Memphis RN wears violently racist t-shirt to polling place when voting on Tuesday

[klone]

T-shirt depicts a Confederate flag with a noose, and the phrase "Mississippi Justice"

A Mississippi Man Wore A Violently Racist Shirt To Vote In The Midterms

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Ugh, I was just about to post that same article. I couldn't help but think of the recent AN articles about Jewish nurses caring for the Pittsburgh shooter and racist patients making inappropriate remarks toward their providers.

I'm all for first amendment rights, and what he's doing isn't illegal. However, I absolutely think it makes sense that he was fired. People get fired for way smaller infractions posted to social media all of the time (like teachers who have been tagged in pictures of themselves drinking a beer at Octoberfest on Facebook). Perhaps more importantly, many BONs have 'morality clauses' stating that you could lose your license for doing something morally questionable--if this doesn't merit a breach in a 'morality clause,' I don't know what does.

You don't have to worry about that Persephone; if you google his name you'll find court documents demonstrating he has been skipping out on paying child support. What a peach.

Must we all (all RN's, all health care workers) have the same morals?

Many nurses believe in abortion on demand, others find it murder of the innocents and a leading indicator of the breakdown of our culture. We nurses are of different religions. Some are heterosexual, some are not. Some believe in sex only within marriage, others do not.

It was once correct to live by the deeply believed view, held by many, that lynching was perfectly acceptable. Now it's not. Many exalt Hitler and other dictators. Many others find them monsters.

Just saying.

I am not defending the guy. I think he was stupid for doing what he did. As for his right to do it - guaranteed by our 1st Amendment.

I would not like him as an employee either. But I'm just not sure that his stupid act or his apparent belief makes him a bad nurse. And I don't know that I would fire him.

Now being behind on child support...

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

1st Amendment rights to freedom of expression

However, we do have to live with the results of exercising that right.

Poor judgment on his part. Not sure he should have been fired.

The first amendment does not protect the use of "fighting words."

Furthermore, an employer may have a policy dictating public behavior. This isn't even necessary for dismissal in an at-will state. I don't know which states are at will.

[SC_RNDude]

Agree with the post by Kooky Korky. This is the era when Big Brother became a stark reality. Stupid shirt, yes. But this individual has a right to his own opinions no matter if the general populace or the members of this website agree with them. And as such, he was not there as a representative of nursing nor his employer, he was exercising his right to vote and should have been allowed to do so unencumbered. The legality of the photo is also in question, as the Washington Post notes: In Tennessee, taking photos or videos in a polling location is against the law. So it was the person who took the photo who broke the law. Also, it should be noted that Tennessee is an "at will" employment state but since this person was voting when the decision to fire him was made, it will be interesting to see how this progresses.

I agree with just about everything you said. However, as a business, his employer really had no choice but to fire him.

I wonder how many people here who agree with his firing are also folks who believe the NFL players should be able to kneel for the national anthem?

The nurse and the players are both expressing their opinion, and the way each if them is doing it is bad for business for their employer.

[stevemac]

Kooky Kork's got it nailed.

This thread provided an interesting debate in our sleepy ER tonight, so that was fun.

What if I wear my "Media Kills Love" T shirt? No doubt that'll offend some people who like Media and others who don't like it but are easily triggered by anything related to Media. What if I'm recognized at work by a patient who had been offended by my shirt days earlier? There's seems to be no "safe space" for freedom of expression anymore...unless it's a snowflake campus and you're one of the snowflakes. Then you're golden.

I think the guy's shirt was in poor taste, but I bristle at the idea that society should be policing people's personal tastes. And even more so that someone who decided to be offended can affect, or threaten to affect, someone else's job.

By all the articles posted here so far, Ol' Clayton is an...if I continue I'll breach the conduct rules myself! His dismissal from LE seems directly tied to his job: he was "corrupting a minor." There is a chance that he is a competent nurse and is able to hide his (presumed) prejudices while on duty; because we don't like his wardrobe doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't provide competent care to whatever kinds of patients he serves.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

I agree with just about everything you said. However, as a business, his employer really had no choice but to fire him.

I wonder how many people here who agree with his firing are also folks who believe the NFL players should be able to kneel for the national anthem?

The nurse and the players are both expressing their opinion, and the way each if them is doing it is bad for business for their employer.

Not all words are created equal, that's why the concepts of defamation and slander exist, as well as the classic limit on yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre.

Pretty sure that "protesting police abuse of authority against minorities" isn't on the same level as "murder minorities to keep them subjugated"...

[Davey Do]

One wonders what motivates certain actions in some situations: To make a statement? To gain attention? To feel superior?

And clothes do, as the saying goes, make the man.

What if Clayton had donned a different T-shirt that day? He could have still been noticed, make a statement, upset no one and kept his job.

Had Clayton wore a plain ol' white T-shirt, he could have made the statement that he was an average ordinary guy, kept his thoughts and beliefs inside, and gone about his business.

He could have made an absurd statement and went on his way.

Or Clayton could have even been a little radical without offending anyone.

If he wanted to be noticed, he could have used humor:

He could have even pushed the envelope of appropriateness:

But, in the end, Clayton made everyone know who he is by wearing a complete ensemble:

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Not all words are created equal, that's why the concepts of defamation and slander exist, as well as the classic limit on yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre.

Pretty sure that "protesting police abuse of authority against minorities" isn't on the same level as "murder minorities to keep them subjugated"...

Agree, and I have to wonder about the people who are attempting to create an equivalency here between those two "expressions."

[Spadeforce]

wonder if people would throw as big a fit if somebody was blasting cop killer music or other thuggy stuff.

hypocrisy at its finest.

If it fits your party's agenda its OK. if not then you are thrown to the sewers! No matter how ridiculous the logic is.

Welcome to American politics

Racism is not OK but somehow I doubt the allnurses crowd would be so irate if anti-white slander was tossed around

In before I'm called all those myso, racist, etc stuff for not agreeing with everyone

and No i did not vote for trump so you can retype everything you just put out there

[dinah77, ADN]

while it was a dumb shirt to wear, there is so much triggered in this thread

Like anybody here commenting is a perfect angel lol

oh for goodness sakes. I totally imagine this said in a Beavis and Butthead voice.

You're darn straight I'm "triggered" by references to lynching. And if you are not, there is something terribly, terribly wrong with you

[dinah77, ADN]

Kooky Kork's got it nailed.

This thread provided an interesting debate in our sleepy ER tonight, so that was fun.

What if I wear my "Media Kills Love" T shirt? No doubt that'll offend some people who like Media and others who don't like it but are easily triggered by anything related to Media. What if I'm recognized at work by a patient who had been offended by my shirt days earlier? There's seems to be no "safe space" for freedom of expression anymore...unless it's a snowflake campus and you're one of the snowflakes. Then you're golden.

I think the guy's shirt was in poor taste, but I bristle at the idea that society should be policing people's personal tastes. And even more so that someone who decided to be offended can affect, or threaten to affect, someone else's job.

By all the articles posted here so far, Ol' Clayton is an...if I continue I'll breach the conduct rules myself! His dismissal from LE seems directly tied to his job: he was "corrupting a minor." There is a chance that he is a competent nurse and is able to hide his (presumed) prejudices while on duty; because we don't like his wardrobe doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't provide competent care to whatever kinds of patients he serves.

The fact that you classify an image referencing murders of African-Americans as "poor taste" tells me everything I need to know about you

[dinah77, ADN]

wonder if people would throw as big a fit if somebody was blasting cop killer music or other thuggy stuff.

hypocrisy at its finest.

If it fits your party's agenda its OK. if not then you are thrown to the sewers! No matter how ridiculous the logic is.

Welcome to American politics

Racism is not OK but somehow I doubt the allnurses crowd would be so irate if anti-white slander was tossed around

In before I'm called all those myso, racist, etc stuff for not agreeing with everyone

and No i did not vote for trump so you can retype everything you just put out there

"thuggy" music. That's some nice coded language you got going on there

[dinah77, ADN]

It's not an either or situation. Whether the white hoods are taken off voluntarily or by someone else, they amount to the same thing.

And it's not actually THAT hard to spot the racists who don't out themselves.