s business took action and that’s a corporate decision. It’s not law. Corporations are free to do whatever they want and they usually only think of the bottom dollar.
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