A friend of mine
moved from India as a child, not speaking English, to a rural Oklahoma community.
On his second day of school a much larger kid had a bit of fun pushing and
shoving the unusual brown boy. Shortly thereafter the bully found himself on
the ground with a bloody nose.
Yes, my friend got in trouble at school. Yes, he got in
trouble at home. But the bullying stopped. He gave up momentary safety on several
fronts for future freedom.
Just over a half century ago an America that valued freedom
over all else stood toe to toe with Russia, risking inhalation of the world to
prevent placement of offensive weapon systems, missiles, within a hundred miles
of American shores, our country endured eminent risk to ensure freedom.
It’s ironic the same week we’re restoring the relations we
sacrificed with Cuba for the sake of freedom so many decades ago, that a large
American cooperation, Sony, is bowing to threats from North Korea.
It’s not a bombshell Kim Jong Un is upset by a satirical comedy
based on his assassination. Neither is it shocking a man with a horrid human
rights record against his own people thinks the threat against innocent lives
is an appropriate response. But it is surprising a company making billions from
American citizens is choosing safety over freedom…sort of.
Unfortunately, a growing portion of America is going soft.
We respond to attacks against our children by vilifying guns instead of training
and arming our school personnel. We react to a government spying on its own
people with acquiescence bred from fear of our fellow citizens’ freedom. We
tolerate growing untraditional racism to avoid being labeled ‘racist’ for
demanding all people, regardless of the past, be accountable for their own situations.
We’re not the America that grew strong based on the ability to choose the hard
path because, politically indelicate or not, it’s the right path.
Sony, like all major corporations, has one function, to make
money. If the public is afraid to go to the movies during the holidays they
lose money in the short term. But if America is offended by their seeming
cowardice, they may forfeit profits well into the future.
I wouldn’t pay 8 or 10 bucks to see a Seth Rogan comedy,
don’t care to fight crowds and don’t wish to overpay for popcorn, so pulling ‘The
Interview’ doesn’t affect my immediate plans. But an unwillingness to support a
business that offends my sense of right and wrong does affect priorities. Among
my selection criteria for future purchases will be the lack of Sony on the
label.
I welcome the opportunity to legally buy a Cuban cigar. More
importantly I see the need, for reasons of national strength, to have a working
relationship with our closest neighbors; upgrading Cuban relations doesn’t
bother me. Allowing anyone, foreign or domestic, to determine our freedoms,
even in something as insignificant as entertainment, does. Our options are
freedom or safety, not both.
*Since this article was written 'The Interview' has had a limited release. This is a slight improvement...slight.
