The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Should you respond to FFN posts that are designed to elicit emotion?
Should the professional network of firefighters that participate on this website tolerate blatant posts (noted below) that are designed to elicit emotional responses from the membership?
My personal opinion is no. I understand the social side of this site and like many other firefighters, I put up with the myriad of posts from those folks inspiring to become firefighters. Even though some of the posts get annoying we all know that it's ok to ask what may appear to be ridiculous questions. We all started someplace.
What is not right is the use of race issues, religion or sexual preference to stir the pot, make people angry and point fingers at folks who quite frankly (if they are anything like me) were surprised to read such an obvious attempt to get folks to respond.
Is it just me or do you come here to get away from that kind of nonsense?
I'm pleading with the membership to stick to the job and helping our younger brothers and sisters learn and do this incredibly important service for our communities. This type of post offers nothing positive and accomplished nothing for the fire service.
Am I alone here? Is anyone else as incensed as I was when the below post was read?
Another Noose?
This morning I read about yet another noose being discovered in either the locker or the personal belongings of a black firefighter somewhere in this country. It seems this noose-making is an odd trend in the fire service, as this is probably the third time I've read a story like this in the past year.
Why is racism, particularly racism against African Americans, so common in the fire service? (Remember: First responders are held to a higher standard, so if you do something once, like leave a noose in someone's locker, and it's reported, people will remember it and judge you for it for a long time.)
I read another unrelated story yesterday in which a firefighter rescued a woman from her burning home. He was truly elated to have been her rescuer. The world needs this type of guy. Everyone needs a hero, and many people enter the fire service hoping to become a hero. But you can't call yourself a hero if you rescue people by day and sneak nooses into their lockers by night.
Are people trying to maintain the "old school" fire service (strictly white guys)? And if so, doesn't that make the fire service just an extension of the KKK?
My personal opinion is no. I understand the social side of this site and like many other firefighters, I put up with the myriad of posts from those folks inspiring to become firefighters. Even though some of the posts get annoying we all know that it's ok to ask what may appear to be ridiculous questions. We all started someplace.
What is not right is the use of race issues, religion or sexual preference to stir the pot, make people angry and point fingers at folks who quite frankly (if they are anything like me) were surprised to read such an obvious attempt to get folks to respond.
Is it just me or do you come here to get away from that kind of nonsense?
I'm pleading with the membership to stick to the job and helping our younger brothers and sisters learn and do this incredibly important service for our communities. This type of post offers nothing positive and accomplished nothing for the fire service.
Am I alone here? Is anyone else as incensed as I was when the below post was read?
Another Noose?
This morning I read about yet another noose being discovered in either the locker or the personal belongings of a black firefighter somewhere in this country. It seems this noose-making is an odd trend in the fire service, as this is probably the third time I've read a story like this in the past year.
Why is racism, particularly racism against African Americans, so common in the fire service? (Remember: First responders are held to a higher standard, so if you do something once, like leave a noose in someone's locker, and it's reported, people will remember it and judge you for it for a long time.)
I read another unrelated story yesterday in which a firefighter rescued a woman from her burning home. He was truly elated to have been her rescuer. The world needs this type of guy. Everyone needs a hero, and many people enter the fire service hoping to become a hero. But you can't call yourself a hero if you rescue people by day and sneak nooses into their lockers by night.
Are people trying to maintain the "old school" fire service (strictly white guys)? And if so, doesn't that make the fire service just an extension of the KKK?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Capt.Alex Arnold on
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I being a proud veteran (and I carry a pocket copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights with me every where) could not agree with you more about the Freedom of Speech. Journalists though are like many other proffessions, they have morales and codes they recognize. Sadly, journalism is no longer journalism though. They do not have to research anything. If one person said it then it must be true. Or even worse they just write it, speak it, or what ever means of diseminating the information, of their personal view point on an issue. That is not journalism!
I would have easily stepped up on to your soap box of free speech for Ms. Devone-Panchero, but she is riding on the coat tails of her journalism credentials. She didn't post this blog with any seperation from her and her proffession. NO WHERE in her blog did she state "I feel" or "my personal view or opinion" no she wrote it as a journalist and that is not right. That is the underlying issue for myself and many others here.
See now I'm going to have to start a new thread. haha Merry Christmas
Be safe and learn something new today.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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It may have been Cindy's right to post something that is offensive and inaccurate, but it is also everyone else's right to post their opinions of her blog in response. Freedom of speech is a two-way street. If you sully that street, don't be surprised when a community-minded person takes you to task for it.
Generalizing all firefighters as members of a race hate group is definately sullying the free speech street.
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Jack, unlike Hollywood, in our business, there's no such thing as "All publicity is good publicity."
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Alex, It might do you more good to carry a copy of The Prince by Niccolo Machievelli. Unfortunately, some people use that line of thinking instead of the ones for which you advocate.
As has been stated elsewhere about this, we have to be careful about where to draw the line between freedom of speech and shouting "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Sometime's it's a large gray area, not a line.
In this case, I think we all know that there is a line and where it was drawn.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Ben, right, but I was referring to publicity for the magazine/website, not the fire service. in which case yeah publicity is good for them and controversy gets hits which interests/increases sponsorship.
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Permalink Reply by Shaun Hansen on
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Kind of like hearing a polititian say that he is going to to lower taxes or create new jobs or make everyone in this county rich. Sounds like BS to me. What is an appology when it comes not from the source where it started but an outside third party such as the "Editor-in-chief". You want a heart felt apology to the membership of FFN do not speak for someone else. Stop the polotics and get one straight from the source. Though you may speak for the magazine, you can not speak for the individual that stated this. I am with Derek R. on this one.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Michael:
To answer your question, Why.
Because the men and women who write the educational articles for the magazine are BIGGER than ONE "blog". And it wasn't even a blog, in my book.
Where we normally agree; on this we disagree.
I am not going to turn my back on the knowledge of those like Homer Robertson, Scott Cook, Vaccaro, Crawford, Tippett, and so many more.
They support our mission. I am going to support their's. Cindy Devone-Pacheco does not speak for them.
They speak for themselves.
I ain't going anywhere.
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Jack, the problem with the blog (more like an op-ed piece, actually) was that it blurs the topic regarding just what kind of publicity is being sought.
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The "blogger" did issue an apology. It's in the comments section under her blog.
And Sendelbach wasn't apologizing for her. He was apologizing on behalf of the magazine that he runs and making it clear that the view expressed in the blog is not the view of the magazine.
It's all there in Another Noose?
Art
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Thanks for the insight. Will look into
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