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I posted about Curt Schilling on the bookfaces the other day, concerning his not being voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame again. His failure to get in is actually a fascinating study, to me anyway, of where we are in society with regard to political correctness. That term is probably far outdated, as we’ve come up with so many new terms and specific labeling for people’s words and behavior. But PC pretty much covers it for me.
The only time I was a Schilling fan as a player, is when he was pitching for the Sox against the hated Yankees. In my opinion, his overall record and especially his performances in the playoffs and World Series, cement his legacy and makes him deserving of induction. However, that’s clearly not the criteria he’s being judged by. On the day after the vote by the Baseball Writers Association, where no one was admitted, I listened to Bob Costas and ESPN baseball analyst, Tim Kirkjian, both say it was because of his extreme political views. Costas went as far to say that if he got in, no one wants to hear even 15 seconds of an acceptance speech that mentions Donald Trump. I would like to say I was stunned by that statement, but in today’s environment, it was water off a duck’s back. Actually, I don’t know why it would be water off a duck’s back, it’s just a stupid phrase that came to mind.
Schilling is not without controversy. Not by a long shot. But being labeled a controversial figure has always come back to him being very vocal in his conservative views. I read numerous comments on social media calling him everything from a racist to a Nazi. I was curious, but not bi, so I went to the Googles to pull up various pieces on Schilling and the ‘controversial†things he’s said. And that’s where it gets eye-opening. I read where former Major Leaguer, Adam Jones, (I think he’s out of baseball now) made claims that while playing in the outfield at Fenway, he was subjected to chants of the N-word. Schilling challenged him on it, saying in all his time in Boston, he had never heard fans directing that term at a player. Even though what Schilling was doing amounted to sticking up for the fans in Boston, several writers stuck the racist and white supremacist tags on him. Huge difference, but no matter, that’s the world we live in.
I also saw where Schilling was let go from his post as an ESPN analyst after getting into a debate on social media about States trying to pass laws allowing transgender people to use whatever bathroom they wanted. Curt took the ‘right wing extremist†position that if you have a penis, you use the Men’s shitter. I guess I’m a right wing extremist myself, because I agree with that sentiment 100%. He asked the question of whether or not you wanted your daughter to have to use the bathroom with someone “identifying as a woman.â€? I can’t begin to list the labels put on Schilling after that take; however, I do recall one writer calling him “scum†and a “stain on humanityâ€. But again, that’s where we are in society. If your views are conservative, or more to the point, if you are vocal about those views, you have now stepped into the Cancel Zone.
The truth is there are similarities between Schilling and Trump in that they are both obviously conservative and both display it proudly. Another similar trait is when criticism comes their way, they fire back, usually without filter, which is one thing that bit Curt in the butt. I believe the story goes that with regard to the numerous hit pieces written about him, he shared or “liked†a social media post with a t-siort that said something to the effect of “rope and treeâ€. He was clearly firing back at his critics, but again, you know where we are today. Intent is taken completely out of the equation. He made a reference to lynching and therefore; it’s cancel time. Now, I’ll be the first to agree that you flat out have to have better sense and judgment and realize that in some people’s minds, there’s just no coming back from that one. Not in my mind, because I still take intent into consideration, just like his comments referencing Boston fans above. But we know how it is, if your views and actions don’t align with mine, you are automatically a racist, misogynist, white supremacist, nazi, scum of the earth and a stain on humanity. I don’t know the man personally, but I’d venture a guess to say that if I did get to know him, he’d be none of those things.
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