A simple Twitter message triggered an avalanche of criticism for Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III on Tuesday, a reaction that black conservative author Deneen Borelli says is typical of liberals and demands more bold speech from those who dare to step away from the acceptable lines of liberal thought.
The tempest began on Tuesday, when Griffin tweeted, “In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.” Subsequent messages from Griffin clearly suggested he was getting plenty of criticism for that initial statement.
Griffin never specifically spelled about what example of political correctness he meant, but most observers believe it was in response to a member of the Washington D.C. City Council urging the Redskins to scrap their nickname that he finds offensive and replace it with “Red Tails” – an homage to the famed Tuskegee Airmen.
Deneen Borelli is outreach director at Freedomworks and is author of “Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving America to the Government Plantation”. She says Griffin deserves praise for speaking out against America’s political correctness problem.
“You have too many people who don’t believe in independent thought . They’d rather have individuals who follow the crowd and fall in lock-step with a certain mindset,” said Borelli. “I applaud RGIII for being vocal because this isn’t the first time that he’s done so. I applaud him for speaking out because there is a big concern about too much political correctness going on in our country and there are way too many people who are just staying silent on the issue.”
Borelli says the liberal culture fiercely condemns anyone who dares to challenge the ideology of the Left, but she says there is special venom reserved for conservative blacks who dare to speak their minds.
“It’s all about control. The people on the Left are unable to control people’s words and their actions. When you have someone like RGIII or someone like Dr. Benjamin Carson, even myself, who was vocal about liberty and people being independent and not relying on the government for example. That’s a problem for those on the Left who want to control the message,” said Borelli, who says the liberal fear of independent thought is especially evident in the hostility aimed at Dr. Carson. She says his life is the embodiment of what is great about America, but his personal ideology makes him a target of scorn from the Left instead.
Borelli says the intensity of the criticism aimed at black conservatives comes with a very clear message to all blacks from the liberal establishment.
“That is to set an example for others to not do the same thing, for anyone else to not be vocal about what they really think. Unfortunately that works. It’s something that is very effective, making people an example of something and no one else is going to step up and challenge the so-called status quo,” said Borelli.
“I wrote my book “Blacklash” really to call out the failures of the liberal Left and to set an example for any American – not just black Americans but any American – to be vocal, be true and speak out about what you believe in, your core values, and not just follow the crowd,” she said.
Despite the predictable vitriol, Borelli says she believes the climate for free speech is gradually getting better.
“I think it is getting better. I am in contact with a number of black conservatives who are looking to me as an example of what they can also do and what they can achieve and what they can be vocal and write about free market, write about liberty and talk about the importance of independence and smaller government. I think it’s taken a long time for us to get to where we are but I do see a change coming about and I do believe there will be more people who will be vocal and hold the Left accountable. Anytime something like this situation arises, I do feel that that is happening,” said Borelli.
Griffin was silent on Twitter for most of Wednesday, but a late afternoon tweet suggests he’s ready for the furor to go away. After a follower suggested political conclusions were being drawn from yesterday’s tweets, Griffin replied, “You can twist it, spin it, and try to find the basis of your next article in the words of anything that anyone says…”
