America is a diverse nation. More than 320 million people live here, of numerous races, religions, ethnic groups, ancestries, and identities. We possess a wide range of differences in education, political beliefs, sports team loyalties, food preferences, and so on.
John Pisone of Mars, Pennyslvania, is what you might call a Heartland American. He has strong opinions, wears them on his sleeve, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. (Warning: Graphic language)
He’s also unemployed. After this video was posted on Facebook and went viral, Pisone’s employer, MMC Land Management, fired him and released the following statement:
“Today, we were disgusted to learn that one of MMC’s former employees used racial slurs and made racially charged comments during a peaceful protest in Mars, Pennsylvania, outside of work hours at a location with which we have no affiliation. We are sorry that this incident occurred. Whether at work or not, we do not condone hate speech – EVER. Inclusion and diversity are among MMC’s core values. We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. MMC has terminated this employee and will never do business with him again in the future.”
Presumably, he’s now living on tax dollars in the form of unemployment benefits. Read story here. Pisone is remorseful, has issued a public apology, and says he has turned to a local church to help guide him through this incident. Read that story here.
I wonder how remorseful he’d be if society hadn’t turned against him, but instead had embraced or accepted his behavior. But it’s good that he’s repentant and realizes he made a mistake. It’s even better that society no longer accepts such behavior, and it comes with consequences. Our ideal should be a society in which all of us can express our opinions on public issues peacefully, and respect each other despite our differences. Obviously we’re not there yet, and there’s still a lot of hard work to do, in terms of educating our fellow citizens one person at a time. But each one who achieves enlightenment is a victory in itself.