Opinion: Selling LGBTQIA+ Merchandise is Not Evil and Demonic- Why Would Anyone Think It Was?

PixabayPhoto byAlexas_Fotos

Everyone likes to be thought of as an expert in their field. Be it corporate finance, stock brokering, plumbing, or even baseball. But sometimes, with a little hubris, or too little self-reflection, we venture out over the edge into a space we know little or nothing about and like Wile E Coyote, plummet a thousand feet to a self-inflicted reckoning below.

Or in some cases, back down to the minor leagues.

Last week a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, Anthony Bass, came across a video post on social media that apparently struck a chord prompting him to share it. The post by a user called “dudewithgoodnews” quoted Biblical verses as his reason to boycott Target and Bud Light for their recent support of LGBTQIA+ initiatives and the community as a whole.

The video post used the words, “This is evil, this is demonic” regarding the sale of Pride-related merchandise.

Bass stated that he shared this multiple times because “the video reflected my (Christian) beliefs.” He also said that he didn’t view the video or its contents as hateful.

Now not being hateful surely begs the question - when using the terms evil and demonic in the same sentence who exactly would you be talking about, who would deserve such a label?

An umpire who’s not calling strikes? A batter who keeps hitting your slider out of the ballpark? Or perhaps a dictator who’s been in the news lately for starting a war or maybe even one that started another war back in 1939.

In other words, calling someone or a group that they belong to, evil and demonic is hateful. Is there any doubt that these words describe a very select group of people on this planet and that they should be reserved for only the worst of them?

But in keeping with recent protocols on what to do after putting one’s foot in one’s mouth, he issued an apologist's apology. He stated that he was sorry that he offended anyone, not his intention. That he was self-reflecting on the subject - perhaps a bit too late - and would do better in the future.

What exactly - would do better in the future means is a little unclear. An apology assumes that a mistake was made. With all of us being human, this happens more often than we would like to admit. But when the dark clouds first started forming overhead, Bass had a moment to reflect, and what he came up with was that he did it for a good reason, his beliefs, and he didn’t think it was hateful.

Perhaps in a way, this is understandable. When a person believes one thing to be true and he repeats it or supports it, then he is only repeating the truth as he sees it. How can the truth be hateful?

Bass however is not the first person to get tangled up with the logic of this. What we sometimes forget is that the truth is no longer as simple as it once was. The truth, like alternate facts, is now a fluid concept.

Say for example, you steal your dad’s car keys so you can go on an interview to get a job, so you can earn money to repay the loan he guaranteed for a car that you totaled, then in your mind, this would be the right thing to do. It would be true for you.

But apparently, the Blue Jays’ organization, though appreciating Bass’ decision to do better in the future, decided that he would be doing it elsewhere and promptly designated him for assignment. Which in baseball parlance means he is off the Blue Jays roster and will either be selected by another team, sent down to the minor leagues, or released outright.

In other words, not the best outcome for spending a few moments on social media.

Is this fair?

A baseball team is not unlike a team at a local fast-food restaurant. Each person is different, each with their own perspectives on the job, life, and the world at large. Most, if not all of which has little to do with making burgers or fried chicken but potentially can upset the chemistry of the team, thus causing upset customers, loss of revenue, unwanted scrutiny on social media, and so on.

Best to cut one’s losses and move on.

Perhaps Anthony Bass will be able to do the same and perhaps not. But one thing seems clear, the self-reflection probably won’t be over anytime soon.